Tensions are quite high between the airlines and pilots flying their Aircraft. Unions representing the four big carriers have been trying to reach agreements with their pilots with very little success.
Now , this news was due as Pressure was obvious ! After weeks of contentious contract talks and brainstorming , United Airlines (UAL) has decided to award pilots a five percent raise months early of due.
Under a 2020 deal, United and the Air Line Pilots Association , representing the carrier’s more than 13,000 pilots , agreed to defer pay raises until the turbulence of the pandemic had eased and profits had been restored. They also agreed on job and salary protection.
Reality says , the profitability threshold hasn’t yet been reached , and United could have waited until May 2023 , the company is now moving to share its recovering wealth ahead of schedule.
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United reported a pretax margin of 9% last quarter. Although the airline still lost money in the first nine months of the year , it expects to finish profitable by 2022.
Earlier , the Air Line Pilots Association had said that the tentative agreement “fell short of the industry-leading contract United pilots have earned and deserve after leading the airline through the pandemic and back to profitability.”
The reason partly reflects a turnaround for the airline industry as Americans return to the semi-friendly skies.
But it also demonstrates the burgeoning clout of organized labor after decades of declining influence.
“This is a show of good faith and a down payment on a market-based, industry leading labor agreement,” Bryan Quigley, United’s senior vice president of flight operations, wrote to pilots on Thursday.
“It’s also recognition of the role that you played in helping United survive the pandemic and recover so much stronger.”
However , Pilots are looking for the perfect deal , United’s pilot union said in a note to members ,
“Accelerating our raise does not change the fact we still need a contract that fully recognizes the contributions we make every day to the success of our airline.”
Pilots , flight attendants and other staff have been saying they’ve sacrificed enough in recent years to keep their employers afloat. What’s particularly noteworthy here is that unions representing airline workers have been unusually effective in making their points to management.
This will likely be seen as a sign of progress by unions in all industries as they seek to overcome years of dwindling membership by exercising newfound economic clout.
The uncertainty of the pandemic served as a wakeup call for U.S. workers who experienced — many for the first time — the vulnerability of a severe economic downturn.
Amid other developments , the board of the Allied Pilots Association, which represents the cockpit crew at American Airlines Group have voted down a proposal for a two-year contract.
Delta Air Lines pilots have overwhelmingly voted to let union leaders call a strike if they decide it is necessary—a vote that is largely symbolic for now but reflects pilots’ frustration with what they see as stalled progress.
Also adding to the woes , Smaller regional airlines have negotiated huge wage increases to attract and retain pilots after bigger airlines plundered their workforces. Airlines such as JetBlue Airways Corp. have warned that pilot turnover has been higher than normal. Some airline executives say the industry faces a shortfall that could last years.
Pilots may not get settled for this United hike ! The union has said that United pilots plan to picket outside United’s flight training center in Denver next Tuesday.
