Pilot leaders from Colgan, Mesaba, and Pinnacle, the three airlines owned by Pinnacle Airlines Corp., held their first joint meeting in Minneapolis this week and emerged with a strategy to take full advantage of the fast-track negotiations that the parties have contemplated in a nearly completed Process Agreement.

At this week’s meeting, 31 MEC status representatives and officers from the three carriers, seven negotiating team members, and ALPA staff and advisors met to discuss negotiations, and direct the Joint Negotiating Committee that has already begun work on the new Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement to achieve important contract gains for the pilots. The MEC’s representatives were briefed on ALPA’s Merger Policy and heard case studies on mergers that worked, like Delta and Northwest, and cautionary tales about those that didn’t, the most recent case being US Airways.

As always, ALPA leaders stressed unity, fairness, and strong leadership as the keys to successfully joining the three pilot groups.

“I know any of us could get into a cockpit together and fly safely – can we do the same in the ‘cockpit’ of our union hall?” challenged ALPA president Capt. John Prater. “Find your strengths, work in solidarity, and show the industry how unified you are. That unified approach will produce value for your pilots.”

The Joint Negotiating Committee entered contract talks with management in early September. The three MECs are now considering a protocol agreement that governs how the three MECs will collaborate under ALPA merger policy to integrate the respective seniority lists, and the process agreement with management that sets the ground rules for how the joint MEC and negotiators will work with management on negotiating a joint contract. MEC leaders expect that those documents will be completed shortly.

While plenty of work lies ahead of the pilot group with a fast-tracked timeline, the Mesaba, Pinnacle, and Colgan leaders left the meeting optimistic about the window of opportunity they have to make contract gains for the group.

“It starts now, and it starts here – we’re working together to become one group,” said Pinnacle Negotiating chairman Capt. Paul Hallin.