Ted Reed
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Four months after it replaced a pilots union that was in place at US Airways (LCC Quote - Cramer on LCC - Stock Picks) for 57 years, the US Airline Pilots Association confronts many of the same problems that confounded its predecessor -- plus some new ones.
Contentiousness remains between pilots at America West and US Airways, which still can't agree on a seniority list even three years after the merger of the airlines in 2005. This dispute, in fact, led to an election on April 17 that displaced the Air Line Pilots Association, and a new contract continues to appear far off. Furthermore, once USAPA took over, former America West pilots stopped paying union dues. USAPA estimates that it's missing out on $300,000 a month. A September showdown is likely, because US Airways is required by its pilot contract to collect dues (or a service charge for pilots who aren't union members) and to terminate pilots who don't pay. USAPA scored a coup in attracting media attention last month when it bought a full-page ad in USA Today that alleged US Airways is pressuring pilots to carry less fuel. The move was made after the airline required mandatory training for eight pilots who exceeded normal fuel request patterns. Some experts suggest the union moved too quickly in questioning the airline's commitment to safety. "There are no manuals to one day wake up, throw the biggest pilots union in the world off the property and then run what is left," says USAPA Chairman Stephen Bradford, a 54-year-old Pittsburgh resident who flies as an Airbus first officer. "It's rewarding, but it is hard."
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