Three leaders resign from American Airlines pilots union

In this story: $45.5 million fine appealed Seeking stability RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

FORT WORTH, Texas -- The top three officers of American Airlines' pilots union resigned Sunday, a month after members rejected the contract extension the officers supported.

Capt. Rich LaVoy, president of the Allied Pilots Association, resigned from his post along with Vice President Brian Mayhew and Treasurer Bob Morgan.

The union represents 10,800 American Airlines pilots.

LaVoy said he and Mayhew strongly supported the rejected agreement between the union and airline in September that would have extended the pilots' contracts for one year past August 31, 2001, and lifted restrictions on the number of smaller regional jets the airline could fly.

$45.5 million fine appealed

The agreement also would have forgiven a massive court judgment ordered against the union after a pilot sickout in February, which a federal judge ruled was illegal. The union was slapped with a potentially bankrupting $45.5 million fine for the sickout, which it is appealing.

LaVoy said there had been "considerable political controversy" inside the union since the agreement's rejection.

Many pilots thought LaVoy and Mayhew threw away negotiating leverage for the full contract talks by offering concessions on the regional jets issue.

Support for the deal weakened more after pilots at rival United Airlines, a unit of UAL Corp., won a new contract in July that set new rates for pay and benefits in the industry.

"Because the controversy continued to swirl, we made the decision that we would offer our resignation in order to get the union focused back on the issues," LaVoy said.

Seeking stability

LaVoy and Mayhew had already decided not to run for their offices after their terms expired next June, but decided to resign Sunday so the union could focus on the full contract negotiations set for next summer. Morgan then agreed to step down also.

"We made a decision between the three of us that the best way to create the stability here was if we all three sort of stepped out together," LaVoy said.

CNN was not able to contact anyone from American Airlines.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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