United Airlines and its pilots’ union have reached an agreement to avert 2,850 job cuts that were scheduled to begin as soon federal restrictions on layoffs under the CARES Act are lifted on October 1.
The union’s members agreed to a collective sacrifice to prevent any of United’s 13,000 pilots from being furloughed until June 2021. Under the agreement, some older pilots will also be eligible for buyouts.
“We’ve worked for months on creative solutions to mitigate massive pilot layoffs,” Capt. Todd Insler, chairman of the union, the United Master Executive Council, said in a statement. “With this agreement now solidified, we will turn our focus back to Congress to secure a much-needed CARES Act extension to keep our industry solvent until we recover from this pandemic.”