JetBlue pilots are suing their employer in an attempt to force the arbitration of a contractual grievance connected to the carrier’s high-profile Blue Sky partnership with United.
The Air Line Pilots Association, which represents the pilots, said a complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York after JetBlue management “refused” to fully arbitrate a grievance over whether the Blue Sky arrangement violates job protections in the pilots’ contract.
Unions officials said the pilots have exhausted the ordinary channels for getting their concerns about Blue Sky addressed, and will hold the airline “accountable” in court.
JetBlue and United announced the Blue Sky partnership in May. The initiative includes reciprocal points and benefits for loyalty members, an interline deal with revenue booking, integration of JetBlue’s booking platform into United’s website and app, and slot sharing at airports.
JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the pilots’ lawsuit.
In a statement issued by ALPA, Captain Wayne Scales, chairman of the union’s JetBlue unit, said the grievance at the center of the case was filed almost seven months ago, and that the carrier’s management “chose the eleventh hour to attempt to deny pilots any effective hearing on the grievance.”
“We believe that JetBlue is playing games rather than living up to its obligation to resolve disputes,” Scales said. “As a result, JetBlue pilots had no choice but to resort to court intervention to restore our rights and to compel JetBlue to fulfill its legal duties to arbitrate the pilots’ grievance over Blue Sky.”
ALPA said JetBlue “falsely” claimed that the arbitration board lacks jurisdiction over important aspects of the dispute.
The current collective bargaining agreement between JetBlue and the union covers over 4,600 pilots.
