US Airways, Pilots Agree to End Suit Over Work Slowdown After Court Order
US Airways Group Inc. (LCC) and the US Airline Pilots Association asked a federal judge to make permanent his Sept. 28 order directing the union to end a work slowdown.
In a Jan. 6 filing, lawyers for both sides told U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr. in Charlotte, North Carolina, that they decided to end the lawsuit. A trial had been set for Oct. 22.
US Airways in July accused the union, which represents 5,200 of its pilots, of encouraging members to call in fatigued, write up more maintenance issues and reject voluntary flight assignments because of dissatisfaction with the pace of contract negotiations. Conrad said those tactics caused “a significant decline” in the airline’s on-time performance, harming the company’s reputation and finances.
“We’re hopeful this is behind us and that our pilots will turn their attention to contract negotiations,” said Todd Lehmacher, a US Airways spokesman. While he declined to discuss what led to the joint request to make the injunction permanent, Lehmacher said the step “should conclude the case.”
‘Flawed Safety Culture’
The union had failed in its duty under federal labor law to halt the slowdown, the judge said in September after a two-day hearing the month before. The pilots’ association denied backing the slowdown and blamed the delays on a “flawed safety culture” at the Tempe, Arizona-based airline.
Charlotte, where the union is based, is the airline’s biggest hub.
The pilots’ agreement to make Conrad’s preliminary injunction permanent avoids the expense of further litigation while allowing members to focus their efforts on getting a new contract, said Todd Fieser, a union spokesman.
The agreement “doesn’t interfere with the duty of pilots to ensure the safety of our passengers or the safe operation of the aircraft,” he said.
The airline last month asked a federal judge in Brooklyn, New York, to throw out a lawsuit filed against it by the same union in May, which accused the carrier of violating U.S. labor laws. The union has opposed that request to dismiss.
The airline-filed case is US Airways v. US Airline Pilots Association, 11-cv-00371, U.S. District Court, Western District of North Carolina (Charlotte). The union-filed case is US Airline Pilots Association v. US Airways Inc., 11-cv-2579, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York (Brooklyn).
To contact the reporters on this story: Andrew Harris in Chicago at aharris16@bloomberg.net; Mary Schlangenstein in Dallas at maryc.s@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Hytha at mhytha@bloomberg.net
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