American Airlines flight attendants vote to authorise strike
In a near unanimous vote, workers gave the Association of Professional Flight Attendants the greenlight to strike
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.American Airlines flight attendants voted overwhelmingly to strike amid contract negotiations with their carrier, according to the union.
The vote was near-unanimous — with 99.4 per cent of the workers voting in favour — giving union leaders in the Association of Professional Flight Attendants authority to call for the strike if negotiations falter.
American Airlines told KERA News that the company and the labour organisation were making progress toward an agreement.
"We understand that a strike authorization vote is one of the important ways flight attendants express their desire to get a deal done," the carrier wrote. "The results don’t change our commitment or distract us from working expeditiously to reach an agreement."
Both sides would have to bring the contract dispute before the National Mediation Board before a strike could go into effect.
Workers have been holding informational pickets around the country during negotiations, including at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Picketers held signs claiming they were "ready to strike" and bearing the slogan "More Work Less Pay: It's the AA Way."
Workers at airports in Boston, Charlotte, Washington, La Guardia, Orlando, Miami, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and Chicago also picketed.
The company reached an agreement with its pilot last week on a tentative four-year contract. That contract will give the 15,000 pilots in the union a 21 per cent raise on average along with a 401(k) contribution increase and annual pay rate increases.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments