ATI Pilot Leaders Prepare for Next Round of Mediation
For nearly three and half years, Air Transport International (ATI) pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), have been in contract negotiations with management. With no meaningful progress by management on big-ticket issues including compensation and retirement, both parties filed for mediation with the National Mediation Board (NMB) in March. The last scheduled NMB session of the year will be Oct. 24–26 in Baltimore, Md.
“Just over a month ago, ATI pilot leaders sent a strong message to management that we are ready and willing to take a strike vote should it be a necessary step in achieving the contract we deserve,” said Capt. Mike Sterling, chair of the ATI MEC. “It’s now on company negotiators to show up and deliver us a contract that meets the needs of our pilots, or we will deliver them a strike-authorization vote.”
A strike-authorization vote would permit ALPA to call a strike once legally permitted. Under U.S. law, pilots cannot walk off the job until the NMB grants them permission. The Board must first decide that additional mediation efforts would not be productive and offer the parties an opportunity to arbitrate. If either side declines, both parties enter a 30-day “cooling off” period, after which pilots and management can engage in self-help. This includes a strike by the union or a lockout by management.
Since January 2022, more than 56 percent of the ATI pilot group has left the airline, and experienced pilots continue to leave ATI every month.
