Hundreds of Pilots Conduct Absolutely, Positively Informational Picket Over Stalled Negotiations

FedEx pilots have joined the ongoing sideshow of labor disputes, greed, and profiteering into which the post-COVID aerospace industry has deteriorated.

In the wake of picketing at American, Southwest. and Alaska Airlines, and the procurement of rich contracts by Piedmont Airlines pilots and Bombardier aircraft builders, hundreds of FedEx pilots, fellow crew-members, and supporters held an informational picket in front of FedEx Express’s Air Operations Center in Memphis. The pilots are frustrated by the ongoing lack of a new pilot employment contract.

FedEx pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), have been negotiating for a new contract since May 2021.

Capt. Chris Norman, chair of the FedEx ALPA Master Executive Council stated: “Throughout the pandemic, while many were shutting down and working virtually, FedEx pilots were flying across the globe keeping the world economy intact. We have earned an industry-leading contract through these remarkable efforts and now is the time for FedEx to deliver.”

Consistent with Captain Norman’s sentiments, FedEx pilots armed with picket signs reading, When the World Shut Down, FedEx Pilots Delivered, stood together to send a strong, unified message to managers on the other side of the negotiating table.

The parties originally entered focused negotiations with a mutually agreed upon goal of reaching a new concord by the end of May 2022—a date that has come and gone.

“Several quality-of-life issues in our contract need to be resolved immediately.” Captain Norman asserted. “FedEx pilots have a proven track record of excellence, dedication, and unparalleled performance, and we deliver on the company’s ‘Purple Promise’ each day—and we need management to deliver a new pilot contract now.”

ALPA president and former FedEx pilot group leader Capt. Joe DePete—a figure who looms in perpetuity over contemporary airline news—weighed in on the matter, stating: “FedEx pilots exceeded all expectations during the pandemic and have more than earned an industry-leading agreement.” DePete added: “Our pilots have been delivering the world on time for years, now it is time for the company to recognize it.”

Representing more than 65,000 aviators at 40 airlines in the United States and Canada, ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union. In a press release, the union remarked: Fedex pilots are asking for a better pension plan … their plan hasn’t been updated in 23 years.

FMI: www.alpa.org