American Airlines pilots back union president

Union pilots at American Airlines vote to elect current president to 3-year term

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- The president of the union representing American Airlines pilots has been elected to a full three-year term.

The Allied Pilots Association said Friday that Keith Wilson received 2,715 votes and Tom Westbrook got 2,305 votes in a runoff election.

Wilson became acting president in August 2012 when the union board asked his predecessor, David Bates, to resign after pilots rejected a labor contract that Bates had supported. Wilson continued Bates' support for the merger of American and US Airways.

Neil Roghair, chairman of the union's negotiating committee, was elected vice president, and Pam Torell was elected secretary-treasurer.

The union represents about 10,000 pilots.

American Airlines, owned by AMR Corp., is the nation's third-biggest airline.