Thousands of American Airlines pilots are standing their ground, threatening to go on strike right before the busy summer travel season gets underway.
More than 96% of American's pilots participated in the vote for a strike and 99% of them voted to allow the union to call one, the Allied Pilots Association said Monday.
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WATCH HERE"It would shut down the National Transportation System," Ed Sicher, president of the Allied Pilots Association, told NBC6. He joined the pilots who picketed Monday at Miami International Airport.
The strike could take place in the middle of summer if a deal isn’t reached with their contract. Pilot strikes are rare and would require permission from the federal National Mediation Board. The vote doesn't mean a decision to call a strike would happen immediately.
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“We’re hoping they’re going to come to the table and look at the win-win we put on to get guys to go to work, to incentivize them flying on days off, not forcing them," Sicher said.
Those items are at the center of contract negotiations with American Airlines, which Sicher says have dragged on for years.
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“Things like sick accrual, proper pay for equipment — these kinds of things that American Airlines management just absolutely refuses to budge on," he said.
An American Airlines spokesperson said in a statement that they "remain confident that an agreement 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," the statement continued. "Importantly, the results don’t change our commitment or distract us from working expeditiously to complete a deal. We remain focused on completing the handful of matters necessary to reach an agreement our pilots deserve."
Thomas Copeland, a 25-year veteran pilot at american airlines, is just as eager to reach a deal.
"We have families at home that we’re trying to return to on a regular schedule," he said.
Passengers, already wary of a stressed transportation system plagued by operational issues, are hoping a deal is reached before Memorial Day.
"As a passenger, it would be awful to be stuck in a city that you’re not from and it would damage our whole travel plans," Ivonne Inga said.
The last time pilots at American Airlines went on strike was in 1997.
CNBC contributed to this report.
