20 March 2023 Negotiating Committee Update

Last week, the Negotiating Committee (NC) met with management in direct negotiations focusing on Scheduling and Quality of Work Life (QWL) provisions. Scheduling and Staffing Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) also met to work on the many detailed topics contained within these provisions.

Additionally, Master Chair CA Garth Thompson and Negotiating Chair CA Phil Otis met with management leadership to discuss the overall progress of negotiations and discuss pathways to clear the obstacles preventing us from completing negotiations more expeditiously.

The parties exchanged proposals in most of the open areas. Management has now received the full details of our comprehensive proposal. While work continues to address differences of opinion regarding costing assumptions, management is now able to fully assess the economics that ALPA has put on the table. However, like many negotiations, the effort to close the economic gap proceeds slowly while other items remain open. This gap is largely driven by our differences in opinion with management on what constitutes an industry-leading agreement.

During the week, we continued exhaustive discussions on necessary improvements to reserve quality of life and line holder scheduling provisions. As details of those provisions are coming into focus, management has been receptive to the need to update our work rules for the first time since 2012. Our MEC and Negotiating Committee have made these issues a priority and will not rush past them.

We are making progress on improvements in the following areas, among others: increased days off for reserves, more rigid and transparent reserve assignment order, improved reserve call out times, improved reassignment restrictions, benefits for pilots affected by reassignments that return late, and finalizing the G-line and LPA much sooner in the bidding window.

We reached agreement in multiple areas, including improved rigs, improved expense limits and provisions, improved parental leave provisions, HDO (Holy Day Off) flexibility, new trip trading options, improved day off restoration provisions, and improved furlough protections.

In summary, in the several weeks since ALPA’s aggressive comprehensive proposal in early February, we have achieved gains in many areas important to United pilots, including areas where historically the Company has been reluctant to agree. Still, more work remains to be done.

The Negotiating Committee and SMEs will continue sessions with their management counterparts over the next couple of weeks leading up to the April 3-7 regular MEC meeting. Our primary goals are closing out the remaining Scheduling and QWL areas and seeking meaningful progress to narrow the gap in economic areas where we remain far apart.

As always, your interest, engagement and public displays of unity are meaningful and appreciated. Our next Negotiating Notes update is scheduled for Monday, March 27.