Flight Attendants Approve American Airlines' Contract Offer
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - American Airline's flight attendants have approved the airline's last, best contract offer.
7,482 flight attendants or 60 percent voted in favor of the tentative agreement.
5088 or 40 percent voted against.
The results come after the Association of Professional Flight Attendants' leaders urged their members to approve the tentative agreement.
Union leaders told flight attendants that it was a far better option than rejecting the contract offer.
That is because a "no" vote would have likely prompted the bankruptcy judge to throw out the flight attendants' contract, and impose salaries and benefits worse than what's in American's last, best contract offer.
That is the situation the Allied Pilots Association is facing.
Earlier this month, American Airlines' pilots overwhelmingly rejected their tentative agreement with American.
Last week, the bankruptcy judge didn't throw out the pilots' current contract as American requested, saying the airline had to make some changes to their request.
But American has refiled its request to the judge, and it's expected the judge will wipe out the pilots' contract after a hearing September 4.
The Allied Pilots Association is the only major union to vote against a contract with American
In addition to the flight attendants, the mechanics, store clerks and five other units represented by the Transport Workers Union approved their contract offers.
But in approving their contract offer, the flight attendants union repeated what it has often said: They want to replace American's current CEO Tom Horton and believe the airline should merge with USAirways.
Horton has said he wants American to emerge from bankruptcy as an independent airline.
But American is considering a merger with USAirways.
Here is what the Association of Professional Flight Attendants said in its newsletter to members:
"We will now continue our strong and concise message that we have zero confidence in this management team. We firmly believe that the only way for American Airlines to grow and compete and perhaps even to survive is through a merger that puts Doug Parker and his team in charge."
"For now we must remain strong and professional and work to heal from this very stressful process. It is important to remember who and what has caused this horrible situation: our current management team. The challenges will continue; let's face them together. We must continue to work together to rebuild, sustain and maintain our unity and proud history."
"With this vote behind us, our focus will be on achieving a merger with US Airways which will improve on the LBFO and re-establish pride and viability to American Airlines."
