Delta Pilots To Picket For Higher Pay Friday
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Delta Air Line pilots will be conducting informational picketing around the country in an effort to raise the sense of urgency in ongoing contract negotiations, according to the Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l.
The pilot union says over 15 months of negotiations have passed and Delta pilots are still waiting on a new agreement – and five months have passed since the contract's amendable date.
According to the union, all other employees, shareholders and investors have benefited from Delta's success and now it's the pilots' time.
"Delta Air Lines is highly profitable and successful. The environment is opportune for the Company to significantly improve pilot compensation and work rules that were slashed during bankruptcy," the union said in a recent press release. "For the first quarter of 2016, Delta recorded an historic pre-tax income of $1.56 billion—nearly triple from the first quarter of 2015, the previous historic high for Delta."
The union added that its goal is to achieve "negotiated contractual changes that recognize pilot sacrifices and contributions to Delta's unprecedented success." The union expects that to happen by this summer.
The informational picketing will be taking place at Delta bases around the country, including Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Other airports include Detroit, Cincinnati, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, and New York.
The picketing is expected to run from mid-morning until the afternoon.