August 1, 2023


Fellow pilots,

A year ago, we were finally making progress at the negotiating table toward what would become our current CBA. Driven by your unity and resolve, the key focus of those negotiations was to reach an agreement that brought our work rules and job security in line or ahead of the industry. Equally important, of course, was pay and ensuring that as others reached agreements our compensation would be protected—that we would never be left behind again.

This goal was broadly shared by the management team across the table whose drive was mitigating the pilot attrition trend, while allowing them to execute on their growth plans.

September 1 marks the date in which Section 3.A.4 of the CBA [Market Rate Adjustment] must be considered in adjusting our hourly rate to the greater of the stipulated CBA rates or an average of key airlines. While only the Delta and JetBlue pilots have ratified new pay rates under this language, the industry pay landscape is changing as reflected in recent ratified agreements at Hawaiian and tentative agreements currently before the pilots of United and American.

Attrition has not slowed. It is impacting our scheduling flexibility, ability to trade, and other quality-of-life issues. We have hired 278 and lost 116 as of the date of this update. The reasons for this attrition are not rhetorical; they are backed in data. Your membership volunteers have conducted exit interviews with nearly all of these pilots. While many issues are cited, compensation is the most immediate and easily addressed if Alaska management hopes to attract/retain pilots—and grow.

This morning I sent the attached letter to CEO Ben Minicucci and CFO Shane Tackett highlighting the MEC’s concerns and reflecting the expectations that have been communicated to us from countless pilots. I reminded them of our shared commitment to industry parity a year ago. It is my expectation that they respond favorably and engage on adjusting our pay rates regardless of the ratification status of American, United and Southwest. I will keep you updated on their response.

The most recent Alaska Pilots Podcast episode further addresses these issues and will be available later this evening.

In two weeks your MEC will hold its second regular MEC meeting. Part of the meeting agenda will include focusing on the issues identified in our exit interviews (beyond compensation) that are key to attracting and retaining pilots. You can expect polling in the near future as we begin the foundational work of moving toward CBA 2025, as well as unity events and airport coffee events. Your input is what defines our goals. Your unity is the driving force toward attaining them.

Safety, professionalism, engagement, and unity are our foundation. They are not just the keys to our prior success, but also at the core of navigating the path forward. I remain humbled to have the opportunity to represent this pilot group and look forward to reporting back to you in the next weeks.