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UPS pilots' union to make 'major announcement' Thursday
Tuesday November 15, 11:06 am ET

Independent Pilots Association, the union that represents United Parcel Service Inc. pilots, will have a "major announcement regarding the impasse in UPS/IPA negotiations" on Thursday, Nov. 17, according to a news release.

Last month, the IPA entered its fourth year of contract talks with UPS. In August, the pilots authorized the union to call a strike if an agreement isn't reached.

Mark Giuffre, the local public relations manager for UPS, said there is "absolutely no chance of a pilots strike at this point."

Giuffre said that Thursday's announcement could be a request to be released from mediation, but the union cannot strike while in the mediation process, according to the Railway Labor Act.

The union must ask for a release from mediation and then enter a 30-day "cooling off" period before a strike could legally occur.

"We continue to make progress at the table," said Giuffre. "We believe that the mediation process will result in a contract."

Atlanta-based UPS (NYSE: UPS - News) provides package delivery services to more than 200 countries and territories. The company bases its UPS Airlines division in Louisville at the Louisville International Airport.