DENVER — Nearly 100% of participating United Airlines flight attendants voted to authorize a strike, according to results released by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) on Wednesday.
According to the union, 90.21% of flight attendants participated in the vote and 99.99% of those participants voted to authorize the strike.
As the results were publicized Wednesday, a group of United flight attendants picketed at Denver International Airport (DIA).
Chris Bruton was among those picketing. He's worked as a flight attendant with United Airlines for over 30 years and currently serves as the local council president for the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA).
“Back in 1991 when I was hired, it was a fantastic job and you didn't have to fly 120, 130 hours a month to make ends meet. But things have changed since then. It's a tougher job," Bruton said.
According to the union, this is the first time United flight attendants have taken a strike authorization vote since 2005.
“Remember, under the Railway Labor Act, our contracts don't expire. They become amendable, which means we continue working but we are in negotiations with the company," Bruton explained. “All we've seen from United has been delays and concessionary proposals. So, in December, the Association of Flight Attendants, the flight attendant union, decided we wanted to have a National Mediation Board mediator assigned just to make sure that things are moving along. Since then, there have only been more concessionary proposals at the table.”
The flight attendants are demanding better pay. Bruton said they are only compensated for work when they are away from the gate, on the airplane or in the air. The union wants to see flight attendants receive ground pay.
Bruton said they also want boarding pay and a better system for their reserve flight attendants.
According to the union, "United Flight Attendants are demanding significant double-digit base pay increase, pay for time at work on the ground, retroactive pay to the amendable date, schedule flexibility and work rule improvements, job security, retirement and more."
“For three years, there have been no increases to those [flight attendant] wages. And again, after the pandemic, we're all feeling it. Cost of living is up, prices are up everywhere, and we can't keep up with that. We actually have flight attendants who are living in their cars. We have flight attendants who are getting welfare checks. I mean, it's that bad," Bruton said.
Bruton said delays in negotiations led to the decision to take a strike authorization vote. The vote will not impact Labor Day travel, according to both Bruton and United Airlines.
“It doesn't take much for there to be a complete meltdown at United Airlines. However, this strike vote that authorizes us to strike, so that if we are released, then we can act. But no, this vote will not lead to anything short-term," said Bruton. “Before a strike in any form can happen under the Railway Labor Act, there's a 30-day cooling off period. So, we would be released to that 30-day cooling-off period by the mediator. That typically is a period of intense negotiations.”
In a statement, United Airlines said there would be no "work stoppage or labor disruption" as a result of the vote.
Full Statement:
We continue to work toward an industry-leading agreement for our flight attendants, including negotiations this week and every month through November. Both sides have been actively engaged in these negotiations facilitated by the federal mediator requested by the union. We remain eager to reach an agreement.
To be clear, there is no work stoppage or labor disruption. Instead, off-duty flight attendants are exercising their right to conduct an informational picket. Federal law bars a strike until after a lengthy process that includes a release from mediation, which can only be granted by the National Mediation Board.
The strike strategy United flight attendants would use is called CHAOS, which stands for Create Havoc Around Our System.
“Does not require a complete walkout strike. In fact, when, where or how we strike — nobody knows. Management doesn't know, the passengers don't know. It'll be a complete surprise when we're released to striking," Bruton said about the CHAOS system.
Despite the struggles Bruton currently experiences as a flight attendant, he said finding a new job is not the answer.
“This is a really tough job to quit. At it's heart, it's a great lifestyle. It's a great work lifestyle. It's made difficult when you have management that doesn't recognize the value of the person, the value of the employee, and what we bring to the table. And so quitting is not the option," said Bruton. "The best option is to take care of your people and they'll take care of the customer."
United flight attendants have been working under an amendable contract for around three years and filed for mediation eight months ago.
DIA reports this will be a record-breaking holiday travel weekend, with the two busiest days anticipated to be Friday and Monday.
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