Allied Pilots Association president Keith Wilson wrote a thank you note.
In a message sent to members on Wednesday, Wilson thanked the 96 percent of eligible pilots for casting their ballots in last week's contract ratification vote. He also updated pilots on the union's board of directors meeting that began on Wednesday.
Wilson said AMR chief executive Tom Horton is scheduled to talk to the board on Thursday morning to give an update on the restructuring process and "his view of the future."
"As the new owners of
a significant percentage of the restructured airline, it’s APA’s
responsibility to maximize the value of our investment by conducting
thorough due diligence. I believe the APA leadership needs to hear what
Mr. Horton has to say," Wilson wrote.
Wilson added that the union "must be ready to move quickly toward a potential merger."
Keep reading for the full letter from Wilson.
-Andrea Ahles
APA HOTLINE MESSAGE DECEMBER 12
I
want to thank every pilot who took the time to vote in the tentative
agreement ratification that concluded last Friday. With more than 96
percent of eligible pilots casting a ballot, it’s clear that APA’s
membership remains highly engaged.
I
would also like to acknowledge the level-headed resolve you have
exhibited throughout the restructuring process. When a decisive majority
of you voted against management’s “last, best, final offer” in August,
your union leadership responded by conducting a poll to identify where
we needed to focus our efforts. Our negotiators then returned to the
bargaining table and ultimately secured meaningful improvements in a
variety of areas. You responded by voting almost three-to-one to ratify
the tentative agreement, indicating that APA had addressed some of the
areas of greatest concern to you and made a difficult decision somewhat
easier.
As
we enter the next phase in American Airlines’ restructuring, your level
of engagement needs to remain high. Immediately after the results of
our vote became known on Friday, the news media began speculating about
the prospects of a merger between American Airlines and US Airways. A
number of Wall Street analysts weighed in, expressing the view that a
merger of the two carriers is all but inevitable. While I will refrain
from speculation, we must be ready to move quickly toward a potential
merger.
As
we announced on Monday, the Unsecured Creditors’ Committee has invited
APA to join the merger-related discussions that are already underway
between AMR and US Airways. By a vote of 14-2, the APA Board of
Directors agreed to join the talks and to adhere to the applicable
non-disclosure agreement. The US Airline Pilots Association,
representing US Airways’ pilots, has also joined the same discussions.
As you may recall, these talks began last summer and were put on hold
when AMR and US Airways management entered into a non-disclosure
agreement. With both pilot groups now participating, we are hopeful that
all parties can agree to a memorandum of understanding to protect our
respective interests through a transition period that would lead to a
joint collective bargaining agreement.
The
APA Board of Directors convened at union headquarters beginning today
at 1 p.m. Central. AMR Chairman and CEO Tom Horton is scheduled to
address the Board on Thursday morning regarding the state of the
airline’s restructuring and his view of the future. As the new owners of
a significant percentage of the restructured airline, it’s APA’s
responsibility to maximize the value of our investment by conducting
thorough due diligence. I believe the APA leadership needs to hear what
Mr. Horton has to say.
As
we continue executing our strategic plan going forward, we are
committed to keeping you informed to the best of our ability. While
there will be occasions when we won’t be able to provide as much detail
as we would prefer because of legal requirements to keep certain
information confidential, we understand how critical it is for you to
receive timely updates.
In
closing, I ask that we set aside whatever differences of opinion may
have arisen during the ratification process and stay focused on our many
shared interests as pilots for American Airlines. Speaking in a unified
voice will maximize our ability to further those interests.
Thank you again.
In unity,
Keith Wilson
APA President
Good call to hear out Tom Horton. If anything, he's put your airline back together again quickly and decisively.
Now if you really want to maximize your value... how about getting those planes off the ground on time?
Posted by: casual observer | December 13, 2012 at 12:55 PM
Wow, now it's "our" airline, and we must do everything to maximize investment. Only a few days with ownership, and already the union is thinking like management.
Posted by: Wings367 | December 13, 2012 at 08:45 PM