Flight attendants at United Airlines are demanding an immediate pay raise of 28% plus 4% pay raises for every year thereafter as part of an open-ended contract that would put earnings for crew members at the Chicago-based carrier at the very top of all US airlines.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, United Airlines has rejected the economic proposal by the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) and has instead offered to match a pay deal at American Airlines which was ratified by flight attendants last month.
In August, United’s flight attendants voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if bargaining fails to break the deadlock, with 99.99% of crew members voting in favor of a walkout, but Ken Diaz, president of the United master executive council at AFA says ‘no progress’ has been made since that vote took place.
“It remains abundantly clear that management continues to drag their feet in negotiations,” Diaz told flight attendants in a recent memo. “Their demands for concessions blatantly ignore the priorities United flight attendants have identified in these negotiations and have highlighted the extreme disconnect between their stated commitment to an industry-leading contract and their proposals.”
Diaz has been clear that the economic proposal put forward by AFA is deliberately meant to beat the pay deal that has been ratified at American Airlines because United’s financial position is also better than AA’s.
United has, however, rejected AFA’s demands and is only willing to match the American Airlines flight attendant pay deal, which includes an immediate pay raise of between 18% and 20.5%, followed by a 2.75% raise after year one, a 3% pay raise after years two and three, and a final 3.5% pay raise in the fifth and final year of the agreement.
In contrast, Diaz is demanding an immediate pay raise of 28% plus inflation-busting yearly raises of 4% for every year thereafter. Unlike most flight attendant contracts, AFA doesn’t want a set time limit to when the annual raises will last and wants the 4% raises to continue until a renewed contract is negotiated.
In addition, United’s flight attendants are fighting for the concept of ‘ground duty pay’ which would see crew members paid haf their hourly flight pay for all the time they spend on the ground.
That proposal has been rejected by the carrier and so to has a demand for retroactive pay to cover the years that flight attendants have gone without a pay raise.
“In light of the current circumstances, I have directed our Strike Preparedness Committee and Communications Committee to begin union-wide preparations to gear up for strike,” Diaz warned. “While we are not currently on strike, we must be prepared. The threat of an upcoming strike is more prevalent now than ever.”
Any strike would, however, need to be approved by the National Mediation Board (NMB) which is responsible for overseeing labor relations in the aviation industry.
Before a strike can take place, the NMB would first have to declare an impasse and release the two sides into a 28-day cooling-off period. The NMB refused to declare an impasse during flight attendant contract negotiations at American Airlines despite a months-long deadlock.
Contract negotiations are expected to continue on October 14 in Chicago, although the exact schedule for what is due to be bargained during this session is yet to be finalized.
Several days after that bargaining session, United’s flight attendants are due to hold an ‘historic day of action’ outside United’s headquarters at the Willis Tower in downtown Chicago on October 17.
