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FedEx pilots rejected the new tentative agreement with company management, according to a news release from the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) on Monday morning.
The pilots rejected the tentative agreement by a vote of 57% to 43% with a little more than 5,000 members particpiating.
A news release from the FedEx's pilot union in June shared details about the agreement, which includes a 30% pay increase and a 30% increase to the pilots’ legacy pension.
“Our members have spoken and we will now regroup and prepare for the next steps. In the coming weeks, the FedEx ALPA leadership will meet to establish a timeline for assessing pilot group priorities moving forward," said Capt. Chris Norman, FedEx ALPA chair, in a statement. "FedEx pilots remain unified and that will drive a new path that will help produce an agreement that all FedEx pilots will be proud to support."
It is expected the National Mediation Board will convene a status conference with both parties, but there is no time requirement for this to occur.
This comes nearly two months after FedEx announced a tentative agreement had been reached between the labor union and management.
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“The tentative agreement voting results have no impact on our service as we continue delivering for our customers around the world,” FedEx said in a statement Monday. “The parties will return to negotiations under the supervision of the National Mediation Board. While we are disappointed in these voting results, FedEx will continue to bargain in good faith with our pilots to achieve an agreement that is fair for all FedEx stakeholders.”
The FedEx pilots' union leadership voted in June to approve a new contract between the Memphis-based company and pilots, which at the time seemed like another step toward ending the two-year-plus negotiation process.
The membership ratification ballot among union members — the step following the leadership vote — opened July 5 and closed Monday.
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In a letter to union members Monday, Norman praised the negotiating committee for its work on the tentative agreement that proved unsuccessful.
"They successfully negotiated the most lucrative agreement ever reached by a mainline carrier in the industry," Norman said. "While it fell short of the membership’s expectations, the committee and staff never wavered from its mission of achieving an industry-leading contract for the FedEx pilots."