Allied Pilots Association: Pilots and Passengers of Avianca Airlines “Deserve Better”
FORT WORTH, Texas (March 12, 2018) – In response to deteriorating relations between Avianca Airlines management and the carrier’s pilots represented by the Colombian Pilots’ Union (ACDAC), Allied Pilots Association President Capt. Daniel F. Carey issued the following statement:
“Avianca management has engaged in blatant union-busting by subjecting union leaders and union members alike to arbitrary discipline proceedings. Management has even brought criminal charges against the union president. These heavy-handed tactics can only serve to distract and have no place in a highly safety-sensitive industry like ours. The dedicated professional pilots who fly for Avianca deserve better, and so do the passengers who place their trust in the airline.
“APA concurs with the assessment of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations that Avianca management’s conduct violates the Labor Action Plan in the current U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement and the International Labor Organization Fundamental Conventions 87 & 98. In accordance with these in-force agreements, the pilots of Avianca have the right to organize, bargain collectively, and engage in industrial action.
“We likewise concur with IFALPA that Avianca management’s conduct runs counter to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s recommendations regarding the need for a non-punitive safety culture.
“For these reasons and for the good of all concerned, we urge Avianca management to take a different approach — one that conforms to international norms and respects the legitimate rights of Avianca’s pilots.
“APA representatives will remain in close contact with our brother and sister pilots at Avianca, and we stand ready to help.”
Founded in 1963, the Allied Pilots Association — the largest independent pilots union in the United States — is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. APA represents the 15,000 pilots of American Airlines, including several hundred pilots on full-time military leave of absence serving in the armed forces. The union’s website is AlliedPilots.org. American Airlines is the world’s largest passenger airline.