Director, Labor Relations

American Airlines; Fort Worth (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Travel perks

Health benefits

Wellness programs

401(k) program

Other employee benefits

Job summary

American Airlines is seeking a Director of Labor Relations to lead union relations and ensure compliance with bargaining agreements across multiple workgroups. You will work with senior leadership, manage disputes, and provide training on labor relations topics to management.

The role requires extensive experience in negotiations, arbitration, and strategy with travel as needed. A strong background in industrial relations or related field is essential for success in this leadership position.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Relations or related field.
• 7 years in Labor Relations or frontline leadership at an airline.
• Experience with collective bargaining agreements and negotiations.
• Experience as a company representative or System Board member during arbitration, litigation, and/or government hearings.
• Experience in early dispute resolution strategy.
• Willing to travel as necessary.
• Advanced degree preferred, legal or labor-related degree a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develops and maintains a responsible relationship with their union(s).
• Develops and maintains working partnerships with key work group senior leadership.
• Ensures company compliance with labor agreement rules and regulations; manages the administration and interpretation of collective bargaining agreements.
• Manages disputes and negotiates resolutions between union representatives and management.
• Provides prompt and effective support on labor-related issues to management within multiple corporate departments.
• Develops and conducts labor relations training programs for management.
• Monitors and stays current with Labor Relations laws, trends/practices.
• Provides lead support to labor staff to ensure broad labor relations support to all departments within assigned groups.
• Provides support for grievance handling, up to and including arbitration.

Skills

Negotiation

Strategic thinking

Analytical thinking

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Leadership

Relationship building

Time management

Organizational skills

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in Industrial Relations

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Location:DFW Headquarters Building 8 (DFW-SV08)
Cities:Fort Worth - TX
Requisition ID:88427
This job will continue to be posted until at least 10/8/26.

Job Description

Intro

Are you ready to explore a world of possibilities, both at work and during your time off? Join our American Airlines family, and you’ll travel the world, grow your expertise and become the best version of you. As you embark on a new journey, you’ll tackle challenges with flexibility and grace, learning new skills and advancing your career while having the time of your life. Feel free to enrich both your personal and work life and hop on board!

Why you'll love this job

The Director, Labor Relations will support all aspects of the company’s relationship with their team’s union (APA, APFA, TWU-IAM, etc.) and have responsibility for implementing, maintaining, and administering the collective bargaining agreement covering the affected union team members and other workgroups, as needed.

What you'll do

This list is intended to reflect the current job but there may be additional essential functions (and certainly non-essential job functions) that are not referenced. Management will modify the job or require other tasks be performed whenever it is deemed appropriate to do so, observing, of course, any legal obligations.

• Develops and maintains a responsible relationship with their union(s)
• Develops and maintains working partnerships with key work group senior leadership
• Ensures company compliance with labor agreement rules and regulations and applicable laws; manages the administration and interpretation of collective bargaining agreements
• Manages disputes and negotiates resolutions between union representatives and management
• Provides prompt and effective support on labor-related issues to management within multiple corporate departments
• Develops and conducts labor relations training programs for management
• Monitors and stays current with Labor Relations laws, trends/practices
• Provides lead support to labor staff (i.e., managers, advisors), to ensure broad labor relations support to all departments within assigned groups
• Provides support for grievance handling, up to and including arbitration

All you'll need for success

Minimum Qualifications – Education & Prior Job Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant studies, such as Industrial Relations, or equivalent experience/training
• 7 years of experience in Labor Relations, or operational leadership of frontline team members at an airline
• Previous collective bargaining agreement and negotiations experience
• Experience as a company representative or System Board member during arbitration, litigation, and/or government hearings
• Experience in early dispute resolution strategy
• Ability and willingness to travel, as necessary

Preferred Qualifications – Education & Prior Job Experience

• Advanced degree preferred, legal or labor-related degree a plus

Skills, Licenses, and Certifications

• Demonstrates the highest standards of ethics and integrity
• Ability to think strategically, negotiate skillfully, digest complex details, and use sound judgment and initiative in making decisions
• Exceptional problem solving, analytical, and critical thinking ability
• Ability to be highly collaborative, form consensus, build relationships, and work productively with a broad range of experienced professionals throughout the company
• Ability to effectively advocate and communicate on behalf of American Airlines with all levels of external officials
• Ability to build and facilitate long‑term relationships at all levels, both internally and externally
• Ability to delegate effectively and handle multiple responsibilities, manage available resources, make timely decisions, and understand the impact of those decisions on others
• Ability to demonstrate time management, multi‑tasking, and organizational skills
• Ability to demonstrate flexibility and work a varied schedule
• Ability and willingness to remain current with industry practices and developments
• Mentoring and relationship building skills with ability to manage group and interpersonal conflict situations
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills with ability to handle complex topics comfortably and to interact effectively with all levels and colleagues across internal departments, both verbally and written
• Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, changing, and complex environment
• Excellent organizational and project management skills

What you'll get

Feel free to take advantage of all that American Airlines has to offer:

• Travel Perks: Ready to explore the world? You, your family and your friends can reach 365 destinations on more than 6,800 daily flights across our global network.
• Health Benefits: On day one, you’ll have access to your health, dental, prescription and vision benefits to help you stay well. And that’s just the start, we also offer virtual doctor visits, flexible spending accounts and more.
• Wellness Programs: We want you to be the best version of yourself – that’s why our wellness programs provide you with all the right tools, resources and support you need.
• 401(k) Program: Available upon hire and, depending on the workgroup, employer contributions to your 401(k) program are available after one year.
• Additional Benefits: Other great benefits include our Member Assistance Program, pet insurance and discounts on hotels, cars, cruises and more

Feel free to be yourself at American

From the team members we hire to the customers we serve, inclusion and diversity are the foundation of the dynamic workforce at American Airlines. Our 20+ Team Member Resource Groups are focused on connecting our team members to our customers, suppliers, communities and shareholders, helping team members reach their full potential and creating an inclusive work environment to meet and exceed the needs of our diverse world.

Are you ready to feel a tremendous sense of pride and satisfaction as you do your part to keep the largest airline in the world running smoothly as we care for people on life’s journey? Feel free to be yourself at American.