ALPA pilots endorse new Pinnacle Airlines contract

The Air Line Pilots Assn. said Friday its Pinnacle Airlines Corp. pilot leaders have endorsed a tentative agreement uniting pilots from Pinnacle, Mesaba Airlines and Colgan Air under a single contract, “paving the way for the smooth integration of one of the world’s largest regional carriers.”

ALPA leaders began the process of merging the three groups after Pinnacle Airlines Corp. bought Delta Air Lines subsidiary Mesaba last summer following the DL-Northwest Airlines merger (ATW Daily News, July 2, 2010).

ALPA said the master executive councils from the three airlines “unanimously approved” a joint collective bargaining agreement that was “negotiated in only 102 days.” ALPA represents almost 3,000 pilots from the three carriers. The pilots will now vote on whether to ratify the five-year agreement.

“The proposed JCBA is a remarkable achievement that will yield concrete gains for every Pinnacle Airlines Corp. pilot,” said Pinnacle MEC Chairman Capt. Scott Erickson. “It meets the Pinnacle, Mesaba and Colgan leadership’s stated goals of providing immediate improvements to the pilot group and advancing individual careers, while also positioning our merged airline for continued growth and prosperity.”

Mesaba MEC Chairman Capt. Mark Nagel said the danger was that management would use the merger as an opportunity to “whipsaw our pilot groups.” He noted, “We resolved to cooperate as a team to craft one contract and one seniority list, and we have achieved an agreement that will improve work rules, pay, benefits, and job security for every pilot at Pinnacle, Mesaba, and Colgan.”

If the agreement is ratified, the next step in merging the three groups will be to create a joint seniority list. The Pinnacle, Mesaba and Colgan pilot merger committees have begun working on a joint list, with a target completion date of May 1, ALPA said.