Release #11.ATI1
November 22, 2011

ATI Crewmembers Ratify Contract
Negotiating Team Secures Improvements in Scheduling, Job Security, and Compensation

LITTLE ROCK, AR — The cockpit crewmembers of Air Transport International (ATI) LLC, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l. (ALPA), today ratified a tentative agreement reached with management in October. Of the 86.7 percent of eligible crewmembers who voted, more than 71 percent cast their ballots in favor of the agreement.

The 30-month contract includes significant quality-of-life enhancements, scheduling and compensation improvements, and new job protections. Under the agreement, which will go into effect on the date of signing at the end of November, ATI crewmembers will also receive a 5 percent wage increase and a $1 million performance bonus.

“Our main goal in negotiations was to secure the quality-of-life improvements and job protections that our members told us were must-haves in this contract. At the same time, it gives us an opportunity, through ALPA, to work with our management to capitalize on business opportunities in the future,” said Capt. Tom Rogers, chairman of the ATI Master Executive Council (MEC). “As a result, we secured improvements in scheduling rules and real home-basing language, as well as enhanced job protections and compensation improvements, while enabling us to open negotiations for other improvements in 24 months.”

This agreement comes after seven years of negotiations during which members voted down several tentative agreements, including one earlier this year. It represents the first contract for ATI crewmembers since they joined ALPA in 2009.

“I congratulate the ATI pilot group leaders and negotiating team for staying focused on their top strategic priorities,” said Capt. Lee Moak, ALPA’s president. “They have demonstrated how their willingness to engage with management, combined with unwavering member resolve and the strong support and incomparable resources of their union, can lead to positive benefits for their crewmembers and help position their airline for future success.”

The pilots and professional flight engineers of ATI fly McDonnell Douglas DC-8 and Boeing 767 aircraft for passenger, military, and cargo operations around the world.

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union, representing more than 53,000 pilots at 37 airlines in the United States and Canada. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org.

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ALPA Contacts:
Barbara Gottshalk, ALPA Communications, 703-689-4100, barbara.gottshalk@alpa.org