UAL, CAL pilots to picket United Continental Holdings shareholders meeting June 12 in New York City

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United Master Executive Council and Continental Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Association

Jun 08, 2012, 10:21 ET

NEW YORK, June 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- United and Continental Airlines pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l (ALPA) will be conducting informational picketing at the site of the United Continental Holdings annual shareholders meeting on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 to mark the passing of a second year without a new contract and to alert management, shareholders, passengers and the media that it is time to complete the end-game negotiations now underway with the Company. If the Company cannot comply with the agreed-upon June 15 deadline to reach an agreement on a Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement, the pilots of United and Continental call on the National Mediation Board to grant our request for a release from mediation.

Who:	United Airlines pilots, Continental Airlines pilots, pilots from other ALPA carriers.

What:	Informational picketing at the site of the annual shareholders meeting, Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1605 Broadway, New York, N.Y.

When:	Tuesday, June 12, 2012
	8 a.m. to conclusion of shareholders meeting
	9 a.m. (shareholders meeting start time)
	7:45 a.m. to 9 a.m., Capt. Jay Heppner, chairman of the United pilots union chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l, and Capt. Jay Pierce, chairman of the Continental pilots union chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l, will be available for onsite interviews at the picket line.

	Other spokespersons will be available for media interviews.
Where:	Crowne Plaza Hotel
	1605 Broadway, New York, N.Y.

Why:	We are more than two years past the merger announcement between United and Continental Airlines and we still don't have a Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement. United and Continental pilots contract amendable dates are 12/31/2009 and 12/31/2008, respectively. United management often uses the refrain, "Fresh Start," referring to the company's venture through bankruptcy and the consummation of the United/Continental merger. The pilots, whose sacrifices and professionalism made this merger possible, have been waiting for their "fresh start' for nearly a decade. United and Continental pilots continue living and operating under bankruptcy-era and concessionary contracts. Airlines are a service industry and its employees must be recognized if the product is going to be well received. United must respect the leadership role of its pilots and that begins at the bargaining table. The pilots of United and Continental call on United management to honor the June 15 deadline in reaching an agreement on a JCBA.

BACKGROUND

As a result of the merger, the two pilot groups have formed a joint negotiating committee and have been involved in negotiations with airline management for a new joint collective bargaining agreement since August 2010.

Over the past 10 years, United Airlines exploited the sacrifices of pilots in many ways, including the offshoring and outsourcing of U.S. jobs. Sixty-six percent of United's domestic flights are currently outsourced to regional carriers. The end result of this outsourcing is loss of jobs for pilots, all while United executives continue to lead the industry in executive compensation.

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world's largest pilot union representing nearly 53,000 cockpit crewmembers at 37 airlines in the U.S. and Canada, including approximately 7,000 United pilots and more than 5,000 Continental pilots. For more information, visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org.

SOURCE United Master Executive Council and Continental Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Association