United seeks deal with pilots

United Continental Holdings, seeking labor peace five years after the airline’s creation in a merger, is offering pilots a raise in a proposed contract that would put them at or near the top of the U.S. industry’s pay scale.

The tentative deal calls for a 13 percent increase in 2016, followed by annual boosts of 3 percent and 2 percent. United announced the “agreement in principle” on a two-year extension with the Air Line Pilots Association on Nov. 20 without giving specifics.

Union leaders need to vet the proposal before sending it to a ratification vote among more than 12,000 United pilots. If approved, it would run through January 2019.

United spokeswoman Megan McCarthy declined to comment on the labor proposal.

Bloomberg News