Release #01.85
August 24, 2001

PARK CITY, UTAH --- Delta pilot union leaders, members of the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), today passed a resolution strongly supporting the Korean Air Lines Flight Crew Union (KAL FCU), a member of the SkyTeam Pilot Alliance, that is in a struggle to improve operational safety.

The Korean government has incarcerated four members of the KAL FCU, including the union president, and Korean Air Lines (KAL) management has terminated or suspended 15 members of the union’s governing body.

"The Korean pilots’ union has been struggling to be recognized by their management and government. The government and airline management’s recent actions to bust the union are of great concern to the Delta pilots," said Capt. Charles S. Giambusso, chairman of the Delta Master Executive Council (MEC), a unit of ALPA.

To assist those KAL pilots who are incarcerated or terminated, the Delta MEC also authorized the grant of $10,000 from internal funds to the KAL FCU.

"We are imploring KAL and the Korean government to end their reprehensible behavior toward the KAL FCU," said Capt. Giambusso. "The authorization of MEC funds to help our fellow Korean pilots is a demonstration of our strong support for the KAL FCU."

ALPA is the nation’s oldest and largest pilot union. It represents 67,000 airline pilots at 47 airlines in the U.S. and Canada. Visit the ALPA Web site at http://cf.alpa.org.

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ALPA Contact: Karen Miller, 404-763-4925