by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:10 AM ET, Tue February 13, 2024
Flight attendants from around the United States and in other
parts of the world are picketing outside airports to get the world out about
contract issues and much-needed pay increases.
According to Reuters.com,
representatives from the Association of Flight Attendants revealed that thousands
of cabin crew members across three labor unions were protesting outside 30
airports in the U.S, United Kingdom and Guam to push for new contract deals
that include better compensation.
In total, cabin crew members from 24 airlines are picketing,
including major carriers like Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest
Airlines and United Airlines. The flight attendants are fighting for higher
wages, better scheduling and other benefits.
Another issue raised by some cabin crew members is ending
the “industry practice of not compensating them for the time spent during
boarding and waiting at the airport before and between flights.”
Unlike pilots, flight attendants have not received a pay
raise in five years, per union representatives.
Last month, cabin crew members at American announced that
they still
want to go on strike, with the union representing the carrier’s flight
attendants asked to be relieved of any future negotiations with the airline.
In a bit of a surprising move, flight attendants for
Southwest overwhelmingly rejected
a contract proposal in December, with the vote being 64 percent to 36. The
contract terms were negotiated with the airline by the flight attendants’
union, the Transport Workers Union Local 556.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
