Pilots of Florida’s Spirit Airlines have decided to ask the National Mediation Board to release them from contract negotiations. Pilots of the airline, notably Captain Sean Creed (Spirit’s pilot’s union chairman), have said that the airline wants to “strip us of this basic quality-of-life provision,” or time off after a few days of flying. The current contract allows pilots to take time off after days of flying. The letter to the NMB states that management has been ignoring pilot vacation / time-off days, which have been scheduled in advance. Also, the airline changed hotel accommodations for pilots in training and has changed the administrator of the pilot 401K plan without approval from the pilots. The Air Line Pilots Association, the union that represents Spirit Airlines pilots, has said that they will take the proper steps, including legal action, to ensure that Spirit Airlines management follows through with its contract with pilots.
The pilots seem right on with this. This is one of those rare occasions where I say that it’s perfectly fine to walk-out. If management isn’t going to follow the contract that it inked, then pilots have the right to walk-out. This comes at an interesting time for Spirit, since some have been speculating that the carrier may fall into bankruptcy soon. A loss of pilots may result in the stoppage of all operations for the airline, forcing them to re-accommodate passengers with competitor airlines.
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