United Airlines flight attendants are preparing for a potential strike as contract negotiations enter their fourth year. On Tuesday, they announced a vote 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, representing 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 previous contract expired in 2021, and United’s flight attendants are currently the only unionized employee group at the airline without a contract, according to United’s most recent annual report. The United workers expect that, similar to the situation with American Airlines’ flight attendants, a potential strike might expedite negotiations.
The voting period will be from August 1 to August 28. Similar votes at American and Alaska Airlines were almost unanimously approved by their respective memberships. Though several procedural steps are required before a strike can occur, the threat will remain during federally mediated bargaining sessions.
The flight attendants are demanding, among other things, “double-digit” wage increases. United did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, during an October earnings call, CFO Michael Leskinen acknowledged that the company anticipates having to agree to at least some wage increase.
“Looking ahead to 2024, we feel good about the core fundamentals of our expenses,” he said. “However, we are facing sizable headwinds with labor and expectation of a new flight attendant agreement.”