The Associated Press
FORT WORTH, Texas -- An American Airlines pilot has been docked a month of pay for pasting a small sticker that was critical of executive bonuses on his plane's exterior.
The pilot based at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was frustrated by comments made by Jeff Brundage, the company's vice president of human resources, according to officials with its pilots' union.
After an investigation into the May incident, the Fort Worth-based airline recently decided to suspend the pilot without pay for 30 days, a penalty worth about $12,000. The pilot's name was not released.
Michael Leone, an American pilot who is vice-chairman of the DFW chapter of the Allied Pilots Association, said the punishment is extreme, especially since the pilot apologized and said it would not happen again.
"No reasonable person would even consider placing such a financial hardship on one of our pilots and their families" for a minor infraction of company policy, Leone told union members in a memo. "The punishment clearly does not fit the crime."
Sue Gordon, an American spokeswoman, said the carrier typically does not comment on individual employee matters but said it followed normal procedures. The sticker was a violation of Federal Aviation Administration rules, according to the airline. The sticker's message was not known.
The union has asked members to donate to a fund on behalf of the pilot and so far has raised $1,100.
It was unclear which comments from Brundage upset the pilot. But many employees were angry when Brundage told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that "if they want to make what executives make, then they need to become executives." Those comments came after pilots marched at the airline's headquarters in April.
The case is the latest flare-up between American's management and employees over the bonuses, which paid about $160 million in company stock to about 800 top executives and managers in April. Employees have complained that they continue to work under reduced wages and benefits.
Hundreds of American employees protested the bonuses three months ago by marching at the company's headquarters and at airports nationwide.
Last week, AMR Corp., American's parent, reported a $317 million profit in the second quarter.
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