Frontier Airlines flight attendants voted to authorize a strike over a business model change they say has resulted in less pay, the Association of Flight Attendants announced Wednesday.
The vote was spurred by the Denver-based airline switching to a business model that includes more one-day trips and fewer multi-day trips for flight attendants, union leaders said in a news release.
“Frontier flight attendants are struggling to earn a living because of management’s new ‘out-and-back’ model. The impact of this change has turned our lives and our paychecks upside down,” AFA Frontier President Jennifer Sala said in a statement.
Union leaders say the new business model should fall under separate contract negotiations and have filed for federal mediation with the National Mediation Board, a claim Frontier Airlines officials dispute.
The company and union are not in a supervised mediation and negotiations are “nowhere near a point where a strike can legally occur,” Frontier Airlines spokesperson Jennifer F. de la Cruz said in a statement.
If they were in mediation, the federal board would have to determine there was an impasse and there would be additional steps, including a “cooling-off period,” before a strike, according to Frontier officials.
“In the meantime, Frontier has been meeting monthly in direct bargaining with the AFA since last December and remains committed to negotiating in good faith to achieve an agreement that supports our flight attendants and ensures the continued success of our company,” de la Cruz said.
There is no strike date set, and union leaders said Wednesday they would implement a trademarked “CHAOS” strategy to strike at any time without notice.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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