Release #: ATI 23.16
November 07, 2023
ATI Pilots Call on New ATSG CEO Joe Hete to Stop Delaying and Get Serious About Pilot Contract Negotiations
WASHINGTON—For months, Air Transport International (ATI) pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), have been calling on parent company Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) leadership to get serious at the bargaining table. After 3.5 years of negotiations, management’s approach to bargaining has put the parties further apart rather than closer to a deal. On October 27, the ATI pilots called for a strike authorization vote. Yesterday, the ATSG Board of Directors appointed a new chief executive officer (CEO), Joe Hete.
“We sincerely hope that the ATSG Board finally sees what we’ve been telling them for years: ATI needs to resolve its pilot agreement to stem the alarming pilot attrition and ensure a strong future for the airline. Rich Corrado couldn’t do it. Mike Berger hasn’t done it. We hope that new CEO Joe Hete recognizes that an agreement with the ATI pilots will go a long way toward righting the ship following today’s disappointing earnings call,” said Capt. Mike Sterling, chair of the ATI ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC).
The strike authorization vote, which is currently open, will close on November 13. Approval of the vote would permit ALPA to call a strike once legally permitted. Under U.S. law, pilots cannot walk off the job until the National Mediation Board (NMB) grants them permission. The NMB must first decide that additional mediation efforts would not be productive and offer the parties an opportunity to arbitrate. If either side declines, both parties enter a 30-day “cooling off” period, after which pilots and management can engage in self-help. This includes a strike by the union or a lockout by management.
“We are serious about achieving a contract that will allow ATI to be a career destination for professional pilots and likewise allow for ATSG to prosper. We hope Joe Hete is serious about that goal, too,” said Sterling.
ATI has faced startling pilot attrition over the last two years as pilot groups across the industry achieve significant gains in contract negotiations, making the grass greener at other carriers. Year-to-date, 207 pilots have left ATI, representing a staggering 33 percent of the airline’s pilots.
“Every day without an industry-standard contract more ATI pilots are choosing to leave for airlines that recognize the value of professional pilots with competitive contracts and better quality of life,” said Sterling. “Those of us here today are fighting for the change that will make our airline a career destination for pilots once again.”
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents more than 77,000 pilots, including 537 from ATI, at 42 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit alpa.org or follow us on Twitter @ALPAPilots.
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CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703-481-4440 or Media@alpa.org