The Independent Pilot’s Association (IPA), which represents more than 2,500 pilots who fly for UPS, will vote on whether to go on strike if a new contract with the carrier is not reached. The IPA said that if the pilots vote in favor of a strike next month, its board has the authority to request a release from federally mediated negotiations with UPS.
Reuters reported that the National Mediation Board has been facilitating mediations between UPS and the IPA since early 2014 on issues related to compensation, pension and benefits. The parcel delivery and logistics company said it pays its captains a minimum of US$255,128 annually and usually more. By comparison, the company stated, the next-highest-paid captains are at its chief rival, FedEx, which just reached a tentative agreement with its pilots on a guarantee of $230,379 per year. The median pay for a U.S. commercial pilot is $98,410, according to the most current Bureau of Labor Statistics data. UPS also touted its pension, benefits, safety record, crew rest time and security for its employees.
“UPS has stalled and delayed, unnecessarily prolonging our negotiations,” IPA president Robert Travis said in a statement. “UPS management has created a bitter standoff with its pilot employees.”
The pilot’s contract is covered under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), the U.S. law that governs airline contract talks. Under the RLA, airline contracts do not expire, they become “amendable,” UPS said, and their terms remain in force while the new contract is negotiated. The IPA said the contract became amendable toward the end of 2011.
The Reuters report said that if the National Mediation Board grants a release from the mediation, a strike or lockout could follow after a 30-day countdown. UPS said it will continue to negotiate in good faith and that the carrier is confident that talks would be completed without disruption to service. The IPA said it will announce the result of its UPS strike vote Oct. 23.