Continental and AirTran Offer Aid to Fellow ALPA Pilots in Need
Pictured left to right: Continental MEC chairman Capt. Jay Pierce and AirTran MEC Chairman Linden Hillman
Continental MEC chairman Capt. Jay Pierce made a formal request this week to Continental management to extend preferential hiring for pilots from Midwest and ASTAR as those airlines ramp down flying and furlough pilots.
Pierce commented, “The brotherhood of ALPA runs deep, and a pilot group supporting another in times of need is just one example of how ALPA as a whole is so much stronger than the sum of our individual parts.”
Continental management approved the preferential hiring request and is in the process of drafting a letter, which will be forwarded to Midwest custodian Capt. Tony Freitas and ASTAR MEC chairman Capt. Pat Walsh.
AirTran MEC Chairman Linden Hillman announced last week at ALPA’s Executive Board Meeting that the AirTran MEC has requested and the company agreed to extend preferential hiring to former Midwest pilots.
“We didn’t join ALPA only to receive,” Hillman told the members of the Executive Board. “We joined ALPA to give.”