Frank Sinatra used to sing, Come Fly With Me. However, if you’re a United Airlines pilot you may not be issuing that invitation.
United Airlines has asked a federal judge to issue an injunction, preventing the Air Line Pilots Association from encouraging pilots to misuse sick day allotments and to engage in work slowdowns. The Airline has also asked for an injunction against four pilots, who the company claims have taken advantage of sick days and who have refused to fly more than their normal amount of hours. Such illegal job actions have resulted in 329 flights being cancelled in just one week in July and of the Airlines losing $8-million in revenues. Management obviously didn’t have a big enough headache caused by the skyrocketing cost of jet fuel!
Under the Railway Labor Act, which governs airlines, the Air Line Pilots Association cannot encourage a sick-out of pilots, which is what United Airlines has accused them of doing.
This is another example of the high-handed attitude employed by unions in their ongoing efforts to achieve goals that should be negotiated through collective bargaining. One can only imagine how much more arrogant unions will become if Congress passes the Employee Free Choice Act. Corporate America will be at the mercy of organized labor.
