WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Pilots sued on Wednesday to stop US Airways Group Inc. from integrating operations of its predecessor companies until it negotiates one contract for its two pilot unions.
The Air Line Pilots Association officials said US Airways is dragging its feet in negotiations on a unified contract for thousands of pilots from the old US Airways and America West Airlines, which merged in 2005.
The carrier is branded under the US Airways flag but it operates separately when it comes to aircraft used and the crews who fly them. A new contract would cover wages, seniority and work rules.
The union also said in its suit filed in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia that management is taking a step to further align operations of the old companies that would violate pre-merger agreements to run them separately until a new contract was in place.
This Sunday, US Airways plans to migrate its reservation systems and drop the America West electronic code - a marketing designation that tells customers which planes they will fly.
"US Airways wants desperately for our pilots to look like, dress like and act like they work for a merged airline," said Jack Stephan, chairman of the US Airways union. "However, the only road to a real merged airline is through a single contract."
US Airways said the change was for marketing purposes only but would have no effect on operations - old America West crews would continue to work old America West aircraft and old US Airways crews would fly old US Airways planes.
E. Allen Hemenway, US Airways' vice president for labor relations, told union representatives for US Airways and America West pilots that the company strongly disagrees the change would violate agreements with the union and that the suit was unwarranted.
US Airways chief executive Doug Parker has said the carrier wants a unified contract with pilots but does not need one to satisfy federal regulations for operating the airline as one company.
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