Alaska Airlines pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), delivered a letter Monday to Ben Minicucci, the chief executive officer of Alaska Air Group, the parent company of Alaska Airlines, asking him to stop stalling contract negotiations and come to the table willing to bargain an industry-standard contract. After actively negotiating since spring 2019, no agreement has been reached on a new contract for the pilots.
“Alaska pilots stepped up during the pandemic to do the right thing and help keep the airline operating,” said Capt. Will McQuillen, chairman of ALPA’s Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council. “Now we’re asking Alaska management to live the company’s core value and ‘do the right thing’ by valuing our contributions to the airline and making basic quality-of-life and job security improvements that our peers at major airlines have enjoyed for years.” McQuillen emphasized the work ALPA members have done to pass the federal payroll support program, which helped keep the company afloat during the pandemic.