Union Rejects Latest Contract Proposal

Although pilots from Delta Air Lines have been seeking a new contract since last December, their demand has yet to waver.

According to the latest reports, the ALPA rejected the airline’s latest contract proposal, which offered pilots a 27 percent raise over four years. The union has been firm in their request for a 37 percent raise over three years to make up for prior cuts in pay.

And with Delta reporting record-breaking earnings, the union is negotiating for more than just a pay raise.

“We are still apart on scope, vacation and other work rules,” chairman of the Delta chapter of the ALPA, John Malone, wrote in a letter to the pilots.

Delta has been in the spotlight recently, albeit for the wrong reasons. Last month, Delta pilots opened up a strike center in Atlanta in order to gain leverage and place pressure on the airline, and just a few weeks later, Delta’s system outage caused major disruption to thousands of flights.

During the system outage, Malone emphasized that Delta pilots “stepped up and did our best to mitigate impact on the traveling public… That action has long been a hallmark of the Delta pilot, something that greatly contributes to the corporate bottom line, and should be reflected in our contract.”

Morgan Durrant, a spokesman for Delta, said in an email: “Delta is committed to reaching a timely new agreement that is market-based, sustainable, and that also ensures Delta pilots have an industry-leading package of pay, benefits and work rules.”