American Airlines flight attendants resoundingly approved their new contract on the first vote, a one-off that came during a summer when two flight attendant groups rejected initial deals and on the same day that Boeing mechanics went out on strike.
On Thursday, the 28,000 members of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants approved a five-year deal that brings raises up to 20.5% starting in October, boarding pay and significant retroactive pay that will reach low to mid five figures (up to $50,000) for many. APFA said 95% of members voted and 87% approved.
Now, APFA President Julie Hedrick has two goals for the union. One is to “humanize” the carrier and the other is to become more involved in labor issues. Hedrick recalled Friday, in an interview, that when Robert Isom was designated CEO in 2021, she said that he needed “to have a human factor.
“The human factor is still missing from our management team,” she said. “We will continue to work on that. We will show that flight attendants, and all employees, are not just numbers. We will keep pushing for change. Flight attendants love their jobs, but the level of discipline added over two years has been excessive. It truly deteriorates morale.”
Secondly, Hedrick said, she wants APFA to become more involved in the labor movement. In its prepared statement following approval, APFA negotiators said, “this agreement would not have been possible without the support of our union siblings across industries and occupations” and noted that more than 50 unions had supported its contract fight.
“We have mobilized so many flight attendants, brought in so many people, working in this union, who have a passion for making things better,” Hedrick said. “They inspire me every day. I look forward to working more with them and making changes here. What we have been trying to do is to change from a single-business union to a class struggle union. We will do everything we possibly can, not just for our profession but for all workers.”
Hedrick has a good relationship with Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, which represents United and Alaska flight attendants and is seeking to organize Delta flight attendants. “We want to help with United and we want to help Delta become more unionized,” Hedrick said. Alaska flight attendants rejected their first tentative agreement and await a second. Southwest flight attendants, members of the Transport Workers Union, rejected their first TA and approved a second.
Hedrick, a 42-year flight attendant, was elected to a second four-year terms as APFA president in March. Before her first election in 2020, she was lead negotiator. A 2014 tentative agreement was initially rejected. The contract became amendable in 2019, but the pandemic delayed negotiations until August 2021. So flight attendants were working under a ten-year-old agreement.
From the start of the talks, she said, she sought to ensure transparency and membership inclusion. APFA continually updated its website with explainers and specific details, and it trained a contract action team at every base. Additionally, the union organized 14 days of picketing and a half dozen “march on the boss” events where members confronted Isom or other executives.
“In the age we are living in, people want information,” Hedrick said. “If you’re not transparent, then no one thinks you have their best interest at heart. They’re not going to believe you.” APFA laid out every detail on its website. If negotiators had to trade off wage demands for better working conditions, it laid out the pros and cons of the trade-off. “This was the first time APFA had everything transparent,” she said. “We kept people updated.”
American Airlines’ flight attendants, represented by the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), made headlines by approving a new five-year contract on the first vote. The deal, which includes a 20.5% raise, boarding pay, and retroactive pay ranging from the low to mid-five figures for many attendants, was approved by an overwhelming 87% of members, with 95% of the 28,000-member union participating.
The vote came at a significant time, coinciding with a broader labor push, as Boeing mechanics simultaneously went on strike. APFA President Julie Hedrick underscored the importance of the agreement, pointing out that it was achieved with substantial support from more than 50 unions across industries.
Hedrick, a 42-year veteran flight attendant, has two primary goals as she embarks on her second term as president: to humanize the airline’s management and deepen the union’s involvement in the labor movement. Reflecting on her experience with Robert Isom, American Airlines’ CEO since 2021, Hedrick stated that the airline’s leadership lacked a “human factor.” She emphasized the need for management to recognize that flight attendants and other employees are not merely numbers, as the current excessive discipline measures have negatively impacted morale.
Her vision for the APFA includes broadening its role in labor activism. The union, she said, has successfully mobilized many passionate flight attendants who are committed to positive change. Hedrick believes in transitioning the APFA from a single-business focus to a broader, class-struggle approach, advocating not just for flight attendants but for all workers. This activism extends beyond American Airlines, as Hedrick is working closely with Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), to help organize flight attendants at United Airlines and Delta Airlines.
Hedrick’s leadership style is characterized by transparency and member inclusion. During contract negotiations, she made it a point to keep the APFA membership informed at every step, using the union’s website to provide detailed updates and trade-off analyses. She also led efforts such as picketing and confrontational “march on the boss” events to maintain pressure on management. The result, she said, was the union’s first fully transparent negotiation process, which helped build trust among the membership.
This new contract comes after years of delayed negotiations, due in part to the pandemic, and is seen as a significant victory for the APFA and flight attendants. Hedrick and her team are now focused on the next steps, ensuring the contract’s implementation and furthering their broader labor goals.