Flight attendants at American Airlines are expected to formally announce on Monday that they will go on strike ahead of the busy Christmas travel getaway after failing to break a deadlock in contract talks with the Dallas-based airline over pay and conditions.
The board of directors of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) met on Friday to discuss a request to enter a thirty-day cooling-off period, which is a legal requirement preceding strike action.
Although a decision is believed to have been made, the formal announcement has been delayed until Monday to give the union time to prepare communications for the various parties involved in the process – including the National Mediation Board, which is the federal agency that must give its blessing for a strike.
If the NMB grants APFA its request to enter the 30-day cooling-off period, flight attendants could walk out just ahead of Christmas, causing travel chaos for tens of thousands of AA passengers.
In August, AA flight attendants voted overwhelmingly in favor of strike action, with 99.47% of participating crew members saying they would back a walkout if APFA were unable to break an impasse with the airline, although the union has continued to meet with AA with the help of federal mediators.
The union has, however, recently warned of ‘delay tactics’ on behalf of the airline, and earlier this month, it told its members that it would request a release to strike unless there was a dramatic change in AA’s stance towards the negotiations.
“If they don’t have a proposal, we have a deadline, and failure to meet that deadline will result in a request to be released,” the union said in the memo at the end of October.
“We cannot and will not allow the company to use excuses to delay our desperately needed increases. That is why we have set this firm deadline,” the memo continued.
American Airlines has proposed a 19% pay rise over the course of a four-year contract, while the union is demanding a 50% pay rise. On social media site X on Friday, American Airlines dismissed the idea of a pre-Christmas strike, saying: “There is no possibility of a strike this year.”
“Our team is ready to care for our customers this holiday season and beyond.”
Not gonna happen. No way the puppets behind Dementia Joe will allow them to strike going into an election year.
But if he doesn’t he will lose a lot of union votes not just from flight attendants but from all unions as there is so much solidarity these days. He will have to release the flight attendants or he has zero chance of re-election
That’s a good point. I was thinking of it from the customers’ point of view with their Christmas plans potentially ruined. But yeah, with the union solidarity and all that there might not be a choice but to let them strike.
David, grow up and quit the name calling. We have to listen to enough name calling from someone else.
Sorry Mary, but David is right. If you deny these truths, then i don’t know what to tell you. Joe’s string pullers won’t let this happen.. he has enough problems and doesn’t need ya’ll to add to them. He is only the clueless puppet
Joe is a democrat and worked the picket line for the autoworkers. All Democrats support the UNIONS! You just showed all through your OBVIOUSLY wrong statement that you are not from America or in America with that ridiculous falsehood everyone knows is not true. Go worry about your poor never as good as the USA country! WE laugh at you.
Number 1, of course I’m an American living here in the USA so you just showed you have no clue. Number 2, the UAW being on strike didn’t affect the American public’s day to day lives (other than the auto workers and their families and maybe those working some car dealerships. He could afford to let them strike. But if American Airlines’ FAs go out on strike right at Christmas that DOES affect much of the American public’s lives– other AA employees, people who bought tickets on AA who now need to have AA rebook them on other airlines because their flights were cancelled and AA is shut down, AA customers who can’t get where they need to be when the other airlines fill up because, you know, it’s Christmas. AA is the world’s largest airline. It shutting down due to a strike is worse than some auto workers shutting down vehicle manufacturing for a while. So yes, Dementia Joe’s handlers can’t afford to let the FAs walk out.
50% wage increase is ridiculous! This isn’t brain surgery. They barely do anything any more other than serve soft drinks and hand out snacks. Let them strike.. sooner or later, this insanity has to stop
No that’s not true. They’re trained to get your butt and everyone else out of the airplane in less than 90 seconds in the event of a crash, which is an FAA mandate. They are trained to perform CPR on passengers who need it, and administer medication from the emergency medical kit if directed by the medical professionals the airline contracts with on the ground in the event of a medical emergency. The handing out snacks and soft drinks is what they do under normal circumstances.
YOU ARE SO CLUELESS!
GET THE FACTS BEFORE YOU POST REDICULOUS STATEMENTS.
THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS HAVE NOT HAD A RAISE IN 7 YEARS!
ADD COST OF LIVING FOR THOSE YEARS AND THE TOTAL EQUATES TO 50%
Despite your very stupid snarky response…FA’s are solely responsible for your safety in ALL emergency situations…not glorified drink servers…& pray you are never in a situation where you need their help…because if that boarding door is open, they are NOT on the clock & NOT being paid.
