United Pilots To Picket As Airline Unions Seek Higher Pay

Just ahead of what could be a record-breaking summer travel season, pilots from one of the nation’s biggest airlines are preparing to march in picket lines at major airports as they push for higher pay, David Koenig reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Photo Insert: The United Airlines pilots have been working without a raise for more than four years while negotiating with airline management over a new contract.

The United Airlines pilots have been working without a raise for more than four years while negotiating with airline management over a new contract.

The coast-to-coast protests come on the heels of overwhelming strike-authorization votes by pilots at American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. United pilots could be the next to vote.

Pilots at all three carriers are looking to match or beat the deal that Delta Air Lines reached with its pilots earlier this year, which raised pay rates by 34% over four years.

United has proposed to match the Delta increase, but that might not be enough for a deal. “We still have a long ways to go to resolve some of the issues at the table,” said Garth Thompson, chairman of the United wing of the Air Line Pilots Association.

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