Voting on Comprehensive TA and Widebody Flying Agreement Runs January 31 to March 1

The Delta Master Executive Council has voted to recommend that the tentative agreement (TA) be sent to pilot membership for ratification.

The Council, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, (ALPA), approved the comprehensive TA along with a letter of 
agreement on international job protections. Both documents will now be submitted to the Delta pilot base for ratification.

The union’s Negotiating Committee will begin a series of 'road shows' at each domicile, starting January 23. The group will tour and present the agreements to membership and answer any questions before the ballot opens on January 31st. ALPA has also provided the pilot group with full contractual language and launched a website with even more detailed information. The membership ratification ballot runs until March 1 2023.

The approval may mark a final end to some laborious negotiations. Section 6 negotiations for Contract 2019 began in April 2019, only to blow through their December 31, 2019 amenable date with no new agreement. From there, a series of delays stood in the way, with the negotiating committee and company brass entering mediation in February 2020. Put on hiatus throughout most of 2020, ALPA and Delta held independent negotiations for global scope, hoping to ensure what ALPA called an "equitable share of international widebody flying". An agreement in principle on the issue was reached in May of 2022, with Section 6 negotiations begun 4 months prior, in January of the same year. 

“It’s now time for Delta pilots to vote on whether these agreements will become part of our contract,” said MEC chair Captain Darren Hartmann. “The union is committed to ensuring our 15,000 pilots have the time and resources needed to make an informed decision. I appreciate the magnitude of the decision facing each Delta pilot. Our approach to these negotiations has been membership-driven, with polling and direct feedback driving the process. We achieved improvements contract-wide, including industry-leading pay rates. If ratified, the TA’s effective date will be January 1, 2023, with the contract becoming amendable on December 31, 2026.”

Should the membership not approve the TAs, the MEC will convene to discuss next steps in coordination with the National Mediation Board.

FMI: www.alpa.org