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edEx Corp. on Thursday said it has asked for federal mediation assistance to oversee contract talks with the union representing its pilots that began in March 2004.

The company’s FedEx Express unit asked the National Mediation Board to step in, after talks stalled with the Air Line Pilots Association. FedEx has about 4,100 pilots.

FedEx said in a statement that it had sought to resolve the negotiations without government assistance, but said the ALPA’s leadership refused to present the company's first comprehensive contract proposal to its membership for a vote.

Last week, FedEx made a comprehensive offer that included signing bonuses, pay increases and work-rule changes designed to address many of the issues raised by the ALPA — changes worth more than $500 million over the life of the contract, FedEx said.

NMB-led mediation is a common step in the process of airline negotiations. The current contract became amendable on May 31, 2004. Under the Railway Labor Act, the contract terms remain in effect until the RLA process is exhausted.

FedEx is ranked No. 2 on the Transport Topics 100 listing of U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.