Wednesday, March 26, 1997

Report: Proposed deal with American pilots involves American Eagle

FORT WORTH (AP) - American Eagle pilots are eyeing warily a deal that may put an end to the dispute between American Airlines and its pilots.

The arrangement would put some of Eagle's captains on the fast track to American. In hard times, however, some of the commuter airline's pilots could be furloughed before their American counterparts.

The deal was drafted during an all-night negotiating session Friday between the Allied Pilots Association, which represents American's pilots, and the Air Line Pilots Association, which represents Eagle's pilots, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Tuesday.

"It's hard to tell which way it will go," said Ed Nelson, a first officer who has been with Eagle for two years. "Personally, I think it's pretty good for us ... But there are a lot of questions about whether our union will protect our jobs as well as the (Allied Pilots Association) is protecting theirs."

Those who favor the proposal say the deal will settle a major point of contention throughout the dispute. The contested issue deals with who will fly American's new generation of regional jets.

AMR Corp., the airline's parent company, wants American Eagle pilots, who make an average of $35,000 a year, to fly the planes, while APA wants American pilots, who earn about $120,000 a year, to fly the jets.

American pilots have complained that the company wants to outsource their jobs.

The proposal is expected to be finished this week, before a Friday meeting of Eagle's executive council.

Homer Pugh Jr., chairman of the Air Line Pilots' master executive council for Eagle, thinks Eagle should accept the deal.

"It answers the needs of both the APA and ALPA," Pugh said. "It provides us with an opportunity that we don't currently have and it provides a degree of risk to get that opportunity. Overall, I see it as a plus for us. And by saying that, I don't see it as a minus for the APA pilot."

The proposal guarantees that one of every two future hires at American would be a regional jet captain from Eagle. The deal would also give American pilots subject to being furloughed the right to bump an Eagle captain instead.

The bumping rights would be meaningless through 2001, though, since American pilots have a no-furlough clause in their proposed agreement.

The APA pilots struck briefly last month, but President Clinton intervened shortly after the walkout. The pilots went back to work while an emergency board worked on a proposed settlement.

Union leaders for American Airlines pilots were set to vote Saturday on a proposed contract in which they said key details had been worked but, but they postponed the vote.

The board of the Allied Pilots Association will meet again April 3-4, at a site to be determined, to go over final contract language.