Sun Country Airlines flight attendants have moved one step closer to striking amid ongoing collective bargaining negotiations after overwhelmingly approving a strike.
Teamsters Local 120, which represents 558 Sun Country flight attendants, announced Thursday that 99% of voting members had approved the strike.
Union members say their pay scale has not changed in eight years and Sun Country workers’ wages lag behind those of competitors.
“We voted to strike for one simple reason – Sun Country is dragging out the bargaining process and we are fed up. We are fighting for the contract we deserve,” said Tanya DeVito, a flight attendant and member of the bargaining committee.
A Sun Country spokesman pointed out that the strike authorization “does not mean that a strike is imminent or will even occur” and that there will be no supply disruptions in the immediate future.
“We value our flight attendants and all they do for Sun Country customers and our airline. We respect their right to express themselves through this vote,” the airline said in a statement.
Sun Country and Teamsters members will hold a mediation session in September with the participation of the National Mediation Board.
As an airline union whose collective bargaining activities are governed by the Railroad Labor Act, the Flight Attendants Union must go through several steps before receiving authorization to strike.
If the initial collective bargaining negotiations are unsuccessful, both sides must meet for mediation and consider arbitration. If the employer or the collective bargaining party decides not to resolve the labor dispute through arbitration, a 30-day cooling-off period begins. After this, the union can strike or the employer can lock out the workers.
