SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — On Wednesday, cheers broke out outside San Francisco International Airport after it was announced that United Airlines flight attendants had voted to strike.
But this vote does not mean that they will go on strike.
“It would be at least 30 days before we would be allowed to strike,” said Kristie Rivera, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, or AFA Council 11-San Francisco. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA voted in favor of a strike.
“United obviously doesn’t want that. The flight attendants don’t want to have to strike, but we will use any means necessary, up to and including a strike, to advance our negotiations.”
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United flight attendants are demanding better pay, full-time pay, schedule flexibility and more.
SFO is one of 20 airports across the country where flight attendants staged information pickets on Wednesday.
Liam Horgan demonstrated this at SFO. Horgan has been a United flight attendant for just over a year.
“We earn so much, work so many hours away from home and still can’t make ends meet, which is completely frustrating for me and many other flight attendants,” Horgan said.
“This airline makes billions of dollars in revenue and profits,” Rivera said. “The flight attendants just want their fair share.”
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United Airlines sent this statement:
“We continue to work toward an industry-leading agreement for our flight attendants, including negotiations this week and every month through November. 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.
To be clear, this is not a work stoppage or a work stoppage. Instead, the off-duty flight attendants are exercising their right to conduct an informational strike. Federal law prohibits a strike only after a lengthy process that includes a release from mediation, which can only be granted by the National Mediation Board.”
This all comes as Labor Day travel begins Thursday through Tuesday, with SFO expecting a nearly 9% increase in traveler numbers over the holiday weekend compared to last year.
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