United Pilots Take Another Look At 14.5% Pay Raise After American Offers Its Pilots 17%

The new proposed tentative agreement for American pilots has United pilots talking another look at their own tentative contract agreement.

The review came Friday night, after American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said that American has offered its pilots pay raises totaling nearly 17% in a new contract. American’s offer was first reported by CNBC.

Six days earlier, the United chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association and the airline reached a tentative agreement including pay raises of 14.5% within 18 months. United has 14,000 pilots.

“The MEC is aware of the offer made by American Airlines to the Allied Pilots Association,’ said the master executive council of the United chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association, in a letter to members signed by members of the United master executive committee.

“We are collecting information regarding the (American) offer, and the MEC will meet in special session next week to consider the impact it has on our TA,” United MEC said in the letter. “We will carefully consider all available options and, until we have greater clarity, we will suspend the town hall meetings, P2P deployments, and other presentations related to the 2022 (tentative agreement.)

“We will not rush to a decision and will work as a unified body to find the best course of action for the entire pilot group,” the letter said.

The moves at American and United provide a textbook example of pattern bargaining, in which unionized employee groups at one company make use of recently known agreements to demand similar contract terms in their own bargaining process. American has about 15,000 pilots.

Meanwhile, Delta pilots conducted informational picketing at Delta hubs on Thursday, protesting protracted contract negotiations. Delta pilots last signed a contract in 2016. Pilots picketed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and other airports. Delta has 13,900 pilots.

“This is an important milestone for the Delta pilots,” said Jason Ambrosi, chair of the Delta ALPA chapter. “It’s been two-and-a-half years since our contract became amendable and three-and-a-half years since the Delta pilots last had a pay raise. Meanwhile, our quality of life has eroded due to management’s unwillingness to schedule the airline properly.”