Horizon Air pilots approve new five-year contract

by B. N. Sullivan

The pilots at Horizon Air have approved a new five-year collective bargaining agreement.  Their union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters APA Local 1224, announced today that the tentative agreement  reached in September of this year  was ratified by the membership.  Ballots were tallied yesterday and the vote passed the membership by 60 percent, according to the union.

A press statement by Teamsters Local 1224 offered these details:

The new contract includes dramatic improvements in work conditions where the pilots will be writing their own schedules and trips.  Also, a progressive scheduling process was agreed to whereby pilots can trade and manage their schedules among each other to accommodate their personal wishes, with improved pay protections for Horizon pilots.  Significant ratification bonuses also were included in the agreement.  The pay rates will be submitted in two separate 'baseball style' arbitrations; a method agreed upon to avoid an impasse on the subject.

Most notable of these is, perhaps, the scheduling improvements in this agreement which demonstrate that Horizon has entrusted the pilot group to build safe, cost-efficient schedules.

"We look forward to implementing this new contract, especially the scheduling portion," says Captain Trevor Bulger. "The scheduling section in and of itself is a major industry improvement in that our pilots now have the ability to essentially build their own schedules. We envision this will provide for a vast improvement in our quality of life."

The new agreement was reached following more than four years of negotiations, and months of federal mediation.

Horizon Air pilots have a tentative contact agreement

by B. N. Sullivan

The pilots at Horizon Air have a tentative contract.  The agreement between Horizon management and the pilots' union was reached following more than four years of negotiations, and months of federal mediation.  Horizon pilots are represented by Teamsters Local 1244, The Airline Professionals Association.

No details about the new contract have been publicly released, pending a ratification vote.  The union leadership expects to present the contract to the pilot membership for a ratification vote next month.

In a statement about the tentative agreement, Joe Muckle, President of the Airline Professionals Association Teamsters Local 1244, said, “The Union leadership and negotiators worked very hard to finalize the provisions in this tentative agreement.  I thank and congratulate the negotiating teams on both sides for their collaborative efforts.  While the agreement is still contingent upon the membership’s vote to ratify the contract, I believe that it adequately provides for the Company’s needs and also recognizes the very high level of service and professionalism the Horizon pilots provide.”

“The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has been negotiating for the Horizon Air pilots since March 2006, and the industry landscape has changed dramatically during that time,” said Captain David Bourne, Teamsters’ Airline Division Director.  “This is a good agreement with significant quality of life improvements and other incentives."

Pilots concerned over Alaska Airlines plan to lay off up to 1,000 line employees

In conjunction with a capacity reduction of 8%, Alaska Airlines has announced plans for a work force reduction. In a statement issued late last week, the carrier's parent, Alaska Air Group, Inc., said that it will eliminate 850 to 1,000 "operational" positions at Alaska Airlines, including pilots, flight attendants, aircraft technicians, and reservations, customer service and ramp agents. The press release said, in part:

In response to the current environment, the company has undertaken a variety of initiatives to improve profitability and protect its cash balance. These measures include raising fares, increasing fees and instituting a charge for a second checked bag, taking steps to reduce fuel consumption, and deferring or eliminating numerous projects and capital spending.

"These steps, when combined with the recently completed transition to an all-Boeing 737 fleet, improve our viability, but are not enough to eliminate the need to reduce the number of our employees," [chairman and CEO of Alaska Air Group] Ayer said.

Alaska Airlines is working with the unions representing operational employees to offer early-out programs and six-month to two-year leaves of absence to minimize the number of involuntary furloughs. Affected employees will leave the company starting in November and continuing through early 2009.

Furloughs for 190 pilots are among the anticipated job cuts at Alaska Airlines -- a move that the pilots' union worries will limit the airline's ability to respond to market opportunities. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), the union that represents Alaska's 1,500 pilots, issued the following statement in response to the carrier's furlough announcement:

“We are concerned that, particularly as oil prices continue to plummet, Alaska Airlines will reduce its pilot ranks so severely that our management will create a situation in which our carrier will be unable to take advantage of its strong cash position and respond to opportunities to grow as other airlines cut routes and capacity,” said Capt. Bill Shivers, chairman of the Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Association.

“Following 9/11, Alaska Airlines strategically used its strong financial position to grow our airline and expand into new markets. When conditions again improve to the point that would allow financially strong carriers to grow, we are concerned that competitors such as Southwest, Virgin America or Jet Blue will be in a position to capitalize on opportunities that our company has denied itself the ability to take advantage of. Returning pilots to the line after a furlough is a time consuming process, and if management follows through on announced plans to reduce pilot ranks so severely, they create a scenario where we are no longer a nimble carrier able to quickly respond to emerging opportunities.

“We’ve already worked with Alaska’s management to create early out retirement and extended leave of absence programs, designed to mitigate the furlough and are continuing to look at ways to prevent the furlough as required by our Collective Bargaining Agreement. We will continue to support and represent all of our pilots, including any who management may choose to furlough.”

Alaska Air Group, Inc., also announced coming capacity and work force reductions for its other airline, Horizon Air. Management expects to reduce Horizon Air capacity in the fourth quarter by about 20 percent compared to the same period last year. The work force reduction at Horizon Air will include elimination of 94 pilot positions "through attrition, early-out packages and leaves, and a furlough of about 40 pilots this November."

In other work groups at Horizon Air, furloughs are being minimized through early-out programs, unpaid leaves and attrition, the company said.