Pilots with Germany’s Lufthansa back possible strike action

BERLIN (AP) — A union says pilots with Germany’s Lufthansa have voted in favor of possible strike action. It said Sunday that walkouts can still be avoided but called the result an “unmistakable signal” to the company in a pay dispute. The Vereinigung Cockpit union is calling for a 5.5% pay increase this year and an automatic adjustment for inflation starting next year. The union said that 97.6% of pilots who took part in a ballot approved its call. The dispute comes on top of a separate altercation with a union representing Lufthansa ground staff in Germany.