As was the case in 1991 and 1998, United Parcel Service management and the Independent Pilots Association (IPA) have been unable to reach an agreement on a new labor contract. As a result, they’re turning to the National Mediation Board (NMB) to oversee negotiations.
The IPA represents the approximately 2,500 pilots who fly UPS planes. The two sides have been negotiating this latest contract since October 2002.
The pilot labor agreement is covered by the Railway Labor Act and does not expire until all negotiation processes are exhausted, so there’s no immediate threat of a strike. What’s more, in October 2003 and then in March 2004, both sides agreed to continue direct negotiations using the bargaining facilitation services of the NMB.
In a joint statement, the two sides said that both “are committed to continuing to bargain in good faith and continuing to work with each other and the NMB to reach agreement on the substantial issues that remain unresolved.”