Summary
- American Airlines flight attendants are prepared to picket at various US locations due to ongoing contract negotiations and demands for pay raise, better scheduling, and increased benefits.
- Negotiations between the flight attendants and American Airlines have reached a dead end, with the flight attendants setting a deadline of November 17 before potentially organizing a strike.
- The flight attendants have expressed no confidence in senior leaders of American Airlines, citing their indifference towards a recent tragedy and refusal to meet with crew members.
Flight attendants employed by American Airlines have announced that they are prepared to picket at various locations across the United States. The American Airlines flight attendants and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) are demanding a new contract with the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier. The APFA and American Airlines have been negotiating a new contract for nearly five years.
Picketing at various locations
American Airlines flight attendants are fed up with the lack of ongoing contract negotiations by the airline. The flight attendants have revealed they are prepared to retaliate by picketing at various US locations. On Thursday, November 16, American Airlines flight attendants began this process by picketing outside the American Airlines headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Union members of the APFA have stated that they are demanding a pay raise, better scheduling, and increased benefits. American Airlines, however, has until Friday, November 17, to offer a new contract. Currently, an economic proposal has been with the airline since March, over eight months ago. An additional counterproposal was given to the airline in September. If no contract is offered by the airline by November 17, then the APFA can request to be released from negotiations. A release from talks would need to be granted by the National Mediation Board (NMB). This would allow the APFA to begin organizing a strike.
Per the NMB, 30 days must pass before a strike occurs. This means that American Airlines would have the possibility of striking around the busy winter travel season. However, American Airlines remains confident that a deal will get done. The airline released a statement saying,
“We continue to meet regularly with the APFA and remain focused on the goal of reaching a deal our flight attendants have earned.”
Continuing toward a strike
Negotiations between the two parties have seemingly not gotten much closer over the past several months. In late October, the APFA released a statement that revealed its board of directors would be meeting to discuss requesting to be released from negotiations and move toward a strike. Although many see this as a negotiating tactic, negotiations have reached a dead end in the meantime. At this meeting, the APFA board of directors decided on November 17 as the deadline for negotiations before moving toward a strike.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace I Simple Flying
Before this, American Airlines flight attendants announced a vote of no confidence with senior leaders of the company. Specifically, APFA announced their dissatisfaction with the Senior Vice President of Inflight and Premium Guest Services, Brady Byrnes. The APFA also intended to deliver the letter of no confidence to the Chief Executive Officer of American Airlines, Robert Isom. In an Instagram post, the APFA also stated,
“Enough evading and ignoring – it is time to meet us out on the line and start engaging with and listening to your Flight Attendants.”
The announcement came just days after the tragic death of a flight attendant while on a layover in Philadelphia. The APFA claims that Byrnes and other senior leaders acted indifferently about the situation and also refused to relocate crew members who felt unsafe. The union also claimed that Byrnes denied meeting with the crew members who were staying at the same hotel.