Unions play an important role in Aviation. Prior to the 1930s, there was no protection at all for pilots. Company management would fire them at will. They were pushed to fly in weather that was dangerous. They sometimes had to fly more than 120 hours a month. The pay was very low. It was cut even further when the job market could provide enough pilots willing to work for less. When pilots dared to speak up, many of them were fired. Early in September of 1933, airline operators announced they started a new lower pay system. They also wanted pilots to fly up to 140 hours per month, 160 hours for copilot. David L. Behncke, a great leader and a pilot, was the founder of the Air Line Pilots Association. In 1930, he swore a small group of pilots to secrecy and they met to set up an organization. Behncke carefully laid plans to enhance and secure the professional status of all pilots including their working conditions and overall safety. Behncke had a plan that required protective Federal legislation to set safety rules, minimum salaries, and flight time limitations. He used clever public relations and political savvy. .
Historically, unions in the United States have bargained for improved working conditions, particularly higher wages. Unionized jobs in the United States pay substantially higher wages than nonunion jobs. We use Unions today because they are skilled negotiators. They have technique and strategy; leadership, patience and timing, they will wait for the right opportunity to help you.
Although, the union's demands for higher wages, shorter hours, or more valuable fringe benefits typically raise the companies costs of production. These higher costs may encourage the firm to cut back on its employment, perhaps by laying off some workers and replacing them with workers who will work for less.
One of the current unions for airline pilots is The Allied Pilots Association which serves as the certified collective bargaining agent for all American Airlines pilots.