United Airlines flight attendants approve strike for higher wages
Hundreds of United Airlines flight attendants announced they would authorize a strike outside Houston’s Bush Airport.
Fox – 26 Houston
About a dozen United Airlines flight attendants gathered outside Terminal 3 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Wednesday morning to announce that their union had voted overwhelmingly to strike.
United Airlines flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, said 99.99 percent of their members voted “yes.” More than 90 percent of the union’s approximately 28,000 members participated in the vote, they said.
The vote came after the union filed a request for federal mediation more than eight months ago.
Ken Diaz, chairman of the United branch of the AFA, said the vote shows the efforts flight attendants are willing to make to reach an agreement on the collective bargaining agreement after nearly three years of negotiations.
“We deserve an industry-leading contract. Our strike vote shows we are willing to do whatever it takes to get the contract we deserve,” Diaz said in a written statement. “We are the face of United Airlines and planes don’t take off without us. As travel begins on Labor Day, United management is reminded of what is at stake if we don’t get this done.”
Trade unionist: “This is the last step”
Peter Coenen, a representative of United AFA Council 9 who was striking with his colleagues at Sky Harbor, echoed Diaz’s view that a vote to authorize a strike was a necessary escalation to get the company to meet their demands.
“This is the final step,” Coenen said. “We hope that management will use this opportunity to say, ‘OK, we are now ready to give the flight attendants what they are asking for – a fair and industry-leading contract.’ If that doesn’t work, we will consider a possible strike.”
The last time United Airlines flight attendants approved a strike was in 2005, when the company was in the midst of bankruptcy negotiations.
Coenen said United Airlines flight attendants are demanding significant pay increases, as well as compensation for time spent on the ground between flights, flexible hours, job security and better retirement benefits. Coenen said higher pay is especially important — some flight attendants are eligible for food stamps early in their careers.
He argued that the demands were reasonable given the important role that flight attendants played in the company’s business model.
“We are safety professionals,” said Coenen. “We also serve food and drinks on the plane. We are also basically qualified (to use automated external defibrillators) for medical emergencies. Our work is very extensive.”
He added that flight attendants do physically demanding work that can require them to be on their feet for up to 15 hours. When they are not serving passengers on the plane, flight attendants often sit at the airport waiting for their next flight – time they are not paid for, according to Coenen.
Strike requires national approval, 30-day waiting period
United Airlines provided The Arizona Republic with a written statement stressing that the vote does not mean a strike is imminent and that negotiations are still ongoing.
“We continue to work toward an industry-leading agreement for our flight attendants, including negotiations this week and every month through November,” the airline said. “Both sides have actively participated in these negotiations, which have been facilitated by the federal mediator requested by the union. We remain committed to reaching an agreement.”
The Railway Workers’ Labour Code requires workers in the airline industry to apply for a notice of resignation from the National Conciliation Board, which would result in a 30-day “cooling-off period” before a strike could occur.
Coenen said he doesn’t expect a flight attendant strike until next year and encouraged people to continue booking flights with United.
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