Dear Fellow Pilot:

The Company has reported an increase in pilot sick leave and resulting flight cancellations. I write to remind you that any improper use of sick leave would serve no positive purpose - not only because it endangers our union but also because it threatens our ability to achieve our central goal - the conclusion of a favorable joint collective bargaining agreement (JCBA). If we go down this path we hand the Company the opportunity to be relieved of any pressure to resolve this negotiation quickly, and we risk significantly delaying the conclusion of a JCBA.

As you know, we are fully and completely focused on concluding a JCBA and have applied all of our resources to accomplishing this task. We have concluded that a meaningful deadline is the only way to push the parties to agreement, and we have been working in close coordination with ALPA National to obtain a release from the NMB to create the necessary pressure to bring about an agreement. But make no mistake: if the court finds that we have engaged in an improper sick out, or any other improper economic pressure activity, our ability to obtain a release or conclude a JCBA will be in serious jeopardy. The NMB has the power to delay a release, and the court has the power to forestall a pilot strike – even if the NMB releases the parties. Improper sick leave activity or other activity weakens our position in negotiations and makes it much more difficult to obtain a JCBA.

Simply stated, improper use of sick leave or decisions that impact operations in order to pressure the Company threaten everything we have been trying to accomplish in recent months. Any such activity must stop. Instead, we must continue to behave just as we have done for the past four years. Continue to do your jobs with the professionalism each of you has demonstrated for so long.

To repeat: if you are not sick, go to work, behave professionally and together we will achieve the JCBA we deserve.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation.