United Airlines flight attendants are preparing to strike as negotiations over a new contract 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, 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 current contract expired in 2021. Presently, United’s flight attendants are the only unionized employee group at the airline without a contract, according to the carrier’s latest annual report. Drawing from the experience of American Airlines, whose unionized flight attendants have also been working without a contract for years, United’s flight attendants anticipate that a potential strike could hasten a resolution.
Voting will occur between August 1 and August 28. Similar measures at American and Alaska Airlines were approved nearly unanimously by their memberships. Although several steps are necessary before an actual walkout, 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 a request for comment. However, during an October earnings call, CFO Michael Leskinen indicated that the company anticipates conceding some increase in pay.
“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.”