Gary, Gary, Gary, please don’t reveal your lack of intelligence here for the world to see. Every time there’s been an emergency, which is very rare, passengers always praise the flight attendants. They are trained to get up to 300 people off of an aircraft in less than 3 minutes.
Do I really have to explain all they are trained to do.
Have a great day and be nice!
Couldn’t agree more with all comments, Gary’s comment is misguided. Lets add that F/A aren’t paid their hrly rate for boarding and deplaning, how is this even allowed? So many issues with this
Since covid … Staff has had to put up with alot of BS .. they deserve that raise .. maybe you will get better service
Maybe, but i seriously doubt it. Worst in flight service of any airline, and worst attitudes…i doubt money will fix that. Time to consider a change of careers if you’re so unhappy
It is insane. Because it is not true. The proposal is 33% and the company’s counter was 11%.
That have not had a raise in 11 years worked during Covid some died and they kept the airline going they are well deserving of a 50% raise the executives are eating caviar and the flight attendants are eating Mac and cheese wake up america
Your numbers are off. It’s actually an immediate 35% raise. However, the last contract expired at the beginning of 2019. Since then, inflation has gone up over 20%. So in reality, it’s a 15% raise plus contractual yearly raises over the life of the contract. The 50% is just a made up number for attention grabbing headlines
Where the hell do these fruitcakes get their numbers ??
50 % pay increase ? We wish !!
And who else works with no raise in 11 years ??
At least there are factual responses from quite a few above who are obviously educated in what the ACTUAL requests are –
I was worried for a minute there. But when you referred to an airline based in Dallas I realized that you were talking about Southwest going on strike. There is an airline called American airlines that is in contract negotiations but they are based in Fort Worth.
DFW, Dallas Fort Worth
No American airlines is based in the city of Fort Worth. DFW is the airport.
Meanwhile the gate agents are also in union negotiations and are at a standstill also, bit because flight attendants seem to be the face of AA, no one knows about the agents and their attempts to get an increase in pay which has not happened in over 4 years.
I’m pro union but in this case I don’t support a strike. Those fa have the cushiest Job known to man and aa has endless ppl applying for those Jobs.
Moronic statement by diego, absolutely not a cushy job, 14 hr duty days, may be in 4 different climates on any trip, passengers are horrible since covid started.
Don, your answers are very toxic, I bet you are a FA with no manners to passengers also.
Do yourself and others a favor, and go get a different job, if you are. So unhappy. Nobody force you to do this job.
Have. a nice day!
Simon, I’m not a FA and my comments are spot on. Any derogatory comments re FA are misguided and mis informed. Try understanding the issues. I’ll assume you don’t have a job that requires you dealing with 1000 shitty adults in a day.
The issues are simple, And while there are plenty of FA’s that shouldn’t be, there there are still many that love what they do and hope for change.
If it’s such a “shitty job”, then why do it ? I would never work in an environment that had me dealing with, as you say, ” 1000 shitty people a day. ” I highly doubt that the number is anywhere near 1000. And maybe these people act this way because of having to deal with surly passenger agents and FAs, who power trip all the time. Passengers are constantly berated and told what they can and can’t do.. just listen to the PA announcements. And maybe other than Southwest, the announcements are very unfriendly… no warmth whatsoever. And now they want our support and sympathy
Gary, do the simple math of multiple legs on a wide body., and Time ant the gates etc. And every job has miserable emp that don’t belong and FA are no different. You couldn’t handle the FA job, and prob never spent a second working customer service. Get closer to the FA issues and stop reading the whining on social media.
Obviously this guy has never flown AA. I wish I hadn’t
Seriously, I feel for the FA. The mockery above was something that nurses have tried to overcome over the years, especially RN’s. I hope they get everything they need and deserve!
They are already getting far more than they deserve.
Proof read this article before posting. “ Airline requesting 50% increase?”.. American Airlines has proposed a 19% pay rise over the course of a four-year contract, while the airline is demanding a 50% pay rise….lol. Hope Joe says Yes! Do it!
Wow. Truth: We proposed 35% and company offered 11%. We came back with 33% and the company came back with nothing.
They already barely do any work now. How about if they just work for tips like alll the other waiters and waitresses? Or just start trying to help people. Some good ones left around but newer ones are a complete farce. Cut ‘em loose if pay is too low.