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SALT LAKE CITY – Dozens of Delta Air Lines pilots stopped and marched in front of Salt Lake City International Airport on Thursday, with picket signs.
Delta pilots are gathering across the United States, including six more airports. “Delta pilots are here today to show their determination,” said Officer Reed Donoghue, media spokesman for the Delta Master’s Executive Board.
About 140 Delta pilots signed up to stay together – in their free time and days – and picket to get a better contract. “It’s time to come to the table and bring in an industry-leading contract that they’ve worked hard to win,” Donoghue said.
It’s been 3 and a half years since Delta pilots last had a pay raise. However, this is just one of the reasons they are here.
“Retirement, job roles and quality of life, which these recent schedules have brought home,” Donoghue said.
That, he said, plus health insurance and retirement, are all reasons why Delta pilots come together.
This occurs when officials say Delta pilots are flying record overtime with high demand. Along with mismanagement, they said these loads are leaving pilots and passengers stranded or missing flights altogether.
“What they have to do is very simple. They just have to adapt their flight to the number of pilots they have and the overall staff,” Donoghue said.
Delta canceled more flights than any other major airline during Memorial Day weekend.
“Many of us will have more than 30 years of career here at Delta, so when there are cancellations that affect the brand, that hurts us in the future,” Donoghue said.
Morgan Durrant, a spokesman for Delta Air Lines, sent the following statement Thursday afternoon:
“This informative exercise of some of our out-of-service pilots will not disrupt our operations for our clients. Earlier this year, Delta, ALPA and a representative of the National Mediation Board restarted our contract negotiations. Our goal remains to continue to offer Delta pilots a leading global contract in the industry with the best compensation based on pay, retirement, labor standards and profit sharing. We are also committed to ensuring that the language of the contract supports our ability to execute a world-class operation, maintain a solid balance sheet and invest in our business for both our customers and employees. ” .
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Karah Brackin