United Airlines flight attendants consider strike

At another airline, flight attendants are on strike. United Airlines employees announced on Tuesday that they Call for a vote on a mass work stoppage while negotiations on a new contract enter their fourth year.

“United flight attendants cannot afford to wait for improvements,” said Ken Diaz, president of the United Airlines affiliate of the 28,000-member Association of Flight Attendants union. “We deserve an industry-leading contract and are ready to show United management that we will do whatever it takes. There is no time to lose. Our negotiations are at a critical stage, the problems are clear and now is the time to act.”

The contract in question expired in 2021, and currently United flight attendants are the only unionized group of workers without a contract, according to the airline. latest annual report. If we look at the situation at American Airlines, whose unionized flight attendants are also have worked outside their contract for yearsUnited workers said they also expect a possible strike accelerate a solution.

The actual vote will take place between 1 and 28 August. Similar measures at American And Alaska Airlines were adopted almost unanimously by their respective members. Although a number of steps would have to be taken before an actual strike could occur, the threat would remain on the table in the collective bargaining negotiations mediated by the federal government.

The flight attendants are demanding, among other things, “double-digit” pay raises. United did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but during a conference call in October, Chief Financial Officer Michael Leskinen said the company expects to accept at least some pay raise.

“Looking ahead to 2024, we are comfortable with the fundamentals of our spending,” he said. “However, we are struggling with significant labor issues and the expectation of a new collective agreement for flight attendants.”