American Airlines Union Plan Pickets Over Working Conditions

Unionized workers for American Airlines want to take their grievances over labor conditions to the public and are planning informational picket lines at major hubs. Their complaints include not getting access to hotel rooms and fatigue from working during the pandemic.

Allied Pilots Association (APA) aviators working for American Airlines may soon take their complaints to the flying public at the airline’s major hubs. CNBC reports the union is planning an informational picket “in the coming weeks” at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Miami International Airport (MIA) and other airports.

Complaints Include Schedules, Fatigue and Access to Hotels

According to an e-mail sent to the media, the APA says their complaints revolve around their work schedules, exhaustion from the ramp-up to normal operations and lack of accommodations. The complaints mark the second time American workers have complained about getting access to hotels. In July 2021, the APA and Association of Professional Flight Attendants-CWA complained the airline was not proving overnight hotel bookings for crews.

“Our airline needs scheduling practices that support the safety margin, respect pilots’ and passengers’ needs, and de-risk American Airlines to protect and improve revenue,” the APA said in a statement to Reuters.

The move is the latest escalation between airlines and workers, who say their employers are asking for more and giving less. In August 2021, the Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association (SWAPA) took their airline to court, alleging the emergency provisions instituted by the Dallas-based carrier were in violation of federal law. The suit is still pending in federal court.

The planned picket is not an official strike by the APA, but rather an informative action to take their issues to flyers. American has not publicly commented on the planned actions.

Planned Picket Marks Second Dispute in Five Years over Working Conditions

The planned activities are the second time in five years unionized pilots have taken complaints about their conditions to the public. In 2017, the APA filed an emergency grievance against the Fort Worth-based carrier over the “state of fatigue among pilots.”