FedEx Pilots Take Harder Line as Contract Dispute Drags

Factions coalesce around new union reps, more aggressive tactics

Monday, March 18, 2024 at 01:55 PM ET

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FedEx has more than 400 mainline freighters in its fleet, including 65 Airbus A300-600s (pictured), and about 5,800 pilots. [Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves]

Key Takeaways:

The FedEx pilots' union (ALPA MEC) has unified despite past internal divisions, adopting a more aggressive stance against what it perceives as FedEx's "stall and delay" tactics in contract negotiations.
The union has requested release from federal mediation to pursue arbitration, driven by dissatisfaction with FedEx's "insulting" offers on pay, benefits, and critical scope clauses protecting against outsourcing and job reduction.
A recent power shift within the MEC has empowered a new guard committed to securing a contract reflective of recent airline industry deals, with plans for an informational picket to pressure FedEx.

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The board that sets the strategic direction for the pilots’ union at FedEx Express is projecting a united front after last week’s acrimonious debate over ending federal mediation of contract talks. The effort suggests there is more agreement than meets the eye and that aggressive steps are necessary to counter the company’s alleged intransigence.

Despite strong membership divisions, there appears to be greater unity within the Air Line Pilots Association’s (ALPA) Master Executive Council as a new guard begins to exert control. And internal communiques obtained by FreightWaves also indicate that council members, including long-serving incumbents, share the view that FedEx (NYSE: FDX) is stringing out the labor dispute.