Aloha Air pilots
close to concessions

The union has agreed
to financial terms of
a tentative contract

Aloha Airlines' pilots union said yesterday it has agreed to financial terms of a new 28-month contract with the bankrupt carrier and that it is awaiting for some language to be hammered out before the two sides sign off on the tentative agreement.

Briefings on contract details are scheduled with pilots today and Friday. No briefing is slated for tomorrow because of a federal Bankruptcy Court hearing.

Aloha had been asking for wage cuts, reductions to the retirement program, reductions in health care coverage, and reduction or elimination of some work rules.

"It's real close to a concessionary agreement," said Steve Brenessel, spokesman for Aloha's unit of the Air Line Pilots Association.

Brenessel said the pilots were the last of five union groups to come to terms with the airline. Unlike the other unions, ratification of the pilots' contract is not done by its 320 members but by its three-member Master Executive Council. Those members are Chairman Dave Bird, secretary-treasurer Anthony Denzer and Vice Chairman William Westervelt.

Aloha spokesman Stu Glauberman declined to comment on any of the negotiations.

"We will not announce any agreements until the agreements have been signed," he said.

The Aloha unit of the Association of Flight Attendants has a ratification vote scheduled for next week, according to a person close to the situation.

Brenessel said the pilots' contract wasn't due to be amended until next year, but that union representatives were told of the seriousness of the airline's situation in early December when Aloha officials asked to discuss contract concessions.

"Up until that time, most of the pilots had a vague sense that things weren't going extremely well, but we really didn't realize the extent of the problem," said Brenessel. "It was kind of an eye-opener when they approached us. But after (the union representatives) held some meetings with the pilots and explained to them the company's situation, we got over the shock pretty quickly and we went to work on the problem."