With the headwinds of Germany’s Lufthansa pilots going on strike and many US pilots’ unions negotiating new contracts, the US Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) decided to call for a nationwide informational picket of pilots’ unions having difficulties negotiating contracts with management. The picket was of off-duty pilots at 13 major airports across America, with multiple airlines' off-duty pilots participating.

For ALPA President Capt. Joe DePete, the informational pickets were intended to demand that management at US airlines’ "prioritize passengers and pilots – and invest in the people who keep our country moving” instead of "squandering the opportunity to adequately plan for post-pandemic flying," the result of which, Capt. DePete says, has been unprecedented flight delays and cancellations.

Informational picketers – not just pilots but also flight attendants – picketed near these airports to inform the public of the need for airlines’ management to give their pilots better contracts or risk a pilot strike in the United States.

Delta Pilots picketing for respect

One of Four Rows of Mostly Delta Air Lines Pilots -Ready to Strike-
Over 110 pilots in four groups were informational picketing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Sept. 1, 2022 - most pilots from Delta Air Lines.
Photo: Joe Kunzler | Simple Flying

To the surprise of a few, it was Delta Air Lines' pilots leading this informational picketing. Delta ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC) chair, Capt. Jason Ambrosi, commented,

Contemplating a strike is not something we take lightly, and we can achieve the industry-leading contract that we’ve waited more than three years to achieve. The ball is in Delta management’s court right now. Management must deliver our pilots a contract we have earned or face continued labor uncertainty as we exercise our rights under the law.

This explains the clear messaging of “Labor Risk” on some signs. But the number one issue for the Delta ALPA MEC was scheduling. As Delta ALPA MEC’s Seattle picket captain First Officer Laura Woods, explained in an interview with Simple Flying;

"Our pilots right now are flying very fatiguing schedules and we're spending a lot of time away from our families. Picking up open time to make sure that our Delta passengers get to their destinations on time and safely. So yeah, when we're looking for quality of life improvements, it's during our rotations when we're out flying the line, how much we're flying a day, what kind of rest we're getting between flights on overnights and that sort of thing."

What bothered her and her colleagues was that, regardless of those efforts, they still had thousands of cancellations. It’s also worth noting that the allegation that Delta Air Lines does not factor fatigue in scheduling is repeated this year. Nor are actions taken to prevent what Ambrosi called the “perfect storm”, explaining that,

“Demand is back, and pilots are flying record amounts of overtime but are still seeing our customers being stranded and their holiday plans ruined.”

Why Information Picket?

For David Adler, the Delta ALPA MEC Secretary, the point of the exercise is to ramp up the pressure on management. As per a recent Engage: The Podcast for Delta Pilots episode embedded above about the recent informational picketing effort;

It was amazing every place that the Delta Pilots were picketing, we got very favorable, immediate attention. It's just another point as far as leverage that we use as far as the company is concerned. They clearly don't like it when we're out there picketing, but it's something that we need to do to make sure that we conclude these negotiations sooner rather than later.

Laura Woods Explaining the Stakes To Fellow Media
Laura Woods: "How frustrated our pilots are" to be out in uniform on a rare day off.
Photo: Joe Kunzler | Simple Flying

But as Woods explained to Simple Flying on the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport picket line:

How frustrated our pilots are … we don't have a lot of days off, and they're willing to come in on their days off, put on their uniform, and rock the line, send a unified message to Delta management says, ‘We're ready for a new contract. And we've worked hard, and we've earned it.’

Seeing over 110 picketers, mostly Delta Air Lines but also American, JetBlue, and SkyWest, on the line in four groups rotating was a visual sight to behold. This informational picketing helps make clear that Delta Air Lines pilots and many of their counterparts at other airlines are frustrated professionally at the status quo.

Nonetheless, there is a lengthy process that airlines' unions must follow in the United States before calling a strike, unlike in Europe. Some of these unions are well on their way to concluding a pilot's strike is necessary.

Do you think any US airline's pilots’ will strike? Why or why not? Let us know with civility in the comments.