United and Continental pilots have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike against their combined employer, United Continental Holdings Inc., the Air Line Pilots Association International said Tuesday.
Several procedural steps must still occur before any such action could take place — and any possible strike is at least 90 days away.
The ALPA said nearly 94 percent of the eligible pilots, represented by the ALPA took part in the ballot, with 99 percent voting in support of a withdrawal of services, if required.
The authorization follows two years of negotiations for a new joint pilot contract following the merger of United and Continental, announced May 2010.
The National Mediation Board has mediated negotiations between the pilots and the airlines since Feb. 28, 2011 .
The vote by the pilots followed letters from the ALPA to the NMB in May and June, requesting that the NMB assist the parties by offering an arbitrated settlement.
The pilots have asked that if either side rejects the settlement, that they be released after a 30-day cooling period, to take lawful action, including the strike.
Capt. Jay Pierce, chairman of the ALPA unit representing Continental pilots, said the strength of the vote “clearly indicates the level of frustration our pilots have with management’s disinterest in reaching a conclusion to negotiations.
“Our pilots are tired of management’s lack of progress with the merger and the damage to our airline that grows every day.”
He added that the merger cannot be completed and the synergies will not be fully realized without complete labor contracts.
The pilots are involved in joint negotiations for a labor contract that will cover pilots at both airlines.
The Air Line Pilots Association is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents more than 53,000 pilots at 37 U.S. and Canadian airlines.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939, hpankratz@denverpost.com or
