FedEx Express, a unit of FedEx Corp., requested the assistance of the National Mediation Board last week to complete its ongoing pilot negotiations.
FedEx and its 4,300 pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association have been in talks since March 2004. The current contract became amendable May 31, 2004. Under the Railway Labor Act, the contract terms remain in effect until the RLA process is exhausted.
The union said it was disappointed by the company's call to the mediation board and “the failure of FedEx labor relations to reach an agreement with the pilots.”
FedEx, Memphis, TN, said union leadership refused to present the company's first comprehensive contract proposal to its membership for a vote, and since then has failed to moderate its demands sufficiently to justify continuing with the current process.
The company said earlier this year that it offered the pilots compensation improvements worth more than $500 million over the life of the contract. FedEx said it made another offer recently that included signing bonuses, pay increases and work-rule changes designed to address many of the issues raised by the union.
An official from the union's FedEx unit said the company's final comprehensive proposal sought significant concessions while corporate officers repeatedly made public statements that FedEx profits continue to rise.
Melissa Campanelli covers postal news, CRM and database marketing for DM News and DMNews.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters
