Horizon Air Pilots Accept Five-Year Agreement

WILMINGTON, Ohio, Dec. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Horizon Air pilots, represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters APA Local 1224, today announced they have agreed to a five-year collective bargaining agreement with Horizon Air, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group.  This vote follows more than four years of negotiations.  

The new contract includes dramatic improvements in work conditions where the pilots will be writing their own schedules and trips.  Also, a progressive scheduling process was agreed to whereby pilots can trade and manage their schedules among each other to accommodate their personal wishes, with improved pay protections for Horizon pilots.  Significant ratification bonuses also were included in the agreement.  The pay rates will be submitted in two separate 'baseball style' arbitrations; a method agreed upon to avoid an impasse on the subject.

Most notable of these is, perhaps, the scheduling improvements in this agreement which demonstrate that Horizon has entrusted the pilot group to build safe, cost-efficient schedules.

"We look forward to implementing this new contract, especially the scheduling portion," says Captain Trevor Bulger.  "The scheduling section in and of itself is a major industry improvement in that our pilots now have the ability to essentially build their own schedules.  We envision this will provide for a vast improvement in our quality of life."  

Ballots were tallied on November 30, 2010.  The vote passed the membership by 60 percent.  

Horizon serves 48 cities throughout Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Baja California Sur (Mexico), and British Columbia and Alberta (Canada). Together, Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines serve more than 90 cities and are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE: ALK).

The Airline Professionals Association, Teamsters Local 1224 represents the flight deck crewmembers of cargo and passenger airlines. Its members include ABX Air, Arrow Air, Atlas Air, Cape Air, Gulfstream, Horizon Air, Kalitta Air, Miami Air, Omni Air, Polar Air Cargo, Southern Air and USA 3000. 

SOURCE Teamsters Local 1224