With the talks between UPS and Independent Pilots Association in recess, the focus can now turn to the increasingly heated negotiations between FedEx and its pilots.
The two sides are slated to return to the table for three days of talks this week in Memphis, Tenn., said Scott Sherrin, a spokesperson for Air Line Pilot Association, which represents the FedEx pilots.
After more than a year, the talks are beginning to heat up and industry officials are predicting that the National Mediation Board will soon be asked to help push the effort along. The two sides have reached tentative agreements on relatively minor issues but remain divided on most key issues.
In May, the pilots rejected an offer of pay increases and bonuses in the place of a fully negotiated new contract.
The pilots staged a unity demonstration in Memphis on the day FedEx released its annual results to express their frustration with the slow pace of the negotiations.
"After 15 months of negotiations with FedEx, our pilots are growing increasingly frustrated with management's inability to seriously address our issues at the negotiating table," said David Webb, chairman of the FedEx unit of ALPA.
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