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From over 97% of members who participated in the vote, 99% authorized union leaders to call a strike, if needed, to achieve a new contractual agreement with the delivery firm.
“At this time, we are still in productive negotiations with our pilots under the supervision of a government-appointed mediator and will return to the bargaining table next week,” FedEx said in a statement.
The company added that it was focused on reaching a comprehensive agreement with its pilots.
FedEx pilots are currently working under contractual provisions and benefits arrived at in 2015, after negotiations for a new agreement began in 2021.
“The ball is in the management’s court, and it’s time for the company to get serious at the bargaining table and invest in our pilots,” said Chris Norman, chair of the FedEx ALPA master executive council.
FedEx shares erased gains to trade roughly flat after the announcement.
U.S. pilots are pushing for better contracts at airlines and parcel firms amid a shortage of aviators. Earlier this month, Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV) Co’s pilots union said its members had approved a strike mandate by an overwhelming majority ahead of the busy summer travel season.
Under U.S. law, pilots cannot walk off the job until the National Mediation Board grants them permission.
The board must first decide that additional mediation efforts would not be productive and offer the parties an opportunity to arbitrate. If either side declines, both parties enter a 30-day “cooling off” period, after which pilots and management can engage in self-help – a strike by the union or a lockout by management.
