Delta agrees to 30% raise for pilots after nine-month standoff

Delta would give its pilots a 30% raise over four years under an agreement in principle with the aviators’ union, potentially paving the way for a new contract after a nine-month standoff. The increase includes an 18% gain retroactive to Jan. 1, according to a union memo sent Friday. If the labor group’s executive council approves the pact, the measure would go to a vote by the full membership. Delta and the Air Line Pilots Association declined to comment on the terms of the agreement. The deal is an “industry-leading package of pay, benefits and work rules,” Delta spokesman Morgan Durrant said. John Malone, chairman of the Delta chapter of ALPA, said the agreement “achieves the goal of advancing the profession while raising the bar for all airline industry pilots.” Pilots at other airlines are closely watching the deliberations, and aviators at United Continental even have a contract provision that calls for pay to be increased if their counterparts at Delta win a better deal. If the final Delta agreement is approved, unions at other carriers will typically push their management teams to match salary terms or any advantageous work rules that improve a pilot’s life on the job.<br/>