CHICAGO – More than 90% of United Airlines flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, voted this week to strike if management does not commit to significant improvements, according to a press release.
The vote on Wednesday was 99.99% positive. The flight attendants are demanding a significant double-digit salary increase, payment for time spent on the ground, retroactive pay to the change date, flexible working hours, improvements to labor regulations, job security, pensions and more, the press release said.
Ken Diaz, president of the United Chapter of the AFA-CWA, cited upcoming Labor Day travel as an incentive to meet the flight attendants’ demands.
“We deserve an industry-leading contract. Our strike vote shows we are willing to do whatever it takes to get the contract we deserve. 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,” said Ken Diaz, president of the United chapter of the AFA-CWA, in a statement. “The United management team is giving themselves massive raises while flight attendants struggle to pay basic bills. The 99.99% yes vote is a clear reminder that we are united in the fight against corporate greed and ready to fight for our fair share of the profits we generate.”
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Now that the strike has been authorized, the AFA-CWA says it will impose a 30-day cooling-off period and a strike deadline by involving the National Mediation Board. The press release states that United flight attendants filed for federal mediation more than eight months ago and have been working under a variable contract for about three years.
Wednesday’s vote to authorize a strike was the first time United flight attendants had authorized a strike since 2005, the press release said. Recent votes of this kind at American, Alaska, Southwest and other airlines have produced positive results.
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