» CHART: HOW MUCH WOULD THE PILOTS MAKE?
The leadership of the pilots union at Delta Air Lines on Wednesday approved a tentative labor agreement and will pass it onto rank-and-file pilots for a vote.
In the deal passed with an 11-8 vote by the master executive council of the Air Line Pilots Association at Delta, pilots would get immediate pay raises of 8 percent, followed by another 6 percent hike Jan. 1.
That would amount to a compounded pay increase of nearly 14.5 percent as of 2016, according to a summary sent to pilots by their union.
Those pay increases would be followed by 3 percent raises in 2017 and 2018.
The pilot pay hike comes amid a reduction to profit sharing. The proposed deal would increase the threshold at which Delta pays pilots a greater share of its profits, setting the trigger at $6 billion in pre-tax income instead of $2.5 billion.
The pay increases and change to profit sharing payouts come as Delta continues its recovery and growth since emerging in 2007 from a period of bankruptcy and labor concessions.
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Delta said the deal will also give pilots more career advancement opportunities while improving the airline’s productivity and flexibility in its fleet. CEO Richard Anderson said in a written statement that the deal “reflects the key role and contributions of our pilots in our excellent financial and operational performance” and said the company is optimistic about pilots’ approval.
The contract also includes provisions to allow Delta to add 100-seat jets to its fleet.
The next step will be for union members to vote on ratification of the tentative agreement.
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