Union pilots who struck Eastern Airlines are entitled to replace trainees hired to help the carrier rebuild, a federal judge said. Thursday's ruling by U.S. District Judge Edward Davis apparently affects only those who were in training when time the pilots ended their walkout, said E.J. Breen, spokesman for the Air Line Pilots Association. Still, Breen said, ``It's clearly a major victory.'' All but 200 of the 3,600 union pilots walked off the job in sympathy with Machinists who struck the Miami-based airline in March 1989. Pilots ended their sympathy walkout in November, but fewer than 50 have been called back to Eastern, pilots association officials say. The Machinists are still striking. At least 404 pilots were in training when the pilots returned to work, the pilots association says. The airline estimates only 180 jobs are affected by the ruling, Eastern spokeswoman Karen Ceremsak said. Further hearings likely will be determine the exact number of affected jobs, Breen said. Eastern said in a statement it would appeal the decision. The airline predicted the ruling wouldn't immediately affect current employees or operations. Many pilots took jobs with other airlines after the strike began March 4, 1989, but about 1,400 former Eastern pilots may still be interested in returning, pilots' association spokesman Lou Baldwin said. Davis' ruling stems from the association's challenge of Eastern's claim that the formerly striking pilots were not needed. Davis agreed that the federal Railway Labor Act guarantees returning strikers job rights ahead of newly hired trainees. Davis said Eastern violated the Railway Labor Act by hiring pilot trainees not already qualified to fly regular flights. The act was devised to provide ``uninterrupted transportation service,'' the ruling said. Eastern sought bankruptcy protection five days after the strike began. It presently operates about 800 flights, down from its pre-strike service of 1,040. Ms. Ceremsak said she does not believe Davis' ruling must receive bankruptcy court approval. If the ruling is upheld on appeal, all returning pilots would need to go through several weeks of recertification training under the Federal Aviation Administration, Eastern officials said. Eastern currently has about 1,900 pilots, including those trained before the strike was settled, pilots hired from other airlines and union pilots who later crossed picket lines. Baldwin said the Eastern pilots trainees' annual pay is about $27,000. The average pre-strike pay at Eastern for fully accredited pilots was about $65,000, he said.
