American Airlines Flight Attendants Vote to Authorize a Strike, Although a Walkout Still Unlikely
An American Airlines plane at LaGuardia Airport's Terminal B, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, in New York. Travel experts say the ability of many people to work remotely is letting them take off early for Thanksgiving or return home later. Crowds are expected to rival those of 2019, the last Thanksgiving before the pandemic. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Flight attendants at American Airlines voted overwhelmingly to authorize union leaders to call for a strike, a move designed to put pressure on the carrier during negotiations over pay raises.
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants said Wednesday that more than 99% of members who voted recently favored giving the union power to call a strike. The union backed up the vote with picketing at several airports.
Union President Julie Hedrick said the vote tells company management that flight attendants, who have not received raises since 2019, are “fired up." American executives, she said, “ignore this strike vote at their peril.”
American said, “We’re proud of the progress we’ve made in negotiations with the APFA, and we look forward to reaching an agreement that provides our flight attendants with real and meaningful value. We understand that a strike authorization vote is one of the important ways flight attendants express their desire to get a deal done.”
The vote does not mean that a strike is imminent or even likely. Federal law makes it difficult for airline unions to conduct legal strikes — they need a decision from federal mediators that further negotiations would be pointless, which rarely happens. The president and Congress can also get involved to delay or block a strike.
Earlier this month, American's pilots ratified a contract that will raise average pay more than 40% over four years. Flight attendants are not expected to reap that kind of increase, as they have less leverage than pilots, who are in short supply.
Other airline unions are also pushing for new contracts. Pilots at Southwest Airlines and flight attendants at United Airlines plan to picket at airports Thursday.
Tensions in the South China Sea, Apple moving to India, and banning TikTok? The podcast ‘Face Off: The U.S. Versus China’ helps explain how we got here.
Cust2Mate is a leading innovator in retail technology, aiming to revolutionize the shopping experience. By implementing smart cart technology, the tech company addresses the issue of theft while enhancing the shopper's journey.
The Biden administration has unveiled a plan, Plan B, to address the student loan debt crisis. It offers to cancel up to $20,000 in interest for borrowers enrolled in income-driven repayment plans. This proposal aims to reset balances for those facing growing debt due to unpaid interest, benefiting low—and middle-income borrowers. An estimated 25 million borrowers are eligible for some form of interest forgiveness.
As we head into the second quarter, there’s an argument in favor of buying Boeing stock. Why? As one expert says, ‘there’s nowhere else to get planes.’
With inflation and prices still on the rise, it might be worth considering a carpool app. One of them, Singapore-based Ryde, just went public in the U.S.
Full Glass Wine Co., the company behind Bright Cellars, Wine Insiders, and Winc, knows you fell in love with home delivery during the pandemic – and it’s investing millions into making it even better.
It might sound counterintuitive, but the Fed cutting interest rates three times this year could cause inflation to spike and actually be worse for markets and the economy as a whole.
