Dive Brief:
- Things are off to a rocky start in the wake of the merger between American Airlines and US Airways, as the pilot's union is "very unhappy" after contractual disputes arose, according to Forbes.
- Keith Wilson, president of the Allied Pilots Association, wrote Saturday in a letter to the airline’s 15,000 pilots that the newly formed company's pilots are victims of "a culture gone awry,” Forbes reports – something HR in general should watch out for, especially if mergers are on the horizon for their companies.
- In the letter, Wilson ripped American on several fronts, including poor compensation, low quality of life trips, crappy hotels, paycheck miscalculations, pilot scheduling, and error-prone withholding and 401k tax contributions. In one case, Forbes reports that "legacy" US Airway pilots went unpaid for weather-interrupted trips, while legacy American pilots were paid.
Dive Insight:
According to Forbes, an American spokesperson put the blame squarely on technology, explaining that many of the problems Wilson mentioned in his letter will be fixed when American's new consolidated flight operating system is fully implemented this fall.
The issues emerging in the post-merger American workplace, at least as far as pilots are concerned, point to the difficulties inherent when two cultures and workforces join ranks, especially when it comes to ensuring HR-related technology platforms are going to mesh. With M&A activity at an all-time high, HR leaders should pay attention and be part of the process as early as possible.
