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UPS may face pilots strike
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August 14, 1997: 3:22 p.m. ET
Pilots union says it may walk out in December if contract isn't reached
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Even if United Parcel Service solves its current labor troubles, it may face another strike during the busy Christmas package delivery season, according to comments Thursday by the head of the company's pilots union.
Independent Pilots Association President Robert Miller told a Washington press conference that his union, whose members fly UPS' planes, is also mulling a strike. The labor action could happen around Christmas, he said.
"When the Teamsters strike is over, it isn't over," said Miller.
The IPA already is participating in the current 185,000-strong strike against UPS by the Teamsters, who are angry about full-time/part-time employment issues as well as pension concerns. About 2,000 members of the IPA fly for UPS.
The strike entered its tenth day Thursday with both sides at the bargaining table. Teamsters President Ron Carey met Dave Murray, chief negotiator for UPS, in Washington for informal talks, with John Calhoun Wells acting as federal mediator.
However, UPS chief James Kelly seemed to be more flexible on the contentious pension issue Thursday. The sides have disagreed over whether employees would put money into a Teamsters plan or a plan run by UPS.
"We think the pension issue is very important for both our people and the future of our company, but as I said, there is no one or two single issues that will determine whether or not we're able to reach agreement," said Kelly.
The IPA pilots have been working without a contract since December 1995, and talks have been strained over pay issues since then. The union says its UPS pilots are paid about 25 percent less than pilots for competitor Federal Express Corp.
The IPA and UPS negotiators are currently in a recess from discussions, which are set to resume in September.
If the negotiations are not fruitful, the IPA said it expects the federal mediator to call a 30-day "cooling off" period, which then would bring the date for a strike, if no concessions are made, into the December range.
A strike in the midst of the Christmas season, the busiest time for package deliverers, could be an even greater blow to UPS.
However, Houston Mills, a first officer for UPS' fleet and member of IPA, said the union hopes to avoid a strike. "The reason we're trying to get our message out now is that we want our customers to [tell UPS] that 'Hey, don't put us through this again.'"
-- Randy Schultz
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