A United Airlines flight attendant has described how they ended up filing for bankruptcy because their salary was, in their words, so “abysmal”, despite taking on a second and even a third job in an attempt make ends meet.
“I got a substitute teaching job and I was Instacart on the side but it’s overwhelming and I’ve just hit burn out,” the anonymous flight attendant said in a post on the popular social media site Reddit.
“I maxed out all my credit cards and took out a loan on my old 401k trying to survive on probation,” the post continued. “And for the last year I’ve been working my ass off trying to beat the interest on the credit cards but to no avail.”
In the end, the flight attendant says they were forced to throw in the towel and decided to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy to relieve the overwhelming stress they were feeling from racking up huge debts.
“I sleep so much better at night. Now I can go to the job and worry about s**t that doesn’t matter like ‘sparkling water’ and where coworkers that I’m never gonna see again commute from.”
“Im no longer filled with anxiety and resentment. I cried in relief the first time I had a day off from flying and was able to sleep in until my body woke me up.”
Having survived two years in the job, the flight attendant now says that while their salary still isn’t “anything to write home about” they do now, at least, make enough not to get back into debt.
Flight attendants at the Chicago-based carrier are currently fighting for a new contract, although negotiations have currently stalled and the flight attendant union has accused United of deliberately stalling by tabling a low-call economic proposal.
Earlier this year, United flight attendants voted 99.99% to authorize a strike if negotiations reach an impasse with the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) demanding an immediate pay raise of 28%, followed by 4% pay raises every year thereafter as part of an open-ended contract that would put crew members’ earnings at the very top of all US airlines.
The union also wants to see its members paid for all the time they spend on the ground which would mark a major shift for how airlines in the United States pay flight attendants.
At present, United’s flight attendants are only paid between the time that the plane pushes back from the gate to the moment that the plane arrives at its destination. The pay method favors veteran flight attendants who can ‘hold’ lucrative long-haul trips with more time spent in the air.
In contrast, new-hire crew members spend a lot of time on the ground working multiple flights per day, meaning that a lot of the time they spend at work, boarding, deplaning, and changing from one aircraft to the next is unpaid.
Some airlines, including American Airlines and Delta, now pay flight attendants a smaller hourly rate for boarding and deplaning, although United’s flight attendants want that pay method extended to all work time on the ground.
United Airlines has, however, rejected the union’s demands and is currently only willing to match the pay deal recently ratified by flight attendants at American Airlines.
What they conveniently forget to say is that they are paid while they sleep, while they are at the restaurant, and while they are visiting international destination. Kinda smart to omit Duty RIG and Trip RIG pay and just claim you are paid for each hour of flight. (Which incidentally is block hours). What they do not say is that the pay is based on flight credits and not flight hour. Credit and hours are not the same. Of course per diem is on top. So stop complaining and get your finance in order.