Delta pilots vote for potential strike as contract negotiations drag on

Delta pilots picket for a better deal outside of John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Leslie Josephs | CNBC

Delta Airlines Pilots voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if contract talks between the airline and the union fail to result in an agreement, the workers’ group said on Monday.

A strike would not be immediate and would require the approval of the federal national arbitration board. The Air Line Pilots Association union said it wanted a contract, not a strike.

Covid has derailed contract negotiations across the aviation industry as of 2020. Talks have since resumed, and the Delta pilots’ strike vote underscores the difficulty of getting agreements through.

Pilots for US airlines such as Delta and competitors American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines recently picketed major airports to demand better contracts when the industry returns to profitability.

“Now our negotiations have dragged on too long. Our goal is to reach an agreement, not to go on strike,” said Captain Jason Ambrosi, chairman of the Delta Master Executive Council of the Air Line Pilots Association. “The ball is in management’s hands. It’s time the company got serious at the negotiating table and invested in the Delta pilots.”

Delta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

earlier this year, Alaska Airlines The pilots voted to authorize a possible strike. Pilots of this airline recently entered into a new contract agreement with the company.