Alaska Airlines, American and United could all be disrupted as air crew demand fairer share of vast profits<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Major US airlines have recovered from Covid-19 pandemic losses and are amassing vast profits, but amid those record-setting financial performances flight attendants are threatening strikes and calling for substantial wage increases and improvements in working conditions.
The sums of money are huge. American Airlines reported\u2002record quarterly revenue in the second quarter of 2023 at $14.1bn, United Airlines reported\u2002record revenue in the same quarter at $14.2bn and a threefold increase in profit, and Alaska Airlines also reported record revenue in the second quarter of 2023 at $2.8bn.
But workers are also negotiating new contracts and campaigning hard for better pay and conditions.
The AFA-CWA represents more than 6,500\u2002flight attendants at Alaska Airlines, who have held pickets at airports in their fight for a new union contract. They are pushing for a 40% wage increase and threatening a possible strike during the 2023 holiday season.
The union is still working under a 2014 contract that was extended twice and has requested mediation with the National Mediation Board.
Kiara O\u2019Bryant, a Seattle-based flight attendant at Alaska Airlines for over 12 years and negotiating committee member for the union, said flight attendants were currently only paid from door closure until door open on flights.
\u201cAll of that time we spend with passengers on the ground or sitting and waiting for other aircrafts in between flights goes unpaid,\u201d said O\u2019Bryant.
\u201cThere are instances where flight attendants are sitting anywhere from two to four hours, what becomes a mechanical rolling delay, where that full time is not accounted for and paid for. So, it\u2019s not just the boarding, but it\u2019s anytime that we are required to be on duty at work in uniform, that we are advocating for pay,\u201d she said.
The union provided annual pay estimates for Alaska Airlines flight attendants, with average base pay ranging from $24,000 to $27,000 a year, which they note is not nearly enough to keep up with the high cost of living, especially in expensive cities where Alaska Airlines bases are located, including San Francisco, Seattle and Los Angeles.
A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines said the airline currently has meetings with the union through November but claimed the union\u2019s counter-proposal in June 2023 was not economically feasible. They claimed new flight attendants receive a 29% pay increase in their first four years of service.
\u201cWe remain committed to reaching an agreement on a new competitive contract that fairly compensates flight attendants and continues to provide significant flexibility, but also maintains an emphasis on productivity that is critical to the sustainability of the company\u2019s business model,\u201d a spokesperson said in an email.
Meanwhile, about 26,000 flight attendants at American Airlines represented by the Association of Professional Flight Attendants voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike with a vote of 99.47% in favor of the authorization.
The flight attendants are pushing for significant wage increases, with a proposal\u2002of a 35% uplift. Negotiations between the flight attendants and American Airlines began\u2002in January 2019.
\u201cWe\u2019ve been negotiating for four years now, but flight attendants haven\u2019t had a pay raise or cost of living raise since January 2019,\u201d said Paul Hartshorn Jr, a veteran flight attendant and spokesperson for the union.
He explained the primary points of contention for workers in the new contract were compensation for work performed by flight attendants that is currently unpaid, bringing retirement contributions in line with the rest of the airline industry and improving work scheduling flexibility.
\u201cI think we\u2019ve got a clear mandate from our flight attendants on where they want to go with this if talks don\u2019t produce the improvements that we need to see,\u201d added Hartshorn.
Under the Railway Labor Act, a strike cannot be called until the National Mediation Board releases the union and airline into a 30-day cooling-off period before a strike can be called. The last strike\u2002by American Airlines flight attendants was in November 1993.
The union is holding informational pickets at American Airlines flight attendant bases around the US as contract negotiations continue.
\u201cWe\u2019re proud of the progress we\u2019ve made in negotiations with the APFA, and we look forward to reaching an agreement that provides our flight attendants with real and meaningful value,\u201d said an American Airlines spokesperson in an email.
Flight attendants at United Airlines held pickets on 31 August at 19 airports around the US to demand the airline negotiate a new contract with the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), which represents more than 25,000\u2002flight attendants at the airline. They want the airline to resolve understaffing and outstanding operational issues.
During operational problems in June that stranded passengers and canceled hundreds of flights, United\u2019s CEO, Scott Kirby, received public scrutiny for taking a private jet flight.
Ken Diaz, a flight attendant for 26 years at United and president of the United AFA MEC, argued United had not addressed the union\u2019s priorities in a new contract. They include resolving scheduling issues where flight attendants can be stranded on duty, unpaid, for hours trying to get through to the scheduling department to be released from duty.
\u201cWe\u2019ve had flight attendants sleeping at the airports because they can\u2019t get hotels because they can\u2019t reach the company,\u201d said Diaz.
According to Diaz, the union has been in direct negotiations with United for 21 months and the delays have disillusioned flight attendants and depressed morale.
\u201cWe are one of the last groups here at United that does not have a contract to present to our members and the morale is probably at the lowest it\u2019s ever been in the 26 years that I\u2019ve been here at United,\u201d added Diaz. \u201cThe flight attendants are already demoralized by the day-to-day operations, you add on to that they\u2019re not seriously negotiating.\u201d
A United spokesperson in an email: \u201cWe\u2019re continuing to work with the Association of Flight Attendants toward an industry-leading agreement. All United flights will operate as planned while our flight attendants exercise their right to distribute information and picket while off-duty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n