ALPA's Communications Department provides information and support for news media inquiries. An ALPA communications representative can be reached in the Herndon, Va. office at (703) 481-4440.
News Release
Release #03.85
December 5, 2003
Binding Arbitration Offered to Settle Mesaba Case
MINNEAPOLIS --- Three days of mediated talks between the Air Line Pilots
Association, International (ALPA) and Mesaba Airlines yielded little progress
this week, prompting mediators to offer binding arbitration to settle the
protracted contract dispute.
The parties received a
letter from the National Mediation Board early this morning citing an
impasse in the bargaining process. The letter urges an agreement as soon as
possible and offers binding arbitration to resolve the outstanding issues. If
both parties accept the offer, a neutral arbitrator will decide the outcome of
roughly two dozen issues that remain open. These remaining issues include job
security, compensation, retirement and work rules.
Should either side decline the offer, a 30-day cooling off period would occur
prior to a strike deadline. If there is no agreement reached at the end of that
cooling off period, ALPA is entitled to call a strike. Mesaba pilots voted 98
percent in favor of using this action if an acceptable agreement cannot be
reached.
A pilot strike at Mesaba Airlines, which operates as a Northwest Airlink
provider, would affect over 600 daily flights the carrier operates for Northwest
Airlines.
ALPA’s Master Executive Council (MEC) at Mesaba will meet Monday to consider the
arbitration offer. The MEC is the union’s governing body at Mesaba and is
comprised of 12 elected pilot representatives.
Negotiations to amend the seven-year-old agreement commenced in June 2001. The
contract includes concessions that facilitated the introduction of the AVRO
RJ-85 regional jet fleet. Those concessions have saved Mesaba more than $12
million to date.
Mesaba serves 114 cities in 30 states and Canada from Northwest's three major
hubs: Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Memphis. Mesaba employs 844 professional
airline pilots who operate an advanced fleet of 103 regional jet and jet-prop
aircraft.
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union representing 66,000
pilots at 42 airlines in the U.S. and Canada. Visit the ALPA Web site at
www.alpa.org
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ALPA CONTACT: Kris Pierson (612) 839-0789