MEMPHIS, Aug. 27 (AP) — FedEx Express, operator of the world’s largest cargo airline, has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with its pilots, the company announced Sunday.þþFedEx Express, the largest division of the FedEx Corporation, and its 4,700 pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, had been negotiating since March 2004 but reached a stalemate last October, when the company asked the National Mediation Board for help.þþUnder the Railway Labor Act, a contract for FedEx pilots from 1999 had remained in effect during negotiations.þþ“We at FedEx Express appreciate the time and effort both sides have put into reaching a resolution that is not only fair to our pilots and their families but also fair to the company and our other employees and shareowners,” David J. Bronczek, chief executive of FedEx Express, said in a statement.þþDetails of the proposed four-year contract were not announced. If approved by the Air Line Pilots Association’s FedEx Master Executive Council, the agreement would be subject to a vote by the pilots.þþ“We’re gratified that the collective bargaining process has produced solid contract improvements that acknowledge our pilot group’s contributions to FedEx, and we appreciate the company’s commitment to these negotiations,” said Capt. David Webb, chairman of the council.þþThe pilots had said their main contract concerns were job security, work rules, retirement benefits and health care.þþ
Source: NY Times
