FedEx pilots vote to authorize strike as they push for higher wages in contract negotiations
FedEx Express pilots are voting to approve a strike if that helps their union get a new contract with the package-delivery giant NEW YORK -- FedEx Express pilots voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike in a move they hope will help their union win a new contract that would include pay raises. The Air Line Pilots Association said Wednesday that 99% of its FedEx members who took part voted to authorize a strike, and turnout was 97%. Federal law prohibits airline unions from conducting strikes until U.S. mediators have declared negotiations at an impasse — which has not happened at FedEx — and even then, Congress and the president can block a walkout. Unions, however, believe that the votes increase their leverage at the bargaining table. The pilots ' union and Memphis, Tennessee-based FedEx have been negotiating for two years over a new contract while terms of the previous one remain in effect. “Our goal is to reach an agreement, not to strike ," said Chris Norman, head ...