The pilots' union at United Airlines Holdings Inc voted overwhelmingly to allow a strike ballot, the union chair said in a statement to pilots on Friday. "In the coming days, you will receive additional communication regarding this impending strike vote," the letter states. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) has not yet established a date for the strike ballot, according to a spokesperson.
This protest comes only months after Delta Air Lines pilots approved a deal that contains over $7 billion in wage and benefit increases over four years. Delta's new deal, according to industry officials, has become a model for contract discussions in North America.
"We have offered our pilots an industry-leading deal, and we're actively working with ALPA to reach an agreement," a United Airlines representative said, adding that United flights will continue to fly as scheduled while the negotiations are ongoing.
A strike vote is a bargaining tool used by unions in contract talks, and a strike mandate does not imply that pilots would walk off the job. United's contract was up for renewal in 2019, and talks had been going on for five years. Last year, its pilots decisively rejected a proposed deal that the union claimed fell short of what members wanted. United pilots have been agitating for a better contract ever since.