Alaska Airlines flight attendants have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike for the first time in three decades if the airline fails to agree to “significant improvements,” an Alaska Airlines union said on Tuesday.
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), which represents the employees, said that out of the 93.47 percent participating flight attendants, about 99.48 percent voted in favor.
“We’re out on the picket line demonstrating that we’re ready to do whatever it takes to get the contract we deserve,” AFA Alaska president Jeffrey Peterson said in a statement.
“There’s no excuse: Alaska management has the money to buy another airline, they certainly have the money to invest in flight attendants. We have a simple message for management: Pay us, or CHAOS!” he added.
The authorization would allow the union to request a release from the National Mediation Board, which initiates a 30-day cooling-off period and strike deadline. The union can decide when, where, and how to strike without giving notice to management or passengers.
The last time Alaska Airlines flight attendants went on strike was in 1993, which led to “dramatic reductions” in ticket bookings as passengers didn’t know if their flight would take off until they arrived at the airport, the association stated.
Flight Attendants Picket Outside Airports
Thousands of cabin crew across three unions picketed outside airports in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Guam on Tuesday as they pushed for better contracts and higher wages.Picketing members included cabin crew from 24 airlines including Alaska, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and American Airlines.
Airline workers have said they kept working through the pandemic and deserve higher pay now that most of the carriers have returned to profitability. Pilots at American, United, and Delta have won raises of roughly 40 percent over five years.
Lyn Montgomery, president of Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 556, which represents Southwest Airlines flight attendants, said it’s important to secure pay that “sets a new industry standard.”
“When you are told at the negotiating table that certain work rule changes are off-limits and then you grant them to another workgroup, it’s clear that you do not value employees equally,” she stated in January.
“This is not just about job roles; at this point, our fight is about valuing our very personhood. Our employer has failed to implement even no-cost work rule changes that would improve our quality of life,” she added.
Flight attendants from Southwest Airlines and Air Transat in Canada, who are pressing for steep pay raises, are in negotiations after rejecting earlier deals.
Shares of Alaska Air fell 2.1 percent in afternoon trade. Southwest was down 0.9 percent, United Airlines tumbled 3.9 percent, and American Airlines shed 2.2 percent.
