Photo: American Airlines website. One of the many destinations in the Caribbean served by American Airlines.

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American Airlines, which provides many flights and connections to numerous Caribbean destinations including St. Kitts, the Dominican Republic, Barbados, and the British Virgin Islands,  both from the US and from Europe has avoided an air crew strike by reaching a deal with the union representing the company’s onboard flight attendants, avoiding a large-scale strike that had threatened the airline’s profits.

At the center of the deal is a proposed new contract for around 28,000 workers which includes increased wages, although the exact amount flight workers will be paid has been kept under wraps.

Members of the union, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, had long argued that working conditions in the modern aviation industry meant their pay was calculated through increasingly outdated and unfair mechanisms.

It is understood that American Airlines crew have been paid a certain rate for the actual number of hours flown, which does not include time spent at the airport on the ground.

“If approved, this agreement will put billions of additional dollars into compensation and work rules for our flight attendant workgroup,” said union head Julie Hedrick.

The White House had been closely monitoring the talks in recent months and had been concerned about the impact of a work stoppage. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and acting Labor Secretary Julie Su had earlier been involved in the talks.

President Joe Biden on Friday praised the deal saying it “averts a strike that would have been devastating for the industry and consumers” and demonstrates “once again that collective bargaining benefits workers, companies, and our economy.”

The offer from American still requires a ratification vote from members of the union next week. The union had previously turned down an offer that would have seen pay increase 18% with 2% increases each year.

Flight attendants have not received salary increases since 2019, and the union was demanding 33% upfront raises with 6% annual uplift.

The union said in a press release that the new offer “addresses our concerns on critical areas of compensation, retroactive pay, contractual improvements, and preserving our hard-won work rules.”

Picket lines had proved effective in negotiations, the statement continued, and President Biden – who joined an UAW picket line last year – said members of his cabinet including the secretaries for Labor and Transport, Julie Su and Pete Buttigieg, had helped solidify the deal. The agreement had, he said, averted a strike that “would have been devastating for the industry and consumers.”

Texas-based American said it was proud of the deal that would offer “immediate financial and quality-of-life improvements” for its flight attendants, who had – the company said – earned the increased salaries.

Sources: NPR, CNN, Reuters.

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