Heading into Labor Day holiday weekend, pilots picket at O’Hare, across the country

After a summer of air travel marked by high prices, canceled flights and delays, dozens of pilots gathered for an informational picket at O’Hare International Airport Thursday.

O’Hare was one of a dozen airports across the country where the Air Line Pilots Association organized pickets at the start of the busy Labor Day holiday weekend, calling for carriers to address the operational issues that led to flight delays and cancellations this summer. About 1,000 pilots nationwide from multiple airlines represented by the union were expected to participate.

Airlines have struggled with both their own staff shortages and staffing limitations in airports and air traffic control towers that they said have posed challenges as they work to recover from the drop-off in air travel early in the COVID-19 pandemic. A pilot shortage, looming for years, was exacerbated by the pandemic.

Major carriers have been hiring for a variety of positions, looking to build back workforces cut during the pandemic, but some have faced difficult hiring markets, training time and a lack of veteran employees as more new hires are brought in, analysts have said. Some carriers also kept their fall flying schedules tight, one way to build in buffer.

Pilots at many airlines are in contract negotiations with the companies. At Chicago-based United, whose pilots participated in the picket at O’Hare, pilots had been poised to approve a new contract but recently reengaged in talks with the company, said Capt. Roger Phillips, spokesman for the ALPA at United.

“United pilots are here to show solidarity,” he said. “Solidarity with our fellow pilot groups, solidarity with our profession and support for labor,” he said.

Capt. Joe DePete, president of the ALPA, highlighted the contributions of pilots and crew to move goods, people and equipment during the pandemic.

“Aviation workers fought to keep the airline industry afloat through significant federal taxpayer support,” he said in a statement. “Unfortunately, some airlines squandered the opportunity to adequately plan for post-pandemic flying, and the result has been unprecedented flight delays and cancellations. It’s time for management to prioritize passengers and pilots — and invest in the people who keep our country moving.”

Earlier in the summer, pilots at American Airlines, who are represented by a different union, picketed on Michigan Avenue to call for schedule changes that they said would help pilots, passengers and the airline’s staffing shortfall.

Their union, the Allied Pilots Association, also organized pickets Thursday, including outside American Airlines’ headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.

“The simultaneous timing was not a coincidence, as pilots at most airlines are dealing with the same issues: fatiguing schedules, too many delayed and/or canceled flights and protracted contract negotiations,” spokesman Dan Koller said in an email. “Airlines know that it’s almost impossible for pilots to strike in the U.S., so management is never in a hurry at the bargaining table.”

Airline pilots are governed by a federal law that sets extra rules around contract disputes, including when and how employees can walk out on strike.

The informational pickets come at the start of what is expected to be a busy holiday weekend for travel. About 1.6 million travelers were expected to come through O’Hare and Midway airports between Thursday and Tuesday, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation. The number of passengers at O’Hare was expected to be up 7.3% compared with Labor Day weekend 2021, and Midway travel was expected to jump 49.9%.

sfreishtat@chicagotribune.com