American Airlines pilots have outlined their appeal of a bankruptcy court ruling that paves the way for the airline to toss out their labor contract and impose new, concessionary terms, Dow Jones Daily Bankruptcy Review reported on Friday. The Allied Pilots Association, which represents about 10,000 American Airlines pilots, last month appealed a bankruptcy judge's opinion that significant changes to the pilots' contract were necessary to AMR Corp .'s restructuring. The union originally declared the Aug. 15 ruling from Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane a "rare chapter 11 victory for labor" because he denied AMR's request to toss the pilots' existing contract and impose new terms. However, the judge only did so because he found AMR overreached in two areas, and once AMR fixed its proposal, he approved the request early this month. In court papers filed on Wednesday, the union laid out the questions that it would ask the district to consider as part of its appeal. Among those questions are whether the bankruptcy court even had the right to authorize AMR to toss a labor agreement the union insists had expired.
