DAYTON, Ohio (WKEF) – After months of slow negotiations for higher wages, flight attendants at Dayton-based PSA Airlines may go on strike.
This could impact Dayton International Airport.
PSA Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines, operates 500 flights daily to nearly 100 different destinations.
This includes some flights from Dayton International Airport.
After management and employees failed to reach a collective agreement, PSA is threatened with a strike by over 1,300 flight attendants.
“This means that PSA Airlines flight attendants will vote on whether they are willing to go on strike if released by the National Mediation Board to get the collective bargaining agreement they deserve,” said Taylor Garland, communications director for AFA-CWA.
After a long, seven-month contract negotiation process and a contract proposal that was perceived as “insulting,” the PSA section of the Association of Flight Attendants (CWA) is calling for a strike vote.
They claim that PSA failed to adequately compensate flight attendants for their work and time.
Many in the AFA-CFA accuse the airline of being created out of corporate greed, but PSA Airlines stresses that reaching an agreement with these valuable employees is its highest priority.
In a recent statement, Joe Horvath, PSA’s communications director, said, among other things: “We continue to make progress in our trust-based negotiations with AFA and look forward to reaching an agreement that provides real and meaningful value to our flight attendants.”
Strike authorization ballots are currently being mailed to all PSA flight attendants.
If the strike is approved by the union, it will return to the negotiating table with PSA Airlines one last time and try to reach an agreement.
If this is not possible, the AFA-CWA may go on strike until clearance is given by the National Mediation Board.
Garland added: “We stand up for the working class. Whether in Dayton, Charlotte, Philadelphia or anywhere else in the country, we want to raise standards, not just for flight attendants, but for workers everywhere.”
The vote on authorizing the possible strike begins on August 21 and ends on September 17.
