HEBRON — Comair captains would average $75,000 a year, highest in the regional airline industry, under the proposed contract presented to the pilots union Friday. The company's 1,350 pilots are to vote on the contract later this month.

        Senior captains on Canadair Regional Jets, Comair's most common type, would see their annual salaries rise from about $67,000 to nearly $96,000, according to the proposed five-year contract, obtained through sources Friday by the Enquirer.

        If pilots don't approve the contract in this month's vote, the two sides appear headed for a strike.

        Results of the ratification vote are to be announced by March 16, a week before the pilots are legally allowed to strike if no agreement has been reached.

        Comair, which operates the most flights at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and is a major feeder into the Delta Air Lines system, is in the midst of an official 30-day countdown to a possible pilot strike, which could start at 12:01 a.m. on March 26.

        Approval by union leadership — which would mean the deal is a tentative agreement — is seen as vital to getting the deal passed by the pilot group.

        Union officials said they had received the proposal and would pass it out to the entire membership, but said they would not decide whether to approve the deal before early next week.

        “This is a very intensive document that is going to take a while to get through,” said Paul Lackie, spokesman for Comair's branch of the Air Line Pilots Association.

        Comair spokeswoman Meghan Glynn would not comment on specifics of the deal, but said “We're very optimistic about this.”

        “Once the pilots see their own copy and digest it for themselves, they will see that it paves the way for a very lucrative future here at Comair,” Ms. Glynn said.

        Overall, the contract would raise pay between 16 and 51 percent by the end of the deal, and it sets up new pay scales for 70-seat CRJs that also would lead the industry.

        Other offers include a company-funded pension plan, a $3 million lump sum payment to be split among the pilots to cover retroactive pay, and improvements in work rules, including a minimum of 11 days off a month for pilots who hold a dedicated route.

        There is limited language in the contract addressing future positions, or scope, which emerged late as an issue because of ongoing talks between Delta — which owns Comair — and its pilots. Delta's last known offer includes language that would limit Comair's future growth and plane size.

        Contract talks between Comair and its pilots began in July 1998 and entered federal mediation 13 months later. Those negotiations ended late last week with an agreement between both sides to start a 30-day cooling off period but put the company's last proposal to a vote by the pilots.

        Delta also is at a crossroads in contract negotiations with its pilots. Delta operates its second-largest hub here, and Delta and Comair serve about 93 percent of all passengers at the Cincinnati airport.

        But Friday, there was little news for Delta and its pilots — including 1,000 who are based locally — other than the fact that for the second day in a row, pilots conducted informational picketing at the airline's Terminal 3 at the local airport.

        Talks ended early Wednesday morning, with both sides asking for a “proffer of arbitration,” or an offer to have a third party draw up a binding contract.

        The National Mediation Board had not said whether it would honor the joint request.

        If federal mediators make the request, and either side turns it down, a 30-day cooling off period would begin. At the end of that period, pilots could strike and the Atlanta-based carrier could impose its own work rules or lock the pilots out.

        The board also could decide that talks between Delta and its pilots are progressing and schedule further negotiations.
       Key contract points
        • Length: Five years.
        • Pay: A senior Canadair Regional Jet captain would see an annual salary increase from about $67,000 a year to nearly $96,000 over the length of the deal. A second-year CRJ first officer would earn $33,200, up from about $27,000. A first-year first officer would go from about $15,000 a year to about $20,000.
        • Retroactivity: A $3 million lump sum to be distributed among the pilots would cover the difference over the period from when talks began to when the contract is approved.
        • Retirement: The company would fund a pension plan that, after 10 years of service, would contribute the equivalent of 6 percent of a pilot's salary into a pension fund.
        • Work rules: Those pilots with dedicated routes would get a minimum of 11 days off a month.

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