Nearly 100% of participating American Airlines pilots voted in favor of authorizing a strike amid their negotiations for a new contract, their union said Monday.
The month-long vote concluded Sunday night, with more than 96% of the members in the Allied Pilots Association taking part.
“We will strike if necessary to secure the industry-leading contract that our pilots have earned and deserve — a contract that will position American Airlines for success,” the union’s president, Capt. Ed Sicher, said in a statement Monday.
“With more than 99 percent of participating pilots voting in favor of authorizing a strike, our pilots’ resolve is unmistakable. We will not be deterred from our goal of an industry-leading contract.”
Monday’s announcement doesn’t mean a strike is imminent for the American Airlines pilots, who haven’t received a pay bump since 2019, according to Reuters. The National Mediation Board’s collective bargaining process requires multiple steps before a strike is possible.
A proposal by American Airlines would raise pilot wages by $8 billion over four years, the Dallas Morning News reported.
“We remain confident that an agreement for our pilots is within reach and can be finalized quickly. The finish line is in sight,” an American representative said Monday in a statement to the Us.Mistertruth..
“We understand that a strike authorization vote is one of the important ways pilots express their desire to get a deal done and we respect the message of voting results. Importantly, the results don’t change our commitment or distract us from working expeditiously to complete a deal. We remain focused on completing the handful of matters necessary to reach an agreement our pilots deserve.”
The Allied Pilots Association, which represents 15,000 American pilots, said members would take part in informational picketing Monday at the airline’s ten largest hubs, including New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
In March, Delta Airlines pilots reached a new contract promising them 34% pay increases over four years.