The Independent Pilots Association, which represents UPS pilots, plans on asking a federal mediator to release it from negotiations with the company if the two sides can't reach an agreement on a new contract by next month. If released from mediation, a 30-day cooling off period would follow, after which the union believes it would be entitled to strike. The company and its pilot union are grappling over pay, pensions, work rules and health benefits, among other things.
See "UPS Pilots to Ask for Mediation Release", Associated Press, The New York Times, November 16, 2005