United Airlines offer to pilots still lags competitors: union

United Airlines and its pilots union, the Air Line Pilots Association, remain at odds over pay rates in a new contract, even as talks drag in the face of progress at many of the carrier’s competitors. “The points of disagreement are largely economic,” the negotiating committee at the United chapter of ALPA told pilots in a memo Monday viewed by Airline Weekly. “The degree that they lag our competition is a gap we must close.” The committee added that, while the airline has agreed to improvements on many items of disagreement, their offer still “trail our peers.” “We continue to work with the Air Line Pilots Association to reach an industry-leading labor agreement for our world-class aviators,” a United spokesperson said. Over the past few months, executives at the airline have mostly declined to comment on the talks in order to “respect” the negotiating process. Pilots at Delta ratified a new four-year contract that includes roughly $7b in economic value for pilots, including 34% pay increases, on March 1. The accord has already set the standard for new agreements at American Airlines and United, which have promised their own cockpit crew members “industry-leading” contracts. American and its pilots union, the Allied Pilots Association, are reportedly near an agreement that would at least match Delta’s pay rates. Southwest Airlines is also in contract talks with its pilots union, the Southwest Airlines Pilot Association.<br/>