Over Half Of Membership Approve New Deal

Freight-hauler UPS and its pilots have a new contract, after the pilots union approved the deal... but only just barely.

The Independent Pilots Association reports 56 1/2 percent of its members voted to approve the new pact... which gives them substantial raises, signing bonuses... and higher health care costs.

"From the beginning of our process, our pilots wanted to see a comprehensive contract. We call it a correctional contract," IPA president Tom Nicholson said in a conference call after the vote was announced. "We needed to make up ground."

Right off the bat, captains will get a 17.7-percent pay hike under the new deal. First officer pay will go up between 18 and almost 26-percent, depending on time in service.

"We are thrilled to have a ratified contract," said Bob Lekites, vice president of UPS Airline and International Operations. "We are excited about standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our people and moving forward to serve our customers and grow our business."

Ratification of the UPS deal comes just days after FedEx and its pilots reached a tentative agreement, that also calls for a pretty big raise for flight crews.

Have you noticed... while pilots for passenger-carrying airlines have been going down... pay for cargo pilots is going WAY up? That's not by accident, said IPA spokesman Brian Gaudet.

"The profit is so much greater in moving packages, freight and cargo than in moving human beings," Gaudet told the Associated Press.

FMI: www.ups.com, www.ipapilot.org