New Deal Represents First Major Step Toward First Collective Bargaining Agreement for Pilots
WASHINGTON, 2014-6-17 — /Travel PR News/ — The pilot leadership of JetBlue Airways, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) today announced an interim agreement with JetBlue management that creates procedures to efficiently manage pilot grievances and discipline cases while the association works toward a first collective bargaining agreement. The JetBlue pilot representatives, who make up the ALPA JetBlue Master Executive Council (MEC), unanimously approved the interim agreement.
“This agreement represents a significant first step in establishing a collective bargaining relationship with JetBlue,” said Capt. Jim Bigham, chairman of the JetBlue MEC. “We were able to work constructively with the company to finalize this agreement in a timely fashion because we focused on our mutual interest in having an efficient and binding procedure for resolving disputes. We look forward to continuing to work together productively to secure the future of the company and its pilots.”
The agreement provides accessible grievance-arbitration procedures for pilots who believe they have been wrongfully disciplined or have not been afforded the appropriate pay rates or working conditions under their existing work rules or any other applicable agreement currently in effect. The agreement also sets forth the rules for “Association Leave” and further guarantees that pilots under investigation by JetBlue will have ALPA representation.
In April, the JetBlue pilots voted overwhelmingly to join ALPA to ensure a meaningful voice and secure binding commitments on pay, benefits, and working conditions that are only available through collective bargaining. Two months later, nearly 80 percent of JetBlue pilots have already committed to becoming ALPA members, a clear sign that an overwhelming majority of them are ready to shift to a new way of doing business while retaining the JetBlue culture.
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union, representing more than 51,000 pilots at 31 airlines in the United States and Canada. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org or follow us on Twitter @WeAreALPA.
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CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703/481-4440 or Media@alpa.org