American Airlines’ Pilots Begin Picketing

American Airlines’ pilots began informational picketing Tuesday as the company said it would have to shut down if negotiations over a new contract failed.

The Allied Pilots Association has vowed to walk off the job if American Airlines’ parent company, AMR Corp., doesn’t come up with a contract offering job security and better wages.

To alert the public to the possibility of a strike, about 1,500 union pilots walked picket lines Tuesday at nine airports, including Seattle and San Francisco.