CHICAGO (AP) – Pilots for United Airlines have ratified a new four-year contract that their union said is worth more than USD10 billion.
The union previously said the deal would raise pay by up to 40 per cent over four years.
The Air Line Pilots Association said 82 per cent of pilots who took part in the voting favoured the agreement.
Leader of the union’s United group Garth Thompson called it an industry-leading contract that brings substantial benefits to our pilots.
United joins Delta Air Lines and American Airlines in nailing down new contract pilots that remove a source of friction with a key labour group but will add significantly to the carriers’ costs. Pilots at Southwest Airlines, who are represented by a separate union, are still in negotiations, as are flight attendants at several airlines.
The pilots’ union said the United contract includes industry-leading increases and improvements in work rules, sick leave, vacation time and retirement benefits. United has about 16,000 pilots.
The contract was run through yesterday.
