USA- Flight attendants affiliated with the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU), the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), and the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) engaged in protests at over 30 airports, including several major U.S. airports and London Heathrow (LHR).
These unions collectively represent a diverse range of U.S. airlines. The TWU estimates that around 100,000 flight attendants working for U.S. airlines are currently operating under contracts that have exceeded their negotiated duration and are now open for modification. This includes flight attendants from Southwest (WN), Alaska (AS), United (UA), American (AA), Allegiant (G4), Frontier (F9), and various regional airlines.
Flight Attendant Protest Across America
Corliss King, the second vice president of TWU Local 556, representing approximately 20,000 Southwest Airlines flight attendants, stated,
“This coalition is putting the carriers on notice that flight attendants are locking arms and standing together as labor unions to improve the conditions for all of us and for the aviation industry.”
Southwest flight attendants have rejected negotiated labor contracts proposed by TWU 556 twice, most recently in December. In the previous month, union members endorsed a strike authorization.
On Tuesday, Alaska Airlines flight attendants completed a strike-authorization vote, with an overwhelming 99.5% in favor.
Under the Railway Labor Act, which governs strike actions in the airline industry, a strike authorization does not automatically lead to an immediate strike.
Several additional steps must unfold before Alaska or Southwest flight attendants can officially go on strike. Nevertheless, a strike authorization elevates the stakes during formal mediation sessions overseen by the National Mediation Board (NMB).
The collective bargaining agreement between Alaska management and the airline’s AFA chapter has been open to amendment for over a year.
Official Remarks
“We maintain a positive outlook on the negotiation process,” Alaska stated in a Tuesday release. “With six recently concluded labor deals at the company and a tentative agreement reached in January for a new contract for our technicians, we’re hopeful to achieve the same for our flight attendants at the earliest opportunity. AFA and Alaska leadership have engaged in two meetings over the last three weeks, persisting in bargaining and collaborating with a mediator.”
The recent two sessions have resulted in four tentative agreements, as per Alaska’s announcement.
American Airlines flight attendants are progressing further toward a potential strike. Last month, APFA submitted a second request to the NMB for permission to strike, having their initial request denied in November. If granted, APFA could strike after a 30-day cooling-off period.
APFA is scheduled to present its case for approval to strike before the NMB in March.
APFA and American Airlines also continue their negotiations, with NMB-facilitated mediations occurring last week.
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