Release #: FDX 24.01
January 05, 2024

FedEx Pilots Tell Management: “We Aren’t Buying It”

MEMPHIS—The pilots of FedEx Express, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), are calling on FedEx Corporation to deliver a contract that recognizes their value.

“As we sat down at the bargaining table for the first time in 2024, it was disappointing to read management’s comments made to a small group of pilots that downplayed their prospects to provide an industry-leading contract,” said Captain Billy Wilson, chair of the FedEx ALPA Master Executive Council. “Everything attributed to FedEx management in a recent media piece has been used before to excuse a plodding pace at the bargaining table and overall failure to recognize the value of FedEx pilots. It should be clear by now that we aren’t buying it, and I’m proud to say that our leadership and negotiating team are holding the line. It’s time for this weird combination of excuses and promises to be replaced by an industry-leading agreement.”

Despite FedEx management’s repeated attempts to convince the pilots that the company can’t afford a new contract that recognizes their value, the determination of the pilot group continues to gain momentum.

“As bargaining progresses, management continues to help build our resolve and unity,” added Wilson. “The so-called opportunity management recently offered for pilots to leave FedEx, a career destination for many pilots, for hiring preference and a signing bonus at a regional airline was insulting. Comments like those reported yesterday do nothing more than solidify our resolve.”

Following FedEx Corporation’s record-breaking profits during the pandemic, the FedEx pilots made it clear that anything less than a contract that valued their significant contribution to those profits would not be entertained, and the pilot group rejected a tentative agreement in July 2023.

“Instead of attempting to convince pilots that there is no more money while at the same time spending billions in stock buybacks, FedEx should come to the table with an offer that recognizes the pilots’ value like the recent agreements reached at Southwest and United,” said Wilson.

Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents more than 77,000 pilots at 43 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit ALPA.org or follow us on Twitter @ALPAPilots.

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CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703-481-4440 or Media@alpa.org