Air Line Pilots Ass'n v. Continental Airlines, LPP (In Re Continental Airlines)

LEWIS, Circuit Judge.

OPINION OF THE COURT

In this appeal and cross-appeal, we are confronted with a tension between bankruptcy law and labor law. The dispute arose when the Air Line Pilots Association, Inc. (“ALPA”), collective bargaining agent for Eastern Air Lines’ (“Eastern”) pilots, filed proofs of claim in bankruptcy court against Continental Airlines Holdings, Inc. and Continental Airlines, Inc. (“Continental”). These claims were based on alleged seniority integration rights stemming from a pending labor arbitration dispute and were filed following Continental’s acquisition of Eastern…