Tentative contract agreement for Air Transport International flight crews

by B. N. Sullivan

The pilots and flight engineers at Air Transport International (ATI) have reached a tentative contract agreement (TA) with the carrier's management.  The TA was reached after six years of contract negotiations, and is the first contract for ATI crew since they joined the Air line Pilots Association (ALPA) in 2009.  ALPA negotiators and ATI management had been meeting under the supervision of the National Mediation Board.

According to ALPA, the proposed four-year agreement "would include pay increases as well as improved work rules and quality-of-life enhancements for cockpit crewmembers."

A ratification vote will be held after details of the agreement are presented to the membership in a series of road shows at ATI crew hub and training centers. The road shows will begin in January, 2011.

“We will be pleased to present to our crewmembers an agreement that satisfies their needs,” said Capt. Tom Rogers, chairman of the ATI unit of ALPA. “What brought these negotiations to where they are today is the fact that ATI crewmembers take great pride in the service they provide to the Company and that they are dedicated to seeing ATI prosper. It’s been a long road, and I believe that our determination has finally paid off.”