Pilot union's payout to members wasn't discriminatory - 7th Circ

A US appeals court has ruled that United pilot instructors have failed to show that their union's decision to grant pilots a larger share of a nine-figure backpay settlement with the airline was discriminatory. A unanimous three-judge panel of the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday said the Airline Pilots Association International's (ALPA) decision was reasonable because the pilot instructors had received considerably larger raises than pilots when United agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement in 2012. The proposed class action stemmed from a $225m settlement that Chicago-based United entered into with ALPA that year to compensate pilots for a three-year period when their previous bargaining agreement had lapsed and they did not receive raises. ALPA, which is represented by in-house counsel, did not respond to a request for comment. Nor did the plaintiffs' lawyers at Myron Cherry & Associates. ALPA's bargaining agreement with United expired in 2010, and a new contract finalized nearly three years later granted larger raises to pilot instructors than to line pilots. Story has full details.<br/>