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Delta pilots pave way for a possible strike
By STEVE HUETTEL © St. Petersburg Times, published February 13, 2001 Delta Air Lines pilots have overwhelmingly authorized their union to call a strike that would seriously disrupt air travel in the Tampa Bay area and across Florida if contract talks fall apart. After nearly 18 months of negotiations, the strike vote announced Monday opens the door for pilots to walk out as early as April 1. The union and Delta have agreed to negotiate pay and other issues until Feb. 28 with the help of the National Mediation Board. If the board then offered to mediate unresolved issues and either side refused, they would head into a 30-day cooling-off period. The pilots could strike after the 30 days unless President Bush intervened. Bush has pledged to block a possible strike by Northwest Airlines mechanics next month -- the first of four airline labor disputes that could snarl spring travel -- because of the damage it could inflict on the economy. Delta is a major player at Tampa International Airport. The Atlanta-based airline flies one of every five passengers at TIA, a close No. 2 to US Airways. If Delta shuts down, other airlines at Tampa International do not have the capacity to pick up Delta's passengers, said Louis Miller, the airport's executive director. Other airports wouldn't be an option either, he said. Delta carries about 30 percent of all domestic passengers traveling to and from the Sunshine State -- more than than any other airline -- and is a top carrier at most large Florida airports. "It would be very disrupting," Miller said. "A lot of people would not get where they wanted to go. People couldn't just drive to Orlando. They'd face the same difficulties there." Delta pilots have been pushing to make up for a 1996 contract that provided no pay raises and created a lower salary scale for those flying for the airline's low-cost arm, Delta Express, said Andy Deane, a spokesman for the Air Line Pilots Association and a Delta pilot. The pilots association said 99 percent of Delta's 9,800 pilots voted by the deadline Friday on whether to strike, and 97 percent authorized a walkout. "What our pilots are saying is we've made some major sacrifices and we'd like our investment to be paid back," Deane said. "If we don't get that, we're looking to strike." On Friday, Delta offered a deal it said would make the pilots the highest-paid in the airline industry. Pilots would receive raises of 7 percent to 17.5 percent May 1. Over the contract's four years, average pilot pay would go up more than 30 percent, Delta said. The union called the offer a good first step but said the two sides remain far apart on several issues. Delta said customers shouldn't be alarmed by the strike vote. "This does not imply a strike is imminent or inevitable," spokeswoman Cindi Kurczewski said. "We are in aggressive, daily negotiations." Aviation experts said the vote was just part of the push-and-pull of airline labor negotiations. Just the threat of a strike can cost carriers millions of dollars in lost bookings as passengers scramble to find alternatives. "The bottom line is a slowdown or threatened strike can spell red ink for airlines very quickly," said Terry Tripler, airline expert for OneTravel.com, the ticketing and travel news Web site. Labor trouble at four major carriers threatens to turn this spring into a nightmare for travelers. Besides Delta pilots and Northwest mechanics, flight attendants at American Airlines and United Airlines mechanics are in negotiations with management. Last week, Bush expressed concern about the possibility of strikes. A spokesman said Bush would create a Presidential Emergency Board if Northwest and its mechanics can't settle on a contract when a 30-day cooling-off period expires March 12. That would delay a strike 60 days while the board tries to broker an agreement. The president can step in if a strike threatens commerce in a large part of the country. "Would one airline going on strike shut down the country?" said Michael Boyd, president of the Boyd Group, an Evergreen, Colo., consultancy. "No. But two or three might. If four went on strike, it would be debilitating." -- Contact Steve Huettel at huettel@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3384.
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From the Times Business report
From the AP
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