Delta Pilots Could Soon Go On Strike as Voting Gets Underway

Delta Pilots Could Soon Go On Strike

Delta Air Lines pilots starting voting for authorizing a strike on Friday as new contract negotiations have yet to produce a new deal. The strike authorization ballot closes on October 31.

The pilots’ contract became amendable in December 2019. They are currently working with pay rates, working conditions, and benefits negotiated back in 2016.

The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) and Delta have been in mediated talks under the Railway Labor Act (RLA) since February 2020. Talks were paused during the pandemic and resumed in January.

Approval of the ballot does not mean a job action is inevitable ALPA said in its statement. Before a strike can take place, the National Mediation Board must first decide that additional mediation efforts would not be productive and offer the parties an opportunity to arbitrate the contract dispute. If either side declines the arbitration, both parties enter a 30-day “cooling off” period.

After that period, we could see a strike by the pilot’s union or a lockout by Delta’s management.

The airline added that “Delta and ALPA have made significant progress in our negotiations and have resolved more than the majority of contract sections. We are confident that the parties will reach a consensual deal that is fair and equitable, as we always have in past negotiations.”