AirTran pilots picket over pay contract

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By Kelly Yamanouchi

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

AirTran Airways pilots picketed at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Thursday afternoon, telling passengers that they have gone four years without pay raises and are still in contract negotiations with the company.

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Daren Black (right) hands out posters to unionized AirTran pilots as they marked the eight anniversary of their current contract by picketing at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Thursday.

Phil Skinner, pskinner@ajc.com, AJC Daren Black (right) hands out posters to unionized AirTran pilots as they marked the eight anniversary of their current contract by picketing at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Thursday.

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The AirTran pilots, who have been in talks with the company since 2004, say they are now paid as much as 26 percent less than other pilots who fly similar-sized aircraft. The AirTran pilots voted to reject a proposed labor contract in 2007 and are in mediation.

“We were willing to hang in here and just deal with the issues,” seeking pay that’s competitive with the rest of the industry, said Linden Hillman, chairman of the executive council of the Air Line Pilots Association at AirTran. “This airline has been very successful because of our pilots and because of our management. If they feel they should be fairly compensated for what they have done, why shouldn’t we share in the success of the airline?” Hillman said picketing is a legal way for pilots to participate in the negotiation process.

AirTran lost $273.8 million in 2008, but has said it expects to be profitable this year.

“We look forward to receiving a comprehensive proposal from the union and until that happens we’ll continue to work in good faith,” said AirTran spokesman Christopher White.

Members of AirTran’s independent pilots union voted in April to switch representation to the Air Line Pilots Association, the nation’s largest pilots union. With the switch, the union began organizing picketing events.

AirTran pilots are “mobilizing publicly for the first time in their history,” said union spokesman Tim Baker.

Around 150 pilots picketed at Hartsfield-Jackson carrying signs with messages such as, “Management gets millions, labor gets nothing” and handing out leaflets.

So far, the union said it has completed negotiations with the company on some sections in its contract, but areas still to be worked out include pay, work rules, job protections and merger protections.

“Any potential job action is far off, because we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Baker said.