FORT WORTH, Texas — American Airlines pilots were picketing at the company's Fort Worth headquarters Thursday, and they were expected to continue protesting through the Labor Day weekend.
The pilots are "advocating for industry changes" as contract talks continue with American, according to a news release from the Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents 14,000 pilots.
"We want our airlines' management teams to end the scheduling bottlenecks that cause chaos for passengers and pilots," the APA's statement said.
“Management’s history of serving up crisis after crisis has impacted us to the point that fatigue calls have skyrocketed,” APA President Capt. Ed Sicher said in the release. “Margins of safety are clearly being compromised.”
American officials in a statement Thursday said the pilots' picketing "will not have an impact on our operation," calling the picket not out of the ordinary.
"We’ve put forward an industry-leading proposal that would provide immediate and significant improvements in pay, benefits and quality of life provisions for our pilots," American's statement said. "We continue to meet regularly with the APA and are committed to reaching an agreement.”
The picketing Thursday marked another back-and-forth between an airline and its pilots, as airlines have faced growing criticism from employees over scheduling issues.
Along with the picketing, the APA put up billboards near DFW Airport that read: "Frustrated with American Airlines? So are we."
American officials earlier this summer said they planned to offer pilots raises of nearly 17% by the end of 2024 as the industry struggles with labor shortages.
CEO Robert Isom said Thursday that the proposal would boost pilot wages at American to the levels detailed in a tentative agreement between United Airlines and its pilots. Isom said in a video sent to pilots that the airline's workers “will be paid well, and paid competitively, no matter what."