Delta CEO Ed Bastian Is Confident That Pilots Will Not Strike
Delta Air Lines CEO, Ed Bastian, states that Delta pilots have no intention of striking this upcoming holiday season. He claims the strike is just a negotiating tactic used to pressure Delta into conceding during negotiations. The strike threats come while Delta pilots are renegotiating a new industry-leading contract with the airline.
Displeased Union
A vote to strike held by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) caused a decision to hold a pilot strike during the holidays. The strike would include up to 15,000 pilots. A strike of this scale during the season’s busiest travel time could cripple Delta Air Lines, forcing them to comply with ALPA’s demand for increasing wages and other benefits.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian is confident that pilots will not strike
Delta Air Lines CEO, Ed Bastian, is claiming that the vote to strike by the pilots union was simply a bargaining tactic. Noting that Delta officers voted against a potential strike, Bastian says that this move was intended to “intimidate” Delta into conceding during contract negotiations. Captains of the airline have long been seeking a new contract following their contract ending in 2017.
Displeased unions
Delta Air Lines experienced a dramatic shift in power when the pilots organized a vote to strike. The pilots struck and also banned Delta from flying during the busiest travel season of the year. This would put major strain on Delta, forcing it to comply with the union’s demands.
Airlines have been slowly recovering from the economic turndown, but there’s a disconnect in this process. Many pilots are still working under contracts negotiated years ago, before COVID-19 was enacted. Returning to a prepandemic mindset is not a wise business decision not only because they’re fighting against the changing nature of work, but because it ignores the reality of individual personal lifestyles.
Most effective sentence
There is no possibility of a pilot strike this holiday season because the world’s finest and best-compensated pilots work for Bastian. The company believes that there is no reason to strike and it’s just a bluff from union leaders.
“It’s a tactic all the unions, in fact I should say all the airline unions, pilot unions, have deployed. It won’t be an issue, with us guaranteeing that our employees will get top-notch compensation and they’ll also stay safe on board our aircraft.”
We’ve received confirmation that the Federal Aviation Administration is going to prevent the strike from happening, at least in time for tonight’s flight. The FAA cited that a law passed in 2007 prohibits pilots from striking without the National Mediation Board declaring an impasse in negotiations. In order to engage in a strike, a 30-day-cool-off period also needs to occur beforehand. The Board has not yet made such a declaration.
“As we’ve said before, there are many phases and stages you have to go through when you’re in mediation to try and get this deal done. We are actually a lot closer than people like to think, hopefully soon.”
Delta has put forth an argument that is going to make it more difficult for them to strike, and the ALPA has made its stance clear that a strike will take place. Only time will tell what happens with these discussions, but it seems quite counterintuitive if you are depending on a federal regulation put in place to protect the employer when strikes seem rooted in non-compliance.
vince salvador
November 11th, 2022
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