January 31, 2018
Approximately 700 JetBlue Pilots Descend on JetBlue Airways Headquarters
After Three Years, “It’s Time” for a Contract
LONG ISLAND CITY, NY—Today, approximately 700 JetBlue pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), held their first-ever informational picket at JetBlue headquarters in Long Island City, N.Y. The event is part of the pilots’ campaign for a contract that includes compensation bringing them in line with their peers at other airlines.
“For the past few months, we’ve done ads, billboards, and radio spots sending the company the message that it’s time to deliver a contract,” said Capt. Patrick Walsh, head of the JetBlue unit of ALPA. “The company, so far, has chosen to ignore these messages. As a result, hundreds of JetBlue pilots are here speaking as one, as they participate in our first informational picket to say ‘it’s time.’”
For the past three years, JetBlue pilots have been in negotiations for a contract with the company. In July 2017, the pilots applied to the National Mediation Board for federal mediation in an effort to speed up the pace of negotiations. However, after six months of talks, and despite the mediator’s best efforts, the pilots still don’t have a contract in place.
“Over those three years, other pilot groups have reached new agreements. With each new contract, JetBlue pilots fall further and further behind the market rate,” continued Capt. Walsh. “JetBlue pays market rate for everything from gates to fuel—it’s time JetBlue pays its pilots the market rate for their profession.”
See photos from today’s picket on ALPA’s Flickr page.
For more information about JetBlue pilots’ negotiations, visit JetBlueALPAPilots.com.
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union, representing more than 59,000 pilots at 33 airlines in the United States and Canada, including the more than 3,500 pilots of JetBlue Airways. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org or follow us on Twitter @WeAreALPA.
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CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703-481-4440 or Media@alpa.org