Mesa pilots, management reach tentative labour agreement

Mesa Airlines pilots, represented by ALPA, reached a tentative agreement with management June 9 on a new collective bargaining agreement. A ratification vote begins June 26. According to ALPA, the new deal includes pay raises for all pilots, increased vacation accrual, better retirement benefits and many other contract improvements. In April, Mesa pilots requested mediation services from the National Mediation Board to facilitate negotiations on the new accord. The pilot group said it has been in contract negotiations for more than 6 years with no pay increases since 2010. Mesa Air Group exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2011 with 76 aircraft and fewer than 600 pilots. Since then, Mesa has doubled in size, ALPA said. <br/>