Pilots of FedEx Express, a unit of FedEx Corp, have voted overwhelmingly in support of a strike, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) announced on Wednesday. 97% of the 99% of members who participated in the vote authorized union leaders to call a strike, if needed, to achieve a new contractual agreement with the delivery firm.
Negotiations for a new agreement had begun in 2021, and pilots are pushing for better contracts at airlines and parcel firms amid a shortage of aviators. Under U.S. law, pilots cannot walk off the job until the National Mediation Board grants them permission. If either side declines, both parties enter a 30-day “cooling off” period, after which pilots and management can engage in self-help.
FedEx did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, and its shares erased gains to trade roughly flat after the announcement. Chris Norman, chair of the FedEx ALPA master executive council, said: “The ball is in the management’s court, and it’s time for the company to get serious at the bargaining table and invest in our pilots.”