Pilots from Sun Country Airlines are demanding a contract agreement or to be released from negotiations immediately, opening the door for an official strike. The pilots are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International union. The union recently sent a letter to the National Mediation Board in Washington, D.C., requesting the board schedule for the final mediation so the process can move forward either way, successful or not.

If this final session is unsuccessful in producing at least a tentative agreement, the union wants the board to make a proffer of arbitration. That would trigger the 30 day cooling off period that eventually leads to a strike if necessary.

The pilots have stated they always wanted a consensual agreement that recognizes their ongoing contributions to the airline. They stated they are willing to return to mediation, but that they have no desire for it to continue much longer – so far negotiations have lasted for five years.

The airline and its pilots are still far from an agreement, particularly concerning economic issues like pay rates. Sun Country pays its pilots the least of any airlines that fly Boeing 737 planes. The goal of the pilots is to boost their salaries to the mid-range of their peers. It is possible the airline is downsizing and some believe will eventually go bankruptcy or fold into another airline. In the meantime, the pilots working for Sun Country want to be treated fairly.

The airline employs 245 pilots and provides 20 plus flights per day out of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The company has been in business since 1982, but was purchased by Cambria Holdings of La Sueur in 2011 when owner Tom Petters went to prison for his involvement in a Ponzi scheme worth billions of dollars.