Delta pilots vote on whether to authorize strike

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Delta pilots Friday finished voting on whether to authorize union leadership to call a strike if the airline doesn't meet its contract demands.

The results of the vote are expected Monday.

The vote came a day after Delta offered to make its pilots the highest paid in the commercial airline industry -- a contract proposal a union spokesman called a "step in the right direction."

Karen Miller, spokeswoman for the Air Line Pilots Association, said most of its 8,300 members voted. Union leadership cannot call a strike without approval first from its members.

"It could be a historic vote as far as participation," said Miller, adding that 99.2 percent of the pilots cast ballots.

Contract proposal 'step in the right direction'

On Thursday, Delta offered a four-year contract to its pilots that includes raises ranging from 7 percent to 17.5 percent. Delta Express pilots would see an increase of nearly 21 percent, but would still be making less than their counterparts at Delta.

"It's a bold step which we hope will propel negotiations toward an agreement," said Delta spokesman Tom Slocum.

Miller said it was nice to see the airline starting to come around, but Delta still needs to do more.

"Their paper proposal was a step in the right direction," she said.

She said the union has two main objections: the airline has yet to guarantee full retroactive pay dating back to last May 1, and the airline still has a two-tier pay rate for pilots of its commuter airline, Delta Express.

"That is unacceptable to the union," she said.

Both sides have until February 28 to reach an agreement. If a settlement is not reached, there would be a 30-day cooling off period, if the National Mediation Board does not step in before then.

The soonest Delta pilots could strike is April 1.

Delta Air Lines
Air Line Pilots Association

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