New year, same labor strife.
Flight attendants at American Airlines still want to go on strike.
The union representing American’s flight attendants has asked to be relieved of any future negotiations with the airline.
"American management adheres to an economic framework that ignores the sacrifices made by 27,000 flight attendants," Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) president Julie Hedrick said. "The absence of any economic proposal from management since September 2023 has fueled the determination of flight attendants to initiate a strike at the world's largest airline."
Previous requests by the flight attendants to federal mediators have been denied. The union still would not be able to walk out right away, however. Even if granted approval to strike by the National Mediation Board, the flight attendants would still have to go through a 30-day cooling-down period.
Also, at any time the President of the United States can jump in and stop a strike by saying it would negatively impact the American economy.
The flight attendants have been eligible to amend their current contract since 2019, also the last year in which they received a wage increase.
The union is trying to negotiate an increase in pay of 50 percent over four years against a counteroffer from American of about 20 percent over five years. The union also wants an increase in the minimum number of paid hours per month from 75 to 80, among other requests.
In a statement, American said, "We strongly disagree that a release from federal mediation is warranted at this time as American continues to negotiate with APFA in good faith. Our focus remains unchanged. … Our industry-leading economic proposal, which includes pay increases, boarding pay and a number of other meaningful improvements, remains on the table. We stand ready to continue working with APFA and with the support of the National Mediation Board to reach an agreement that our flight attendants have earned."
The flight attendants sought permission to strike as recently as two months ago and were denied.
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