Release #12.PDT
August 10, 2012

Piedmont Pilots Stridently Support Strike Authorization Vote

Washington, D.C.—Piedmont Airlines pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), voted to authorize their union leadership to call for a lawful strike, should the pilot group be released to do so. Piedmont Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of US Airways and operates US Airways Express flights in the mid-Atlantic region.

Of the eligible pilots who voted, 93 percent supported granting their leadership the power to call a strike. This authorization comes after over three years of negotiations with the Company, including 27 months of mediation facilitated by the National Mediation Board (NMB).

“Our goal is, and has been over the past three years, a fair contact that recognizes our value to this company and to the US Airways network,” said Capt. Bruce Freedman, chairman of the Piedmont unit of ALPA. “This vote should send a clear message to Piedmont and US Airways managements that this pilot group is committed to obtaining this contract and will take whatever legal steps necessary to do so.”

If the NMB concludes that further mediated negotiations are unlikely to result in a contract, it could result in a release from mediation, triggering a 30-day cooling-off period, after which a legal strike could take place. This strong vote of support has authorized Piedmont leadership to call for a legal strike, as deemed appropriate, once that should occur.

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, including nearly 400 pilots at Piedmont Airlines. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org.

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CONTACT:
Capt. Bruce Freedman, 339-987-1277 or Bruce.Freedman@alpa.org
Jen Lofquist, 703-481-4459 or Jen.Lofquist@alpa.org