American Airlines pilots have voted to authorize a strike. The authorization, however, is just one of several hurdles that that the Allied Pilot Association union would need to clear before having the legal authority to implement a strike.
Pilot unions often use strike authorizations for negotiating leverage.
The vote, which took place over the month of April, drew 96% of the 15,000 American Airlines members of the Allied Pilots Association (APA), the union said. Of those who voted, 99% voted in favor of the authorization.
"The APA membership has spoken," APA president Ed Sicher said in a prepared remark. "We will strike if necessary to secure the industry-leading contract that our pilots have earned and deserve -- a contract that will position American Airlines for success."
The labor contract between American and the APA has been amendable since 2020. Under the Railway Labor Act, which regulates job actions in the airline industry, American pilots cannot strike until the National Mediation Board decides that additional mediation would not be effective.
The board would then offer the parties an opportunity to go to arbitration. If either the pilots or American management were to reject arbitration, the parties would be required to wait 30 days before initiating a strike or lockout.
Armed with leverage from a nationwide pilot shortage, pilots at a number of U.S. airlines have won large raises and other concessions in recent month. Most notably, on March 1 Delta pilots secured a raise of 34% over four years, including an immediate pay hike of 18%.
Less than a week later, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told company pilots that the carrier is prepared to match the Delta deal, including pay increases of 21% in the first year and 40% over four years.
In a statement on Monday, American said, "We remain confident that an agreement for our pilots is within reach and can be finalized quickly. The finish line is in sight. We understand that a strike authorization vote is one of the important ways pilots express their desire to get a deal done and we respect the message of voting results."
Sicher's remarks suggest that pay isn't the primary impediment to an agreement.
"By embracing the win-win scheduling and work-rule improvements APA has presented at the bargaining table, management can take steps to improve the airline's operational reliability and efficiency," he said.
This report was updated on Monday to add a comment from American Airlines.