And this from the Airline Divisions, "Week In Review"
Spirit Pilots Prepare to Strike as Deadline for Deal Looms
Faced with management proposals that have failed to address the economic and job security concerns, the pilots of Spirit Airlines have announced they will strike tonight (Friday) at midnight if an acceptable agreement is not reached. The carrier, who recently became infamous for wanting to charge passengers extra for carryon bags, has refused to bargain in good faith, according to the pilots.
Sean Creed, Chairman of the Spirit Airlines MEC (ALPA) says pilots want the new contract to bring them closer to parity with pay at carriers such as JetBlue and AirTran, which he says is 20% to 30% higher. Key sticking points are pay and scheduling, including a company proposal to increase the maximum number of hours flown and reducing crewmembers vacation time. On May 7, Creed vowed that “should the cooling-off period end without a fair agreement, make no mistake, this pilot group will strike.”
“We have heard some of the proposals put forth by management to the Spirit pilot group,” said Airline Division Director David Bourne. “To say they are insulting not only to the Spirit pilots and their families, but the piloting profession as a whole is a tremendous understatement. When our Teamster pilots at Amerijet went on strike over terrible conditions, the pilots of Spirit supported them. We are proud to stand with them in their hour of need and offer our full support. I ask each and every Teamster pilot and every Teamster who lives near a Spirit location to join them on the picket line in support, should the strike occur,” he concluded.
Spirit pilots will be picketing at the following locations, beginning at 10:30pm Friday night:
Fort Lauderdale- (FLL) Airport on the corner of Griffin and Federal Highway
LaGuardia Airport- (LGA) Upper Level Central Terminal
Detroit- (DTW) North Terminal, Upper Level
Atlantic City- (ACY) across from the airport entrance