Delta Air Lines Pilots Vote To Authorize Strike

I don't for a second believe that 99% of the pilots casting a ballot voted for a strike. Even Putin doesn't get 99% in his "election."

I dont think youre familiar with Pilot Unions

^^^^^
When you don't know what solidarity looks like

It's more significant that United offered a lowball tentative agreement which the union is pulling and there are multiple United pilot bases that are recalling their union leaders for bringing the contract to them.
American just offered a contract which was only marginally better than United and it hasn't even been endorsed by their pilot leadership.
Delta has not even come to an agreement with its pilot negotiators nor has Southwest.

The frustration throughout the industry seems to be as much from vastly higher expectations than negotiators are able to obtain.
Given that the airline industry received tens of billion of dollars in aid during the pandemic even while airlline unions keep talking about the lengthy time to negotiate contracts, the chances are high that frustration - whether it comes from 99% of pilots or 0.9% - isn't going to result in the size of wage increase that pilots want.

Just hope if they do strike it will not be between Christmas and the New Year.

I couldn’t vote against a strike for more leverage in order to make more money and better benefits.

It's a bargaining ploy for now, but nice to see Delta scrambling like the rest of its peers and struggling to maintain slot usage and navigate operational meltdowns. The narrative of Delta being a cut above has faded long ago.

There's zero chance this gets through mediation in the next 2 months. I doubt they even get assigned a mediator before the first of the year.

I remember in 1991, when I was 7-years-old, dropping my Dad off at the airport in ATL and seeing all the EAL pilots walking around outside wearing giant cardboard signs and striking. That didn't really work well for them., did it? In fact, I think the modern day DL pilots might actually have the EAL pilots to think for DL's current dominance in ATL. Anyway, as they say these days, F around and find out. NK might just be waiting in the 'wings.'

I would think the ALPA would negotiate similar to the UAW. ALPA negotiates with the airline that will offer the most generous terms first, then uses that agreement as the model for the other carriers. I doubt a strike will be called on any airline until a contract is settled with one carrier and the other carrier refuses to match its terms.

they all are negotiating me-too clauses that will match the average of the highest comparable carriers.
Problem for the unions is that management at all airlines has to decided to lowball every offer so the chances are real high that the match to the next highest is still going to be low.
So what are the pilots supposed to do? threaten to strike so that mediators will just say that there is no one willing to pay higher rates?
Of course inflation has eroded pilot standards of living but that is true for everyone in America - and much of the developed world.
And airlines still have to pass something to all the rest of their employees somewhat close to what they will give pilots - and that is why it is really quite unlikely that there will be the massive increases pilots across the country are expecting.

President Mubuto of Congo once got 100% Signs around the capital after the election proclaimed so.

Thanks, I hope you’re right!

These negotiations have been conducted with an assigned mediator present for over two years already, Chris.

When it’s all said and done, wide body captains for the major airlines will be making over 400K per year, and will still be complaining that it’s not enough.

US Gov should issue uncapped work visas for foreign pilots to resolve the shortage of pilots.

Southwest is reportedly seeking to do that

United pilots overwhelmingly rejected the contract which United and their union leadership sent to the pilots.
United's CEO has now said that they intend to wait for other airlines to take the lead in trying to negotiate a new contract = which could make sense given that nearly all of the contracts have or will have "me too" clauses.
It does mean that Scott Kirby's hubris-filled statement that United will soak up all of the growth pilot capacity in the industry and leave every other airline to just deal w/ replacing retirees won't happen.