In Charlotte’s Biggest Labor Protest In Two Decades, 450 American Pilots Decry Slow Pace Of Contract Talks

In Charlotte’s largest labor demonstration in two decades, about 450 American Airlines pilots protested the slow pace of contract talks near an entrance to Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Monday.

The contract became amendable in January 2020. Although they were delayed by the pandemic, talks between the carrier and the Allied Pilots Association, which represents 15,000 American pilots, were thought to be nearing an end when Delta signed a deal with its pilots in early March. But two months later, neither American nor Southwest nor United have reached deals with their pilots.

“We’ve somewhat agreed on financials,” Doug Hancock, chairman of the Charlotte APA pilot domicile, said at the protest. “The biggest problem is quality of ‘trip construction’ and quality of life.” He said the airline constructs pilot trip schedules that require nearly nine hours of flying a day, the Federal Aviation Administration maximum. Then something, often weather, interferes.

“They want to schedule for what’s legal,” Hancock said. “The push us to the max; they are scheduling longer and longer duty days. That may be legal, but it’s not safe.”

Various problems occur when pilot schedules change. The hours count only flying hours, not airport sitting hours, which can accumulate. Pilots can get home far later than they expected, sometimes the next day, as they can get stuck overnight someplace they had not expected to be. “Those four- and five-day trips fall apart,” Hancock said. First officer Kimberly Osborn said the schedule uncertainty means “The hardest part of the job is child care – you never know what to tell your child.”

Erik DeWinne, domicile vice chairman, said a pilot may be assigned to fly San Diego to Charlotte. Upon arrival, the pilot is assigned an extra leg such as a round trip to Fort Lauderdale. “That’s called ‘a victory lap,’” he said.

Another outstanding issue in talks, DeWinne said, is sick days. Pilots who call in sick for one day may lose an entire scheduled five-day trip, he said, adding that they should be able to fly once they are well. Sick leave is another unresolved issue in the contract talks.

In a prepared statement issued Monday, American said, “We remain confident that an agreement for our pilots is within reach and can be finalized quickly. The finish line is in sight. We remain focused on completing the handful of matters necessary to reach an agreement our pilots deserve.”

The protest took place at a busy intersection hundreds of yards from the airport terminal, unseen by most passengers, although cars streamed by on busy Wilkerson Boulevard and many drivers honked. In recent years, the airport has limited demonstrations near the terminal to ten people, partially because of continuing airport construction. Nevertheless, Monday’s event drew between 400 and 500 pilots and was the largest local labor demonstration since a similar number of US Airways pilots protested bankruptcy contract diminutions around 2005. That demonstration took place just outside the airport, in plain sight of any passenger who stepped outside the terminal.

The protest came the same day that APA announced that members had overwhelmingly supported a strike authorization. The union said that more than 96% of its members voted and over 99% of voters backed a strike authorization. American said in its statement, “We understand that a strike authorization vote is one of the important ways pilots express their desire to get a deal done and we respect the message of voting results. Importantly, the results don’t change our commitment or distract us from working expeditiously to complete a deal.”

Hancock said the vote is telling the airline, “Don’t test our resolve: 99% is a mandate.” Of the 1,700 pilots based in Charlotte, more than 25% showed up Monday to demonstrate, he noted.

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