The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) issued the following statement after the announcement of a proposed merger between Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines:
“The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) is committed to assisting our Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines pilot groups in evaluating today’s announced merger proposal in the context of our union’s long-standing goal of creating and maintaining good careers for our pilots and building successful and competitive companies for the U.S. airline industry.
“ALPA maintains that involving the pilots at the beginning of any merger is fundamental to any successful agreement. History clearly shows the benefits of labor and management working together in partnership to reach an agreement on implementing a merger and the positive outcome that such collaboration can generate for both the company and employees.
“ALPA provides support and resources to pilot groups engaged in mergers through the process authorized by ALPA’s merger policy. The policy establishes a flexible approach that is customized through agreements between the affected pilot groups in response to their goals for the merger, including first achieving a joint collective bargaining agreement, and then providing a fair and equitable procedure for the integration of the seniority lists of the merging pilot groups, with ALPA remaining carefully neutral throughout that integration process.
“In the case of Spirit and Frontier Airlines, and as in any merger between airlines with ALPA-represented pilots, our union is committed to fully supporting both pilot groups in their quest for a joint collective bargaining agreement that recognizes their essential contributions to the merged airline while ensuring the long-term viability and success of the enterprise and enhancing career security and progression for our members.”
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest airline pilot union, representing more than 62,000 pilots at 38 airlines in the United States and Canada. Visit our website at www.alpa.org or follow us on Twitter @ALPAPilots.
