Bernie Sanders Calls On United Airlines CEO to Get Personally Involved in Flight Attendant Contract Negotiations After 4 Years Without a Pay Raise
- In the same period, United chief executive Scott Kirby has reportedly seen his compensation skyrocket by 90%. Bargaining has now been delayed until Donald Trump is inaugurated.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the self-described democratic socialist who has long campaigned for progressive liberal policies, has co-signed an open letter to United Airlines chief executive Scott Kirby with 24 Democratic Senators, calling on the Chicago-based carrier to reach a fair pay deal with its flight attendants.
The contract for more than 24,000 flight attendants became amendable in 2021, and since then, crew members have not received a pay raise. Negotiations have been dragging on for more than four years, but Sanders says that “little progress” has been made at the bargaining table.
“We encourage you to negotiate urgently to reach an agreement that recognizes these workers’ vital contributions to United Airlines,” the letter, co-signed by well-known Senators, including Charlie Schumer, Richard Blumenthal, and Elizabeth Warren, reads.
“While United Flight Attendants have been working for nearly four years without a raise or any improvements to their contract, the airline has yielded billions in profits,” the letter continues. “As CEO, you have experienced a 90 percent increase in your compensation during this time.”
“In October, United Airlines announced a $1.5 billion stock buyback plan, even as Flight Attendants struggled to meet their basic needs and keep up with the cost of living.”
United Airlines has not met with the flight attendant union around the bargaining table since November 11, when federal mediators made the surprise decision to suspend future negotiations until January 2025.
The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA), which represents United’s crew members, fears the incoming Trump administration could have a significant influence on what can be achieved in negotiations.
Earlier this month, the union warned that United was demanding ‘far-reaching’ concessions, including giving flight attendants less rest during layovers, making them work longer duty days, and introducing a minimum amount of flying hours for crew members to access medical benefits.
The airline has also reportedly signaled that it wants to eliminate paid time off for flight attendants.
United Airlines has refused to accept the union’s demands for an immediate 28% pay raise, plus 4% extra for every year of the open-ended contract. The airline has also rejected requests for a ratification bonus, retroactive pay, and a new pay concept known as ‘ground duty pay.’
“Flight Attendants save lives every day and serve as the face of United Airlines in ever increasingly difficult conditions,” commented Sara Nelson, the national president of the Association of Flight Attendants.
“The airline is boasting record profits, handing out cash to Wall Street and ballooning executive pay while failing for more than three years to negotiate a fair contract for Flight Attendants,” Nelson added.
In 2019, Senator Sanders called out Delta Air Lines over a series of ‘union busting’ posters that aimed to convince flight attendants and ground workers not to form a union.
Sanders accused Delta of violating the “dignity and respect” of workers after the airline suggested that employees could use the money they save on union dues to buy a new games console.
