Some Eastern Airlines pilots walked picket lines.

The action in nine cities was to protest cost-cutting policies, which the pilots claimed endangers passengers by putting profit considerations ahead of safety concerns. The pilots said that since Texas Air acquired Eastern in February, 1986, the company had adopted cost-cutting measures that are not only unfair to workers but could violate federal rules and affect the safety of Eastern flight crews and passengers. The company denied those claims and said the pilots’ actual concern was salaries, not safety.