President of American Airlines pilots union resigns

(Reuters) - The president of the union that represents pilots at American Airlines has resigned after members soundly rejected a tentative contract from the bankrupt carrier.

David Bates said in a letter to the pilots on Thursday that he agreed to step down late on Wednesday at the request of the board of the Allied Pilots Association.

The union said later on Thursday that its board picked Keith Wilson, a New York-based first officer who ran against Bates for the top union post in 2010 but lost, to serve as interim president. Less than a year remains in Bates' term.

Pilots turned down American's last and final contract offer on Wednesday, with 61 percent of those that voted, or 4,600, opposing, and 2,935 in favor.

The pilots could face stricter terms should the judge overseeing American's bankruptcy now allow the airline to end its current contract with the union.

"Although I believe that ratifying the tentative agreement would have been the best course for our pilot group, the majority of our pilots signaled their preference for taking a different path," Bates, a Miami-based captain, said in his letter.

"Given these circumstances, I concluded that continuing to serve as your president was not in the interests of the pilots I have been charged with representing."

WILSON AT AMERICAN SINCE 1985

Wilson, 57, is an Air Force Academy graduate who was hired by American in 1985. He has served on the pilot union's negotiating committee, benefits review and appeals board and financial audit panel.

"He's a calm, steady, no-nonsense kind of leader," said Allied Pilots Association spokesman Gregg Overman.

"He's earned a great deal of respect for his negotiation skills and his knowledge of the industry and American Airlines," added Robert Herbst, a former American Airlines pilot, who is now an independent airline industry consultant.

Wilson takes the union's top job as pilots working under concessionary contracts show increased frustration with American management after years of unsuccessful talks.

"He's tasked with getting the pilots of American Airlines the best possible contract given the circumstances that they have to work under with the bankruptcy court," said Herbst. "It's a challenging task."

American's pilots have had no true pay gains for years and are now seeing their counterparts at U.S. carriers Delta Air Lines Inc and United Continental Holdings Inc obtain or move toward better labor contracts.

"They want their piece of the pie," Herbst added.

In June, Delta pilots ratified a new labor contract that provided a 4 percent pay rate increase as of July 1, among other benefits. Earlier this month, United Continental said it reached an agreement in principle with its pilots that union leaders said would help make economic amends for concessions in the last decade.

Bruce Hicks, a spokesman for AMR Corp's American Air, declined to comment on Bates and Wilson.

(Reporting by Karen Jacobs; editing by John Wallace and Andre Grenon)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/president-american-airlines-pilots-union-resigns-225508775--finance.html

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