ATLANTA - Delta Air Lines Inc. said Monday that if its pilots strike should their contract be rejected in bankruptcy court, it would be "murder-suicide" and in effect put the nation's third-largest carrier out of business.
The comments by the Atlanta-based airline in a court filing came two days before a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in New York will hold a hearing to discuss Delta's request to reject its pilots' collective bargaining agreement.
Delta said in the filing that if its motion is granted, it will impose $325-million in concessions it is seeking from its pilots.
The Air Line Pilots Association, which represents Delta's 6,000 pilots, has raised the prospect of a strike if the contract is rejected by the court, and it has scheduled a rally today to defend the contract.
But in its filing Monday, Delta said a strike would be disastrous and, it maintains, illegal.
"ALPA devotes substantial space in its objection to the balance of the equities, using as its centerpiece a "murder-suicide' threat," the airline wrote. "Deny the motion to reject, the court is told, or the association will call a post-rejection strike that will kill the company and eliminate every pilot job - indeed every Delta job."
Delta argued in the filing that the Railway Labor Act prevents the pilots from striking.
Union spokesman John Culp said the pilots are united in their position, though he stressed there has been no determination on a specific course of action.
"No airline in the modern era has resorted to contract rejection to get what they want, and we will not willingly work without a contract," Culp said. "If they reject the contract, we'll keep all legal options open."
Culp said the union and management are continuing to negotiate in hopes of reaching an amicable resolution.
Even though it believes it's on solid legal ground, Delta said it can't predict whether it will be able to prevent a strike if its pilots choose to walk off the job if their contract is thrown out in bankruptcy court.
Delta said it needs the $325-million in concessions it is seeking from its pilots as part of its recovery. The pilots have offered $90.7-million in average annual concessions over four years.
