Striking Pilots Opposed to Return to Work--Union

MIAMI — Striking Eastern Airlines pilots have for the most part expressed strong opposition to returning to work, union officials said Monday.

Despite vowing never to fly again for Eastern owner Frank Lorenzo, some union leaders have recently broken ranks and pushed privately for a quick end to the 5-month-old strike in an effort to save pilots’ jobs, union sources said.

But when union leaders offered the option of a return to work during a meeting of some 350 pilots in Miami on Sunday night, many members booed and several stormed out, officials said.

“I think they just completely misread the pilot group,” said pilots union spokesman Hank Weber. “Now that they have a clear reading of where we want to go, they’re going to have to pick up some other options other than capitulating to Frank Lorenzo.”

Votes Scheduled

The leadership of the Air Line Pilots Assn., which represents 3,400 Eastern pilots, wants to gauge support of union members for returning to work or continuing their strike against the Texas Air Corp. subsidiary. Top officials are expected to make a final decision later this week, sources said.

Other pilots meetings were held in Atlanta and New York, where members were due to take a straw vote on their options Monday. Pilots are scheduled to vote in Miami tonight.

The meetings have provided the clearest signs yet of growing strains in the ranks of striking pilots, many of whom have become frustrated with their union’s failure to outmaneuver Lorenzo.

Some pilots have begun circulating petitions accusing ALPA’s national leadership of giving only half-hearted support to the strike.

Honoring Machinists

Eastern’s machinists went on strike March 4 over company demands for wage concessions, and pilots and flight attendants immediately staged sympathy strikes.

Eastern filed for bankruptcy protection five days later but has since managed to resurrect one-third of its pre-strike schedule using replacement pilots and others who crossed the picket lines.

Although pilots have been abandoning the strike in growing numbers in recent weeks, most appear determined to continue the walkout. “The message from the rank-and-file is that the picket line is solid as a rock,” ALPA spokesman Ron Cole said.

The 20-member Master Executive Council of ALPA voted unanimously Saturday night to continue honoring the picket lines of striking machinists. But the leaders decided to take the question before the rank-and-file for discussion and a possible vote, officials said.

Unconditional Return

Union sources said one option that had received growing support among the leaders was for pilots to return to work unconditionally. They argued that the strategy would preserve the jobs of up to 1,300 striking pilots by forcing Eastern to abide by the current contract.

But Eastern spokesman Robin Matell said many striking pilots no longer have jobs to come back to.

He said the airline would have no more than 500 positions for returning strikers, and even the rehiring of that number would require an agreement by ALPA for substantial wage cuts.

The airline, which has said it needs 1,700 pilots by year-end, has 390 who have crossed picket lines, along with more than 1,000 newly hired pilots.