American, Pilots Reject Arbitration

Thu., Jan. 16, 1997

From Staff And Wire Reports

American Airlines and its pilots passed up a chance Wednesday to have their contract dispute settled by an arbitrator, putting the nation’s No. 2 carrier 30 days away from a possible strike.

If no settlement is reached during the so-called cooling-off period, the pilots would be allowed to strike on Feb. 15 and American would be free to impose the contract it wants.

American’s parent company, AMR Corp., had initially agreed to binding arbitration, but added the caveat that pilots also make a decision by Wednesday. As the day wore on, the Allied Pilots Association remained quiet and the company played its own hand.

“We’ve got notification from American Airlines that they’re withdrawing their offer to arbitrate,” Harry Bickford of the National Mediation Board said.

The pilots’ union has vowed to strike if the company does not come up with a better contract offer than the four-year deal that was rejected last week by 61 percent of its membership.

The vote put on hold American’s plans to buy 103 new Boeing jets, worth $6.6 billion.

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American, Pilots Reject Arbitration

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

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