American Airlines Pilots Move Labor Bargaining Up

The union for about 15,000 American Airlines Group Inc. pilots wants the company to begin negotiating a new contract in January—a year before negotiations would normally start—to address over-scheduling concerns.

The Allied Pilots Association’s existing contract with the airline “has a clause that either party can request early openers” for labor talks, union spokesman Dennis Tajer told Bloomberg Law Nov. 19.

“Today, we triggered that option with American Airlines” by sending the airline a letter requesting a January 2019 start to the negotiations, Tajer said.

Scheduling is a top issue for the pilots, Tajer said.

“When pilot schedules are not ...