Release #10.EIA
April 13, 2010

Evergreen International Airlines Requests Concessions from Its Pilots
Union to consider proposal as airline deals with financial troubles

WASHINGTON – Evergreen International Airlines (EIA) crewmembers, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) said today that they will evaluate management’s request for concessions based on the union’s own internal economic analysis of the company’s current financial status. EIA management is seeking concessions from the pilots and flight engineers, who continue to work under 1999 wages and work rules. The crewmembers are being asked to accept significant changes to a number of important work rules in light of the company’s “financial crisis,” as current circumstances were described in a recent letter from EIA’s president.

“ALPA recognizes the company’s financial situation and is following proper procedures under our guidelines regarding management’s request for concessionary bargaining,” said William Fink, chairman of the Evergreen ALPA unit and EIA professional flight engineer. “It is the union’s job to protect the best interest of the pilots and flight engineers so these steps are necessary before entering into talks to provide the company givebacks.”

“Our union leaders and EIA crewmembers will have the backing and resources that ALPA provides to our members in this situation,” said Captain John Prater, ALPA president. “They can rely on the experience and knowledge maintained by this union as their support system.”

The two sides have met periodically over the past six years with little progress. Mediated talks began in 2005 under the supervision of the National Mediation Board (NMB). Discussions will continue with a mediator at NMB headquarters in Washington, D.C., later this week.

ALPA is the bargaining representative for the 224 pilots and flight engineers in service for EIA. Founded in 1931, ALPA represents 53,000 pilots at 38 airlines in the United States and Canada.

Visit the ALPA website at http://www.alpa.org.

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ALPA Contacts:
Dean Kidd (208) 340-4537
Tawnya Burket (724) 622-6738