Union votes ‘no confidence’ in PSA Airlines president

The leadership of an airline pilots union has issued a vote of “no confidence” against Dion Flannery, president of Dayton-based PSA Airlines.

In a statement on its Facebook page Tuesday, the PSA Master Executive Council of the Airline Pilots Association International said members were troubled by management turnover at PSA, alleged contract "violations" by PSA's payroll and scheduling departments, and delays or denials of requests for family medical leave.

RELATEDPilot shortage hits area, may get worse in future

“The MEC (PSA Master Executive Council) presented and unanimously passed a resolution of no confidence last Thursday,” the union said in its statement. “It is the opinion of the MEC that these issues, and many others, are a direct result of Dion Flannery’s leadership style. The MEC has lost faith in Mr. Flannery’s ability to successfully lead and grow PSA.

“The company continues to throw millions in pilot recruiting, but has clearly lost sight of what is important, and by far the best recruiting tool, the morale and well-being of the employees who make this operation successful day in and day out,” the statement added.

In a statement, PSA said:  “We’ve come a long way over the last several years, nearly tripling in size to become the fastest-growing and most stable regional carrier with a bright future ahead of us. ...

“We are committed to work together with our ALPA MEC to address their concerns.”

A statement from Travis Ricks, chairman of the MEC, said in part: “The pilots are fed up with empty promises from PSA's president as he claims a willingness to work with our union yet repeatedly permits violations of our contract and refuses to engage in meaningful resolution of our disputes. We want to work with our management team through an expedited process to resolve these problems, but the lack of commitment and follow-through makes us question senior management's veracity.”

With nearly 3,000 employees nationally and about 115 jets in its fleet, regional subsidiary airline PSA Airlines has been growing and recruiting pilots and other employees aggressively. A wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines, PSA flies about 700 daily flights to nearly 90 destinations.

About the Author