The union which represents tens of thousands of flight attendants at American Airlines has been allowed to make a direct appeal to the people who will decide if crew members at the Fort Worth-based carrier will be allowed to go on strike.
During a so-called status update meeting last week, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) got to meet face-to-face with members of the National Mediation Board – an independent government agency that oversees labor relations throughout different transport industries.
A three-member panel appointed by the President of the United States and approved by the Senate will ultimately get to determine whether disgruntled flight attendants at American Airlines will be allowed to go on strike by approving a release to a 30-day cooling off period.
APFA submitted its second request to the NMB in January be released into a cooling period but the board is yet to make a decision and no timeline has been set for when a verdict will be published.
During the status meeting, however, APFA had the rare opportunity to present their case directly to the NMB, sending lead negotiating attorney Joe Burns, who has been ‘borrowed’ from a sister union.
“APFA National President Julie Hedrick eloquently pressed the case that our Flight Attendants need improvements now, reiterated the sacrifices made by Flight Attendants to keep this company solvent, and illustrated the fact that this job has changed dramatically,” the union told its members following the meeting.
“We believe we had a productive conversation with the Board and the ability to directly state our position.”
American Airlines was also given the opportunity to privately address the NMB, presumably to state the case for why it thinks the union shouldn’t be released to a 30-day cooling-off period.
One of the main sticking points in stalled contract talks is over pay and APFA’s demands for an immediate 35% pay raise, along with a 6% pay raise for each year of a five-year contract.
American Airlines, however, is currently only willing to offer an 11% raise and then 2% each year for the length of the contract.
The union believes that negotiations and federal mediation in this area have failed, and its members should be allowed to go on strike.
Last August, 99.47% of participating flight attendants voted in favor of authorizing strike action, although the NMB quickly rejected the union’s first request to be allowed to go on strike in November 2023.
Subscribe to our newsletter
No spam, just a weekly roundup of the best aviation news that you don’t want to miss
