INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The president of the Air Line Pilots Association has authorized the union's leadership to hold a strike vote if they cannot reach an ''acceptable'' agreement with ATA Airlines Inc. in bankruptcy court.
Last week, the Indianapolis-based airline filed a motion in U.S. Bankruptcy Court to void the union's collective bargaining agreement and impose more than $37 million in additional pay and benefit concessions.
Jim Anderson, chairman of ALPA's ATA Master Executive Council, said the concessions would cut pilots' pay by more than 40 percent.
In the past 14 months, the union's ATA members have accepted $66 million in wage concessions.
''We are already severely underpaid, and we will not hesitate to hold a strike vote if ATA insists on financing its bankruptcy by slashing compensation for its pilots and flight engineers,'' he said.
Messages seeking comment were left Thursday with ATA officials.
The union said authorization does not mean that a strike or other legal job action is imminent. Instead, it allows ATA union leadership to poll its members on whether to strike.
A date for a strike vote has not been set.
ATA, which is owned by ATA Holdings Corp., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October. It has cut about 3,100 jobs since it began downsizing from a work force of about 7,800 people two years ago.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press
