Spirit Pilots FLL Picketing - Labor Day
 

Release #08.SPA5
August 29, 2008
Spirit Pilots Spend Labor Day Demanding Management Honor Contracts
Pilots to Picket at Fort Lauderdale Airport to Highlight Management Failures
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.—Spirit pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), will conduct informational picketing Monday at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood Airport, one of the main hubs of Spirit Airlines. Just recently, Spirit Airlines management announced that it will require many of the 70 pilots it plans to furlough on September 1 to fly after their furlough date—a blatant breach of the labor contract.

Picketing will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Monday, September 1, at the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood Airport main terminal, 100 Aviation Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale.
Pilot leaders representing the union will be available for interviews.
“Every week brings a new contract violation,” said Captain Sean Creed, chair of the Spirit unit of ALPA. “The latest ploy—demanding that furloughed pilots continue to fly and be available to fly after their furlough date, and then refusing to pay them the compensation called for in our contract—is an absurd insult that many managers can’t justify with a straight face. These pilots need to find new jobs to support their families and our woefully understaffed carrier is exploiting them. It’s yet another example of how our management from its highest level holds our contract in contempt—and why we need to take back our company.”
Spirit Airlines furloughed 45 pilots on August 1, and announced further plans to furlough 70 on September 1. Almost immediately following the August furloughs, the company made outrageous public claims that pilots had staged a “sick-in.” However, the staff shortage that caused flights to be cancelled was a direct result of furloughing staff without a commensurate reduction in flying. Management continues to address staffing issues by violating the contract, without addressing the underlying problems—poor planning and unrealistic scheduling.
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union and represents 55,000 pilots at 40 airlines in the U.S. and Canada, including more than 500 pilots at Spirit Airlines. Visit the ALPA website at http://www.alpa.org.

Are the provisions concerning the issues as contained within the current contract between the Spirits' Union and Spirit Airlines without ambiguity? In either case, court along with the representation of a solid labor attorney is a much better venue to remedy the conflict.

After all, I've never seen any of the traveling public come to support many union groups or associations.

I know there’s no publicity in the courts, but I guess ALPA needs to show the flying public that they are present in... pardon the pun... in spirit???:D

The pilot group at Spirit has been waiting for months for ALPA Legal to do something....anything....legally against the company. So far they have let us down!

I think Spirit pilots are "sick of the Crumbs and want a piece of that pie." :D

Did you write that on your poster or were you stuck in good ole ACY?

No, on my way/drive up to ACY..... heard Tim Mcgraw and thought it Americanly apied.