FedEx Pilots Approve Contract
The Fedex Pilots Association said 87 percent of voting members cast ballots for the five-year deal, which takes effect May 31.
"This contract offers significant enhancements for FedEx pilots in terms of scheduling, work rules and salary," FPA President Frank Fato said. "In particular, it gives FedEx pilots the best
The contract gives the 3,600 pilots a 17-percent pay raise over five years. Though pilots had sought a 24-percent raise over four years, the union said its members were pleased with company concessions on flight scheduling.
A new scheduling system put in place last year often had pilots hustling to catch connecting flights or making too many takeoffs and landings, the union said.
A committee of union pilots and company managers now will review the schedules and handle complaints.
FedEx pilots began negotiating a contract in 1993, when they were represented by the Air Line Pilots Association. The pilots twice rejected tentative contracts sent to them by union leaders.
The Fedex Pilots Association began representing the pilots in 1996. Its leadership endorsed the contract in December and mailed ballots to members last month.
The pilots are FedEx's only domestic employees represented by a union. They threatened a holiday-season strike in October after contract talks broke off. FedEx began leasing planes and crews from other companies in preparation for a walkout.
The talks resumed Nov. 20 after FedEx Chairman Frederick Smith warned the pilots they might lose their jobs if they went on strike.
Memphis-based FedEx was founded in 1973 and is owned by FDX Corp. It has 145,000 employees worldwide and ships more than 3 million items to 211 countries each day.
