Photo: MARK RALSTON/AFP (Getty Images)
Earlier this month, American Airlines pilots voted overwhelmingly to go on strike. They cited pay and scheduling as the industry’s biggest problems, quality of life issues that make the job undesirable for newcomers. It seems the pilots at American were right, as their counterparts at Southwest have since signed a similar strike pledge – and United may not be far behind.
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Incredibly, the Southwest’s strike vote was even better received than the American’s. A full 98 percent of the pilots took part in the vote, and 99 percent of those participants voted to exit. Union President Casey Murray said in a statement on the strike vote: “The lack of leadership and unwillingness to address the mistakes of our organization has brought us to this point.” Our pilots are fed up with apologizing to our passengers on behalf of a company , which refuses to prioritize its internal and external customers.”
United Airlines could be next, judging by their negotiations and pickets. United’s union has urged management to limit the number of days pilots can fly, a discussion apparently so heated that finances and salaries are being sidelined.
Of course, going on strike in the airline world is never easy. Rules for pilots are similar to those for railroad workers, whose strike push was crushed last year when the Biden administration forced a deal between management and unions. This agreement did not include the concessions the unions wanted on staffing, sick days or safety, which probably has nothing to do with the series of horrific derailments and accidents we have seen in recent months.
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A strike is unlikely to disrupt your summer travel plans, but pilots’ unions are pushing it anyway. If it makes our skies safer than our railroads, I’m all for it.