Flight attendants at United have rejected the latest contract offer from their employer.
In a statement, Ken Diaz, president of the United chapter of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, said 92% of all eligible union members voted on the provisional agreement, and 71% of them voted not to ratify it.
“United flight attendants today voted to send a strong message to United Airlines management by rejecting a tentative agreement that didn’t go far enough to address the years of sacrifice and hard work to make the airline the success it is today,” he said. “This is democracy in action.”
Diaz said the union will now survey members to identify the key issues that made them side against the deal.
“We always said no matter the outcome of the vote, we will fight forward and that is what we will do with the power of 28,000 flight attendants and our whole union standing together,” he continued.
The union and United reached a tentative deal in May that included immediate raises of at least 26%, a one-time retroactive bonus, and an additional holiday. At the time, the union presented the provisional contract as a major victory.
“This tentative agreement has the highest compensation and the largest overall economic improvement in the history of our careers,” officials wrote. “Together, we secured the highest retro payment of all crew contracts, boarding pay, the best economic and quality of life provisions for flight attendants on reserve, scheduling improvements for all flight attendants without any mention of PBS, significant improvements for our hotels, preserved healthcare, improved retirement, and many other improvements.”
United flight attendants have not received a raise since 2020.
The carrier reached a four-year agreement with its pilots’ union in 2023 which provided raises between 34% and 40% over the life of the contract.
United said it will continue to work with the AFA to get a deal signed and ratified.
“Our flight attendants are the best in the industry and this tentative agreement included numerous improvements and industry-leading pay,” the airline said in a statement. “While this vote will result in a delay and the AFA has outlined several steps to return to negotiations, including coordination with the National Mediation Board, we remain focused on getting our flight attendants the contract they deserve.”
