United Airlines flight attendants are gearing up for a possible strike as contract negotiations extend into their fourth year. On Tuesday, flight attendants announced plans to vote on whether to approve a mass work stoppage.
“United Flight Attendants can’t afford to wait for improvements,” said Ken Diaz, president of the United Airlines chapter of the Association of Flight Attendants union, which represents 28,000 members. “We deserve an industry-leading contract, and we are ready to show United management that we will do whatever it takes. There is no time to waste. Our negotiations are at a critical state, the issues are clear, and the time to act is now.”
The flight attendants’ contract expired in 2021, and currently, they are the only unionized employee group at United without a contract, according to the company’s latest annual report. Drawing parallels to American Airlines, whose unionized flight attendants have also been working without a contract for years, United’s flight attendants believe a potential strike could expedite a resolution.
The voting will be held from August 1 to August 28. Similar strike authorization votes at American and Alaska Airlines saw overwhelming support from their respective memberships. Various steps need to be taken before an actual strike could occur, but the possibility would remain during federally mediated bargaining sessions.
The flight attendants are seeking “double-digit” wage increases among other improvements. United did not immediately respond to requests for comments, but Chief Financial Officer Michael Leskinen indicated during an October earnings call that the company anticipates some wage increases will be necessary.
“Looking ahead to 2024, we feel good about the core fundamentals of our expenses,” Leskinen said. “However, we are facing sizable headwinds with labor and expectation of a new flight attendant agreement.”