Pilots at United Airlines have rejected a tentative collective bargaining agreement, marking the latest upheaval in contract negotiations at U.S. major airlines.
In a statement, the United branch of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) said 9,980 pilots participated in the vote, and 94% voted against the proposal.
“This TA [tentative agreement] fell short of the industry-leading contract United pilots have earned and deserve after leading the airline through the pandemic and back to profitability,” United’s Master Executive Council (MEC) of ALPA said in a statement.
In July, the MEC said that management had agreed to revisit the terms of a recently signed tentative agreement that was scheduled for a ratification vote on July 15. That tentative agreement included a 14.5% pay increase within 18 months.
Rejection of the tentative agreement by United pilots came after American Airlines reached a tentative agreement with its pilot union, the Allied Pilots Association (APA) that included a 12% pay raise at the date of signing, a copy of the agreement shows. That would be followed by another 5% hike in year one of the contract and a 2% increase in the second year. The union is working to set-up a meeting with its Board of Directors to review the proposal, APA president Ed Sicher told members in a recent update.
Just before United’s pilots voted against their proposed contract, pilots at Delta Air Lines, also represented by ALPA, voted in favor of a strike authorization vote. In a letter to union members, Delta’s MEC stated 96% of the airline’s pilots participated in the vote, and 99% of those voting endorsed a strike authorization.
Delta’s MEC said the pilots continue to fly record amounts of overtime, and fatigue reports are at all-time highs.
“A strike is not an action we take lightly and one we hope to avoid, if possible. However, we will no longer accept further delays or excuses from management ...,” the MEC said.
In a statement, Delta said that ALPA’s purpose for the strike vote is to “simply gain leverage in our pilot contract negotiations, which continue to progress under the normal process set by the Railway Labor Act and in partnership with the National Mediation Board.”
Delta explained the airline and ALPA “have made significant progress in our negotiations and have only a few contract sections left to resolve.”
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