CHICAGO, Illinois: American Airlines pilots have voted to back a strike mandate ahead of the busy summer travel season, while Air Canada pilots voted to support a merger with a larger union.
The move by American Airlines pilots will further pressure the Texas-based carrier to negotiate a new contract, but the chances of an actual walk out remains slim due to the complex labor process in the US that makes it difficult for airline workers to strike.
Even as the two sides closed in on an agreement in principle, the Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents some 15,000 American Airlines pilots, held a strike authorization vote, with more than 96 percent of members voting and over 99 percent of them voting in favor of a strike.
In a statement, American Airlines said, “We remain confident that an agreement for our pilots is within reach and can be finalized quickly. The finish line is in sight.”
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that 84 percent of Air Canada’s 4,500 pilots voted for a March agreement to merge with the Air Line Pilots Association, the world’s largest pilots union with more than 60,000 members.
As airlines struggle to rehire staff to meet soaring travel demand after the COVID-19 pandemic, North American pilots are aiming for better salaries and working conditions, but airline executives warn that raises will increase fixed costs and worsen debt-laden balance sheets.
