The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) said on Wednesday that flight attendants at United Airlines had voted to go on strike, with a press release from the association stating that 99.99 percent of its members had voted in favor of strike action.
It is the first time since 2005 that flight attendants at United, who are represented by the AFA, had voted on strike authorization.
“We deserve an industry-leading contract. Our strike vote shows we’re ready to do whatever it takes to reach the contract we deserve,” said Ken Diaz, president of the United chapter of the AFA. “We are the face of United Airlines and planes don’t take off without us. As Labor Day travel begins, United management is reminded what’s at stake if we don’t get this done.”
Although the vote came ahead of Labor Day, a date for the strike action has not yet been set, meaning Labor Day travel plans will not be affected.
But United passengers may face disruptions as soon as a month from now, potentially impacting Veterans Day and Thanksgiving travel if the airline and the union fail to reach an agreement after the 30-day “cooling off” period and a strike deadline is set. This follows the AFA’s recent request to be released from the National Mediation Board (NMB) federal mediation process that it entered last year.
However, flight attendants cannot strike until the NMB grants permission, which will only happen if the board determines that negotiations have reached an impasse and further talks would be unproductive.
United Airlines flight attendants are threatening strike action over their demand for a double-digit base pay increase and higher pay for time at work, as well as other issues.
United Airlines rejected proposals to pay flight cabin crew for all duty hours last year, and instead proposed longer work hours, Diaz told Reuters in December 2023.
The United management team gives themselves massive compensation increases while Flight Attendants struggle to pay basic bills,” Diaz said in a newly released statement. “The 99.99% yes vote is a clear reminder that we are unified in the fight against corporate greed and ready to fight for our fair share of the profits we create.”
In a statement to Newsweek on Saturday via email, a United Airlines spokesperson said, “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 been actively engaged in these negotiations facilitated by the federal mediator requested by the union. We remain eager to reach an agreement.”
They added: “To be clear, there is no work stoppage or labor disruption. Instead, off-duty flight attendants are exercising their right to conduct an informational picket. Federal law bars a strike until after a lengthy process that includes a release from mediation, which can only be granted by the National Mediation Board.
Newsweek has contacted the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA for comment via email.
Thousands of cabin crew members at carriers in the U.S. are demanding to be paid for more of their hours at work.
Lot of folks don’t know that flight attendants do not get paid for all the time they are on-duty. They only get paid for the flight time when door closes,” United flight attendant Melissa Chipchak told NBC.
Alaska Air employees have also demanded pay for their time during boarding and on the ground, while flight attendants at Southwest Airlines rejected a contract deal last year that lacked boarding pay, but would have made them the highest-paid cabin crews in the industry. In December 2023, the airline reached a $12 billion deal with its employees.
Last Christmas, the union representing 26,000 American Airlines flight attendants escalated its threat to strike during the busy travel season, saying the carrier was stalling contract negotiations.
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants had issued a November 17 deadline for AA to “make significant and meaningful moves to reach an agreement” on a new deal.
In July 2024, American Airlines and the union representing its flight attendants said they had reached agreement on a new contract that includes pay raises.