Flight attendants demand a double-digit pay increase, pay for time at work on the ground, schedule flexibility and more.
United Airlines’ Airbus A321neo cabin (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Andrew Chen)
United Airlines flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike on Thursday.
According to an AFA news release, flight attendants voted 99.99% yes to a strike should management fail to agree to several demands including: a double-digit pay increase, pay for time at work on the ground, retroactive pay to the amendable date, schedule flexibility and work rule improvements, job security, retirement benefits and more.
“We deserve an industry-leading contract,” said Ken Diaz, president of the United chapter of AFA, in the release. “Our strike vote shows we’re ready to do whatever it takes to reach the contract we deserve. We are the face of United Airlines and planes don’t take off without us. As Labor Day travel begins, United management is reminded what’s at stake if we don’t get this done.”
The release states this is the first time since bankruptcy negotiations in 2005 that flight attendants at United voted on strike authorization.
Thursday’s strike authorization comes after the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) prepared for a strike during labor contract negotiations with American Airlines earlier this summer. The APFA and American eventually reached a tentative agreement.
Now that the AFA has authorized a strike, the union could request a release from the National Mediation Board (NMB) leading to a 30-day “cooling off” period and strike deadline.
“The United management team gives themselves massive compensation increases while Flight Attendants struggle to pay basic bills,” Diaz continued in the release. “The 99.99% yes vote is a clear reminder that we are unified in the fight against corporate greed and ready to fight for our fair share of the profits we create.”
AFA states that it has a trademarked strike strategy known as CHAOS or Create Havoc Around Our System. With CHAOS, a strike could affect the entire system or a single flight. The release states that the union decides when, where and how to strike without notice to management or passengers.
United flight attendants filed for federal mediation with NMB over eight months ago and have been working under an amendable contract for nearly three years.
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