DALLAS — Just ahead of what might be a record-breaking summertime travel season, pilots from one of the country’s greatest airlinecompanies marched in picket lines at significant airports on Friday as they push for greater pay.
The United Airlines pilots haveactually been working without a raise for more than 4 years while negotiating with airlinecompany management over a brand-new agreement.
The pilots are notlikely to strike anytime quickly, . Federal law makes it really challenging for unions to conduct strikes in the airlinecompany market, and the last walkout at a U.S. provider was more than a years back.
The coast-to-coast demonstrations by United pilots come on the heels of frustrating strike-authorization votes by pilots at American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. United pilots might be the next to vote, according to union authorities.
Pilots at all 3 providers are looking to match or beat the offer that Delta Air Lines reached with its pilots earlier this year, which raised pay rates by 34% over 4 years.
Top scale at United for a captain is $369 an hour on two-aisle airplanes, called “widebodies,” which are usually utilized on global flights, and $297 an hour on “narrowbodies” such as Boeing 737s. Airline pilots fly an average of 75 hours per month, according to the Labor Department.
United hasactually proposed to match the Delta boost, however that may not be enough for a offer.
“We still have a long methods to go to willpower some of the problems at the table,” stated Garth Thompson, chair of the United wing of the Air Line Pilots Association.
Thompson stated conversation about incomes hasactually been held up while the 2 sides workout over scheduling, consistingof the union’s dream to limitation United’s capability to make pilots work on their days off.
United representative Joshua Freed stated, “We’re continuing to work with the Air Line Pilots Association on the industry-leading offer we have put on the table for our first-rate pilots.”
Pilots argue that United needsto benefit them for assisting the airlinecompany makeitthrough the coronavirus pandemic.
“We made rather a coupleof sacrifices throughout the pandemic, and we feel it is now time for the business to action up to the plate and to provide us a agreement, acknowledging the sacrifices and the contributions that we haveactually made,” sa