UPS parcel carried faces pilots’ strike
After an almost three-year dispute with the world’s largest package delivery company, United Parcel Service, its pilots have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike.
UPS has 2,459 pilots, of whom almost 97 percent are eligible to vote and agreed to authorize the Independent Pilots Association to call a strike. Support was 99 percent of those voting.
Despite the vote, the pilots are prohibited from striking unless the union is released from US federally supervised mediation.
The president of the pilots’ union, Tom Nicholson, said he would delay in requesting a release from mediation because of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the role UPS pilots may could be called on to play in relief efforts.
Nicholson said in an interview. “Will we ask for release? Without a contract, yes. When will that happen? I don’t know.
“UPS last week said it had anticipated the vote, but that the threatened strike would have no impact on its business. UPS says its pilots are among the best paid in the industry, and it called for mediation to continue.
US Federal law requires both sides to remain at the negotiating table unless released from talks by the National Mediation Board.
Nicholson said that the dispute involves health care premiums, pensions, pay, as well as protection against the use of non union pilots on certain routes flown by subcontracted airlines.
UPS is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and operates the ninth-largest airline in the world.
