ASA Pilots Vote to Authorize Strike

Pilots at Delta Air Lines' main regional carrier in Atlanta have voted to authorize a strike after almost four years of fruitless contract talks.

More than 90 percent of Atlantic Southeast Airlines' pilots who voted agreed to authorize a strike if talks fail, said the Air Line Pilots Association, which represents ASA's 1,700 pilots. About 85 percent of pilots cast ballots, the union said.

The vote does not mean a strike is imminent, however. The National Mediation Board would first have to declare an impasse and then, at least 30 days later, release the union from further negotiations.

The union said a mediator recessed talks two months ago because the two sides were too far apart on pay and other issues. But negotiators have made some progress on scheduling and other issues, said union spokesman Rick Bernskoetter.

Still, union officials said the vote is a sign of growing frustration.

"ASA management has strung out these negotiations for far too long," said David Nieuwenhuis, chairman of the ALPA unit at ASA. "With this strike authorization vote, our pilots are sending a clear message that we've had it with this nonsense. When the appropriate time comes, we're ready to take the next step."

The company and union have been in off-and-on talks since September 2002.

An ASA vice president, Sam Watts, said the carrier is still pursuing a deal that provides both "fair compensation" to pilots and a "competitive" cost structure to the company.

According to Bernskoetter, ASA wants a five-year deal that freezes most pilots' pay and cuts pay for the most senior pilots. He said the union wants "moderate" pay increases.

ASA pilots' pay ranges from about $19,000 a year for starting pilots to more than $100,000 a year for the most senior pilots flying 70-seat regional jets, said Bernskoetter.

Rising labor tension at ASA could be a headache for Delta, which has grown increasingly reliant on the carrier for domestic flying, especially since filing for Chapter 11 last September.

Delta sold ASA last year to Utah-based SkyWest but retained it as a Delta Connection carrier. Under that deal, SkyWest and ASA have the right to operate at least 40 percent of Delta Connection flying and 80 percent of such commuter flying in Atlanta, Cathay Financial analyst Susan Donofrio said in a recent report.

Meanwhile, Delta also faces a strike threat at its Cincinnati-based regional subsidiary, Comair. After failing to get a cost-cutting deal with its flight attendants union, Comair wants bankruptcy court approval to impose pay cuts. The union has vowed to strike if Delta succeeds.

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