United Airlines and the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA have reached an agreement on a new contract.
It’s been five years since United flight attendants have received a raise, with the value of their pay significantly eroded by inflation in the meantime. The contract became amendable four years ago, however:
- the pandemic wasn’t a good time to negotiate a new deal (any agreement would not have been favorable to flight attendants with the airline industry in poor shape)
- the union’s strategy was to wait for flight attendants at other airlines – especially American – to negotiate their deals first and set a new baseline to negotiate from. AFA-CWA even lent their top negotiator to American’s rival cabin crew union, expecting that if a strike were necessary to secure a deal it would be their crew who bore the brunt.
Key elements of the agreement include substantial pay increases that position United flight attendants among the highest-paid in the industry, improved retirement benefits, and new scheduling work rules.
The tentative contract addresses long-standing duty and rest time.
Specifics of the deal haven’t been released yet, but will be available in the coming days. AFA-CWA is promoting the win that the contract doesn’t allow use of ‘PBS’ (Preferential Bidding System) computer scheduling.
.@AFAUnitedMEC & @united today reached an historic TA for 28,000 Flight Attendants.
AFA appreciates NMB mediator Michael Kelliher, who worked with the parties to reach this agreement.
Read the full release: https://t.co/yX3DxXbsSA pic.twitter.com/lHucNuLZFt
— AFA-CWA (@afa_cwa) May 23, 2025
United Airlines expressed optimism that this agreement would foster stronger employee relations and enhance customer experience. Good luck with that! It addresses eroded value of wages, and alleviates the sort of acrimonious labor relations that led the union to organize guerrilla theater takeover of the airline’s new business class product unveil this month.
The FAs have their say at today’s UA new Polaris event pic.twitter.com/eyooJNbEGT
— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) May 13, 2025
But first, a brief protest by a very vocal group of United flight attendants demanding better contract terms. Good on them!
— Jason Rabinowitz (@airlineflyer.net) May 13, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Flight attendants will still have to ratify the deal. Pending major surprises though it seems likely, though some flight attendants will believe that they can always do better – that you should ‘never take the first deal’. However starting the click on “40% total economic improvements” in the first year along with retro pay is going to be something most crew will want right away.
Sure sounds like the union performed as requested…Sure details have not been released but if it’s as industry leading as everyone implies it really supports the argument for the existence of the union right Gary?
So tired of hearing FAs tout their “highest paid salaries in the industry” when a plurality of them provide poor service and focus on doing as little as possible not land themselves chair time with their supervisors.
If only once they actually demonstrated care, concern and empathy for the customers who pay their salaries.
@Andy – we don’t know what is in the contract. their junior crew have been stuck in the low $30s for five years, paying dues for the privilege, and the union itself says over 90% are unhappy with their jobs and don’t get their needs addressed despite representation. So… who knows?
I’m not suggesting that I’d want to be a United flight attendant without a union, honestly. Delta crew are pretty clearly better off without one, but probably not United or American. But I’m skeptical that AFA delivers real value to its members. I’d be looking for a different union.
The DOS ( Date Of Signing) of the 2016 amendments to the continuous contract (per requirements of the Railway Labor Act) was on 28th day of August, 2016. It is listed in the Duration section starting on page 278. The raises were immediate on that date and on that day for each of the following four years. The last general raise was on 28 August 2020 so five years without raises will occur on 28 August 2025 unless a new DOS occurs before then.
If this is what they wanted, I’m happy for them. It’s never ‘perfect,’ but it seems like an improvement. Well done.
Let us look at Section 4 Compensation Base Rates (page 28) of the 28 August 2016 amendments to the contract. A first year flight attendant was making a base rate of $26.88 in 2016. By 2020 that same flight attendant was making $35.33. In 2021, that flight attendant was making $40.00 assuming that that flight attendant wasn’t furloughed or fired. The step raises would continue. Why? Because the contract required that they did and the contract was still in effect. The only things missing were COLA (cost of living) raises from 28 August 2021 and on. If you look at a flight attendant hired in 2020 (not many of them due to Covid-19), that flight attendant got a base pay rate to $34.71 in 2024. I have read that 60 to 100 paid hours per month is typical for flight attendants. Being stuck in the low $30,000s for yearly compensation is more a function of low paid hours instead of low wages and the reasons for that are that the rules that favor seniority.
Sure seems like the union ruining the press coverage of the new seat worked to get this deal over the line. I’ll wager those particular union employees will be reinstated as part of this deal – if the union was particularly good at negotiating, they would have insisted those employees be featured in the next new safety video demonstrating the new seat. Anyway, whether the AFA has been particularly effective for UA FAs over the years is another story.
Note to “Union Free” Delta Flight Attendants:
Don’t ever join a labor union
.
@Andy
In your job, would you wait 5 years for a raise in compensation and improvements to benefits.
Low $30s seems fair for unskilled labor…but it’s the old ragged surly ones making twice that, that is the most egregious. They haven’t done their job better over 5 years, quite the opposite, so they don’t deserve a raise.
Nelson may have finally negotiated something, but I suspect there is a loss of confidence ( unless you’re a senior FA ) It might be time for new union leadership. Nevertheless I am happy this will be over!
Retro pay, haha. The only side that won is the government. Half of the raise will be eaten by taxes, if not more.