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Pilots union puts Hawaiian Air 'on notice'
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 30, 2009
The Air Line Pilots Association International's executive board has unanimously approved a $2 million grant from its major contingency fund to provide Hawaiian Airlines' pilots with the necessary resources to prepare for a possible strike, if no contract agreement can be reached with the company.
ALPA announced the grant a day after Hawaiian said it had posted a profit of $23.5 million in the first quarter.
The pilots union, which has been negotiating with Hawaiian on a contract for nearly two years, is seeking a 3 to 5 percent cost-of-living increase.
Capt. Eric Sampson, chairman of the Hawaiian Airlines unit of ALPA, said the grant should put Hawaiian management "on notice" that ALPA rejects the company's attempts to maximize profit on the back of its employees. He said it's "obvious to us that our management either can't or won't accept that they must share their success with employees."
Sampson pointed out that last year Hawaiian "ordered billions of dollars worth of new airplanes" and that earlier this month a proxy filing disclosed that President and Chief Executive Mark Dunkerley had received in 2008 a 42 percent year-over-year increase in compensation to nearly $3.3 million.
"(On Tuesday) the company reported another strong quarter, yet management has stalled negotiations since 2007 claiming they can't afford to give pilots anything more than a token 1 percent increase," Sampson said.
Hawaiian fired back yesterday and said the union's "continuing mischaracterization of the company's bargaining position" has not helped bring the parties together.
"Hawaiian's pilots are among the highest paid in the industry," the company said. "Notwithstanding this, Hawaiian remains committed to bargaining in good faith to sign a new contract, and has been offering ways to increase the pay of its pilots, as long as it doesn't deepen the company's competitive disadvantage."
The Air Line Pilots Association International's executive board has unanimously approved a $2 million grant from its major contingency fund to provide Hawaiian Airlines' pilots with the necessary resources to prepare for a possible strike, if no contract agreement can be reached with the company.
ALPA announced the grant a day after Hawaiian said it had posted a profit of $23.5 million in the first quarter.
The pilots union, which has been negotiating with Hawaiian on a contract for nearly two years, is seeking a 3 to 5 percent cost-of-living increase.
Capt. Eric Sampson, chairman of the Hawaiian Airlines unit of ALPA, said the grant should put Hawaiian management "on notice" that ALPA rejects the company's attempts to maximize profit on the back of its employees. He said it's "obvious to us that our management either can't or won't accept that they must share their success with employees."
Sampson pointed out that last year Hawaiian "ordered billions of dollars worth of new airplanes" and that earlier this month a proxy filing disclosed that President and Chief Executive Mark Dunkerley had received in 2008 a 42 percent year-over-year increase in compensation to nearly $3.3 million.
"(On Tuesday) the company reported another strong quarter, yet management has stalled negotiations since 2007 claiming they can't afford to give pilots anything more than a token 1 percent increase," Sampson said.
Hawaiian fired back yesterday and said the union's "continuing mischaracterization of the company's bargaining position" has not helped bring the parties together.
"Hawaiian's pilots are among the highest paid in the industry," the company said. "Notwithstanding this, Hawaiian remains committed to bargaining in good faith to sign a new contract, and has been offering ways to increase the pay of its pilots, as long as it doesn't deepen the company's competitive disadvantage."
Today’s Edition
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