United Airlines has asked a federal judge to keep 4 pilots, and their union, from abusing sick time and refusing to fly overtime. The carrier says that the actions by these pilots and their union, the Air Line Pilots Association, have cancelled hundreds of flights. United says that the ALPA has encouraged sick-out as well as refusing to fly extra. Pilots are not allowed to do this, according to the Railway Labor Act.
To be more specific on who’s doing it, United said that first officers on its Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s called in sick the most. United’s First Officers on 737s called in sick more than twice the amount over the past seven weeks compared to the prior 3 years. Airbus A320 pilots calling out sick has risen 61%.
United also says that their pilots are angry with them for the pay cuts that they have suffered through. The carrier will also have to furlough 950 pilots as time goes on, since they will be cutting the fleet as well as capacity. The furloughs will most likely be based on seniority. Yet, should pilots use unlawful working actions to prove a point?
ALPA has refused to comment, since they apparently are too busy with looking over the case.
My thoughts:
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again; I hate unions. If unions did not exist, pilots would be able to be judged individually. United would not be having this problem if they could simply fire the 4 pilots and move on. I’m sure there are plenty of talented pilots that need a job right now. Unions also overpay the minimum worker and underpay the hard worker. Years ago, Unions made sense, but today in the airline industry, they do not.
If the numbers that United reports are true, then they have a legitimate case. If this is a system-wide ALPA issue, I think other airlines should examine their numbers as well.
Image: www.plane-spotter.com
