Hawaiian Airlines pilots vote to authorize strike

HONOLULU (AP) - Hawaiian Airlines pilots have voted to allow their union representatives to call for a strike if contract talks don't end in a new collective bargaining agreement.

A statement from the Air Line Pilots Association, which represents the pilots, said Tuesday that of the pilots who voted, 99 percent agreed to letting the representatives call for a strike if necessary.

Capt. Hoon Lee, who's the chairman of the Air Line Pilots Association unit at Hawaiian Airlines, says it shows "the deep anger our pilots feel toward their senior management."

The release says the vote doesn't mean a strike is imminent. The National Mediation Board must first decide against more mediation efforts and then offer to arbitrate the dispute. If either side declines arbitration, they enter a "cooling off" period, and can go on strike 30 days later.