Eastern Airlines will rehire 90 union pilots who struck the carrier more than a year ago in the first such recall since picket lines were withdrawn in November, a company spokesman said Friday.
"We are bringing back 90 pilots," said Bob Hunter, a spokesman for Eastern.Hunter said the recall did not result from negotiations between union and company negotiators but rather from company efforts to rebuild its business in the wake of the crippling strike and subsequent bankruptcy filing.
"This is simply due to the fact that we are expanding our schedule this summer and need more pilots," Hunter said.
E.J. Breen, spokesman for the Air Line Pilots Association, said the union was unhappy with the way in which the company called back the workers.
"They have used the wrong private list to call back who they want," Breen said. "We have a system designed to bring people back with the economics the company needs and within our seniority system. The company has chosen to alienate the pilots rather than work within the system.