Republic pilots join Teamsters union, unifies pilot represenation at Republic-owned carriers
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced it has won the representation election today for all pilots employed by Republic Airways Holdings, receiving 68% of the total vote and unifying pilot representation under a single union. Republic Airways shares shot up 23.5% on Monday, hitting an 11-week high.
Previously, Frontier pilots were represented by the Frontier Airlines Pilot Association (FAPA). Midwest pilots were represented by the Air Line Pilot Association (ALPA) and Lynx was represented by the United Transportation Union (UTU). In 2009, Republic Airways placed the winning bid in an auction to acquire the then-bankrupt Frontier Airlines.
In Oct-2010, Teamsters Local 357 filed for single carrier status to integrate all Republic-owned airlines into one representative body. The newly combined pilot group will come under one contract following contract amalgamation negotiations which will be initiated by Teamsters "at the appropriate time and after consultation and joint planning among the pilots of all Republic subsidiaries".
Other US airline shares were stronger as well, with Allegiant Air up 5.9% and US Airways up 5.3%.
Selected North and South American daily share price movements (% change): 27-Jun-2011