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Pinnacle Pilots Public Information Page
Who We Are
We are the 1,200
highly-trained, professional airline pilots employed by Pinnacle Airlines Inc.
(flying as Northwest Airlink) and represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International. We operate a fleet of 124 sophisticated, $20-million jet aircraft and safely transport more than 9 million passengers a year.
About Our Contract Negotiations
We have been
negotiating with Pinnacle management for a new contract since February 2005. Our contract negotiations are conducted under the Railway Labor Act, the federal statute regulating labor relations in the airline and railroad industries.
When we began negotiations, we committed ourselves to reaching a fair
agreement with Pinnacle management through the collective bargaining process,
and that continues to be our goal. The Pinnacle pilots, however, are fully
committed to achieving a fair contract that recognizes our contributions to
Pinnacle, and we are prepared to engage in a legal strike if management forces
us to do so.
Our Negotiations Issues
-
Retirement – Neither our existing retirement plan nor Pinnacle
management’s proposed retirement plan are adequate to meet the retirement
needs of Pinnacle pilots and their families.
-
Scheduling
Rules – We need
scheduling rules that allow us to use our time more efficiently — flying
aircraft — instead of sitting unproductively at airports or in hotels for
long periods of time. We also require adequate time for rest and protection
of our natural sleep cycle to ensure the safety of flight every time we get
into the cockpit.
-
Respect
For Our Time – We
wish for our management to respect our time off when we are not scheduled to
be at work. Our time with our family, spouses, children and friends is
valuable and as such, we wish to not be subject to forced overtime on
previously scheduled days off.
-
Job
Security – We also
want a commitment from Pinnacle that we will be a part of our airline’s
future, irrespective of its ownership or corporate status.
-
Compensation
– We are seeking
pay that accurately reflects our productivity and our skill and experience
as professional airline pilots. We further expect to be paid for all
of the hours we work.
About Pinnacle
Founded in 1985 in Memphis, TN, Pinnacle began service with a turbo-prop fleet of
nine Jetstream 31 and two Saab 340 aircraft. Pinnacle has grown into an airline carrying more than 800,000 customers every month with a fleet of 124 modern, sophisticated jet aircraft. Pinnacle now operates more than 800 daily flights serving more than 121 cities in 40 US states, the District of Columbia and Canada.
About ALPA
The Air Line Pilots
Association, International (ALPA) is the largest airline pilot union in the
world and represents 61,000 pilots, including 1,200 Pinnacle pilots, who fly for 40 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Founded
in 1931, the Association is chartered by the AFL-CIO and the Canadian Labour
Congress. Known internationally as US-ALPA, it is a member of the International
Federation of Air Line Pilot Associations.
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