Frustrated Alaska Airlines Pilots to Vote on Strike

Alaska Airlines pilots, frustrated over a years-long contract negotiation with management, will begin voting on Monday, May 9 on whether to strike.

Balloting will end on May 25.

Pilots last month protested the lack of a contract with informational pickets and, combined with a pilot shortage, has left Alaska Airlines with a spate of delayed and canceled flights.

Now, with negotiations at an impasse, the pilots union is taking the next step, according KING5-TV in Seattle, although the airline says the negotiations have not been why the Alaska has canceled so many flights in recent months.

“While it’s true that pilot attrition is higher than pre-pandemic levels, neither attrition nor our pilot labor negotiation are driving our operational challenges,” a spokesperson told KING5. “A delay in getting our pilots through training is the primary driver of recent cancellations.”

Alaska Airlines actually took the extraordinary step to write an apology and letter of explanation to customers in a blog post last month.

The Air Line Pilots Association is seeking higher pay and better scheduling for its pilots.