United Parcel Service Inc. and the Independent Pilots Association, which represents UPS' 2,500 pilots, said yesterday that they jointly requested the services of the National Mediation Board for contract negotiations.
UPS and the union have been in negotiations for a new pilot labor agreement since October 2002. The current contract remains in full force.
“Although the parties have utilized their best efforts over the past 22 months, no agreement has yet been reached in the contract areas of scheduling, compensation, pension, scope and benefits,” they said in a joint statement.
Since the IPA formed in 1990, it has negotiated two contracts for its members, in 1991 and 1998. In both years, UPS and the union reached a deal for a pilots contract during mediation supervised by the national board.
