Scope-clause negotiations between US Airways and the Air Line Pilots Association reached an impasse just days after the beleaguered airline early last month recruited former Continental Express president David Siegel to replace Stephen Wolf as CEO. The talks broke down soon after the sides reported significant progress toward a settlement, the outcome of which could determine the airline’s direction for years to come.
According to ALPA, it conceded the right to add 245 regional jets to US Airways Express fleets, but management refused to budge on the issue of furlough protection for 287 pilots covered under a no-furlough clause in the union’s 1998 collective-bargaining agreement. The pilots, all listed on the company employee roster since at least 1990, face furlough over the next 10 months if the airline enacts its plans to further reduce its pilot roster. It has already furloughed 1,073 pilots, and plans to invoke force majeure to furlough those previously protected under the ALPA contract.
