Delta pilots picket for a greater contract outside of John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Leslie Josephs | CNBC
Delta Air Lines pilots voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if contract talks between the carrier and the union don’t result in an agreement, the labor group said Monday.
A strike would not be immediate and it might require permissions from the federal National Mediation board. The Air Line Pilots Association union said it wants a contract, not a strike.
Covid derailed contract talks throughout the airline industry starting in 2020. Talks have since resumed, and the Delta pilot strike vote underscores the issue in getting agreements through.
Pilots for U.S. carriers like Delta and competitors American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines have have recently picketed at major airports to demand higher contracts because the industry returns to profitability.
“Meanwhile, our negotiations have dragged on for too long. Our goal is to achieve an agreement, to not strike,” said Capt. Jason Ambrosi, chair of the Delta master executive council of the Air Line Pilots Association. “The ball is in management’s court. It is time for the Company to get serious on the bargaining table and put money into the Delta pilots.”
Delta said the vote won’t affect its operation, because the pilots are usually not on strike, and that the carrier and union have made “significant progress” of their talks.
“ALPA’s stated purpose for the vote is solely to achieve leverage in our pilot contract negotiations, which proceed to progress under the traditional process set by the Railway Labor Act and in partnership with the National Mediation Board,” the airline said in an announcement. “We’re confident that the parties will reach an agreement that’s fair and equitable, as we at all times have in past negotiations.”
Earlier this yr, Alaska Airlines pilots voted to authorize a possible strike. Pilots for that airline recently reached a recent contract agreement with the corporate.
