Pilot Union Members Orchestrate Coup Against Labor Bosses

Members of American Airlines’ pilot union voted to approve a new vote threshold that could make it easier for the organization to merge with a larger union.

Allied Pilots Association (APA) Secretary-Treasurer Philip Johnson announced that the union’s members approved a motion lowering the vote threshold for merging with other unions, according to an X post by APA on June 2. This follows years of strife between APA’s membership and leadership, and calls to merge with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).

APA Secretary-Treasurer CA Philip Johnson announced these referendum results today: R2026-02, “Union Merger Provisions,” was approved; R2026-05 Rev 1, “Merger Ratification Vote Threshold,” was approved; and R2026-21 Rev 3, “Executive Administrator to the President,” was defeated. pic.twitter.com/h8eBUcpoiI

— Allied Pilots (@AlliedPilots) June 3, 2026

APA represents American Airline’s approximately 16,000 pilots, whereas ALPA represents over 80,000 pilots at 42 airlines in the U.S. and Canada.

Some American pilots had previously expressed support for merging with ALPA when “AA Pilots for ALPA” formed to explore a possible merger. The APA board members considered merging with ALPA or continuing as an independent union, but a tie vote fell shy of the threshold needed to dissolve the union.

This latest vote could reopen the possibility of another push from members of APA to merge with ALPA.

APA, ALPA, and American did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.

APA leadership had frequent clashes with American executives. For example, it used union dues to circulate an open letter to American CEO Robert Isom published in six regional news papers blaming him for delays, baggage issues and employee contracts.

“Many aspects of our pilots’ current contract — including total compensation, disability benefits, and scheduling provisions — are inferior to what pilots at other carriers enjoy,” the March 2022 letter stated. “We think these disparities put American Airlines at a disadvantage in the competition for the next generation of aviators.”

American appeared to have met most of APA’s demands since then. The contract that followed gave pilots an immediate pay raise of 21%, along with “improvements in” long-term disability, life insurance and retirement benefits, according to an August 2023 APA press release. Around 95% of the union’s members voted on the contract, with 72.7% voting in favor.

Soon after the contract was approved, a faction favorable to merging with ALPA ousted then-APA President Ed Sicher for opposing the merger.

“[Some pilots] credited ALPA with gains in contract negotiations. It wasn’t ALPA: It was just the time and place,” Sicher reportedly told Forbes. “Now that we’ve done some due diligence, the reality is that we would pay more in dues and get less in services [if ALPA took over].”

APA reduced the voting threshold for merging to 50% plus one on May 7, Forbes also reported. The following day, ALPA reduced its annual dues from 1.85% to 1.55% effective next year. It isn’t immediately clear if that’ll be enough to win back APA members’ support for a merger, who currently pay 1.00% in dues annually.