UPS Makes Final Contract Offer to Pilots

United Parcel Service of America Inc. made its final contract offer to union pilots in an attempt to head off another strike, something the company has acknowledged it cannot afford. Independent Pilots Assn. President Bob Miller said he would present the offer to the 2,000 UPS pilots but would remain neutral on whether they should accept it. Since December 1995, union pilots have flown under the terms of an old contract. The two sides mainly disagree on issues related to pay increases and pension benefits. The proposed contract would give flight captains a 34% pay raise during the next five years, a 56% raise for co-pilots and a 94% raise for flight engineers. The pilots, who had refused to cross picket lines during the recently settled strike by Teamsters union members against the delivery company, hastily resumed talks with UPS on Sunday after a three-month recess. The pilots cannot legally strike unless federal mediator Maggie Jacobsen declares an impasse and calls a 30-day cooling-off period.