American Airlines flight attendants plan to picket amid demand for new contract
EULESS (CBSNewsTexas.com) – More than 26,000 American Airlines flight attendants are demanding a new contract with improvements, and ahead of Labor Day, they plan to picket to show their "frustration with management."
Represented by the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, they will hold a series of informational pickets at twelve flight attendant bases across the country, according to a news release.
"Labor Day should take on a whole new meaning for American Airlines management this year," said Julie Hedrick, National President of APFA. "It's long past time for significant increases in compensation and improvements to our working conditions. We are ready to bring these negotiations to a close, or we may be ready to strike."
They will announce the results of the strike authorization vote during the protest, a crucial step toward striking.
Contract negotiations with American Airlines have not produced a contract that includes the improvements to pay, onboard staffing, or quality of life, according to the APFA.
In the more than four years since the flight attendant contract with the airline became amendable, the APFA said it has "passed proposals on every section of its collective bargaining agreement."
The organization also said it invoked the services of the National Mediation Board by filing for federal mediation.
Flight attendants plan to picket at Dallas/ Ft. Worth International Airport, Terminal D, departures, door D40 on Aug. 30.