Union leaders for the pilots at Delta Airlines have been authorized to call a strike. Although contracts are in negotiations, the move was done as a sign to show owners the pilots mean business.
Pilots Are Ready To Strike
The Air Line Pilots Association stated out of the 96% of Delta pilots that took a vote, 99% of them were in favor of walking off the job “if necessary.”
Due to labor shortages across most airlines since the rebound of travel after the pandemic, many unions are expecting pay increases for their members.
The Delta Airlines team based in Atlanta mentioned the strike would not affect on their day-to-day flight operations.
Delta Believes A Strike Wont Be Necessary
Delta claims the union’s goal is “simply to gain leverage in our pilot contract negotiations.” The airline believes they have been making significant progress and negotiations shouldn’t take much longer.
Pilots were a “major key” in recouping financial losses for Delta, especially since the pandemic. Unfortunately, their wage hasn’t changed since 2016. That’s 6 years without seeing a raise.
There is no expiration date on labor contracts in the airline industry according to federal law. Before any airline workers decide to strike, federal mediators must agree that talks would be moot. And still, the President or Congress can intervene and block the strike.