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Pilots at Delta Air Lines have voted to authorize a strike if negotiators cannot reach agreement on a new employment contract, their union said on Monday.

The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents nearly 15,000 pilots at the Atlanta-based carrier, said 99% of those who cast their ballots backed strike authorization.

Under U.S. law, Delta pilots cannot walk off the job until the National Mediation Board grants them permission.

The board must first decide that additional mediation efforts would not be productive and offer the parties an opportunity to arbitrate. If either side declines, both parties enter a 30-day “cooling off” period, after which pilots and management can engage in self-help — a strike by the union or a lockout by management.

This lengthy and complex process makes it difficult for airline workers to strike. The last pilot strike at a U.S. passenger carrier was at Spirit Airlines in 2010.

Delta said its pilots are not on strike and the vote will not affect its operation. The carrier said that “significant progress” has been made in the contract negotiations and only a few issues have been left to resolve.

“ALPA’s stated purpose for the vote is simply to gain leverage in our pilot contract negotiations,” a company spokesperson said. “We are confident that the parties will reach an agreement that is fair and equitable, as we always have in past negotiations.”

Delta‘s pilot union said the contract negotiations have dragged on for too long. “It’s time for the company to get serious at the bargaining table and invest in the Delta pilots,” said Jason Ambrosi, chairman of the Delta Master Executive Council.

Delta pilots have been working without a new contract for nearly three years after their old contract became amendable in December 2019.

United Airlines pilots vote against contract offer

United Airlines pilots overwhelmingly voted against a tentative contract, the union representing the workers said on Tuesday, saying the proposal fell short of what members were seeking.

The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) said 94% of the nearly 10,000 pilots voted to reject the contract offer and said pilots would immediately begin a series of pickets.

The tentative agreement, announced in June, offered more than 14.5% cumulative pay increases and enhanced overtime and training pay. However, some pilots were not happy with the deal, prompting the union to renegotiate its terms.

But the talks failed to produce a new deal, a spokesperson for United’s pilots union said.

“Unfortunately, management has now taken a wait-and-see approach to negotiations instead of leading the industry forward,” the union said in a statement.

United said the outcome was expected, but added that the company was already working with ALPA on a “new, industry-leading agreement” that would include improved pay rates and other enhancements.

Its shares closed down about 1% at $42.66.

Pilots at Delta Air Lines on Monday overwhelmingly voted in favor of a strike authorization vote.

Copyright 2022 Thomson/Reuters