Jan 8, 2008 6:09 pm US/Central
Pinnacle Airlines Sues Pilots On Contract Talks
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) ―
Pinnacle Airlines, a regional passenger carrier headquartered in Memphis, filed suit in federal court Tuesday, accusing its pilots' union of unnecessarily dragging out contract talks for three years.
The suit came a day after Pinnacle flyers represented by the Air Line Pilots Association requested binding arbitration from federal mediators.
The contract talks began in January 2005 and both sides accuse the other of failing to negotiate in good faith.
Pinnacle, which provides regional flight services for Northwest Airlink and Delta Connection, argued in the lawsuit that it has lost business and even come close to considering bankruptcy because of the unsuccessful contract talks. Pinnacle has about 1,350 pilots, 400 of them in Memphis.
The suit seeks a court order directing the union to bargain in good faith.
"We want to be at the table and bring these negotiations to a close," said Pinnacle spokesman Joe Williams. "We have been more than fair."
The pilots accuse Pinnacle management of standing in the way of a contract agreement.
"The company has changed their proposals and been unwilling to give us a solid comprehensive offer," said John Prater, ALPA president.
He called the company's lawsuit "an attempt to detract and obfuscate from the fact they have been unwilling to negotiate a contract."
Pinnacle and the ALPA declined details on the negotiations or contract proposals, but union spokesman Scott Erickson said the pilots' major concerns are pay raises and job security.
Erickson said salaries for Pinnacle pilots, which vary considerably depending on experience and aircraft type, are below industry standards. A Pinnacle co-pilot with little experience draws about $22,000 a year, Erickson said, while a five-year captain on one of the company's bigger planes may be paid up to $60,000.
If the union's request for binding arbitration is accepted by the National Mediation Board but rejected by Pinnacle, the pilots would be free to strike after a 30-day waiting period.
The contract talks have been in mediation since September 2006, and the pilots voted overwhelmingly in December to give their union leaders authority to strike.
Pinnacle shares fell 72 cents, or 4.97 percent, to $13.77 in afternoon trading.
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