American Airlines flight attendants are being threatened with termination and being asked to pay a 48% increase in union dues. Now, a national legal group is stepping in—offering free help to crewmembers caught in the crossfire. The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is now reaching out to American Airlines flight attendants, in light of:
- the airline firing crewmembers at the insistence of their union over back dues owed.
Normally, flight attendants have their union dues deducted from their paycheck automatically (they don’t have a choice in this). But when they go on leave, or don’t work enough hours, their pay may not fully cover the dues. They still owe that money to the union, and the union has been going after them to collect.
- a union demand for a 48% dues increase and future automatic increases, without offering much back to workers – who were promised only ‘modernization’, “Increase visibility in the Labor Movement” and “Development of an APFA mobile app.”
The union and its former leaders have sued each other over embezzlement and misuse of funds allegations, and of course those lawsuits tax member dues also.
Meanwhile there are suggestions that the factions are really fighting over whether a rival union comes in and takes over. Indeed, their own recent contract negotiations treated American’s flight attendants as potential cannon fodder for a strike to raise the starting point for that other union’s negotiations over at United.
National Right to Work Legal Defense points out that, while some payments to the union are compulsory, membership is not and that crewmembers are entitled to opt out and not pay for political and non-bargaining spending.
They have represented an Allegiant flight attendant who lost her seniority over union dues and successfully got a flight attendant reinstated by Southwest – and won a $1.1 million award – after she was fired for blasting her union president’s politics in social media.
I’m not sure I’d take on the union unless I prioritized making a point – because it could make actual life on the job much harder. But if I were being threatened with termination, I’d certainly appreciate the offer of pro bono consultation.
When a union wins and goes to the bargaining table for the first time the first 2 things they always ask for is mandatory membership (everyone must join and pay dues) and dues check off (company collects dues and sends it the union)
Those aren’t things important to the company. And probably not the priority for employees. So the union usually gives up something in negotiations so they get their money. Meaning they give something up that the employees want to get their cash.
Union Free Delta FAs don’t have to worry about these problems.
“Right to Work”… ok, so anti-union, ironically, anti-worker. *sigh*
So an AA FA can go on medical leave and be fired for not earning enough to pay the mob bosses. I hope Delta’s FAs are seeing this. The FAs are probably lucky they don’t get kneecapped.
@PHL/SFO, @H2oman — How much is @Tim Dunn paying you fellas? Sheesh!
When leadership fails, members need to organize internally to hold them accountable, or vote them out. The union belongs to the members, not the leaders. The solution is demand better, not abandon the collective power they fought for.
This ‘Right to Work’ group is a farce, only focused on exploiting a temporary leadership crisis to weaken the union, not to help the flight attendants. Without the union, American Airlines can cut wages, increase workloads, and fire people without the contract protections the union secured.
Meanwhile, Delta’s pilots (since 1934) and dispatchers have had a union, and are doing quite well; and, their flight attendants, maintenance technicians, and baggage handlers should absolutely organize, soon. Currently, Delta’s management has full discretion to lay off any of their flight attendants, on a whim, and especially when there’s an economic downturn (which is likely).
@1990 – Calling Right to Work anti-worker is pretty rich when these flight attendants are being hit with a huge dues hike and threats to their jobs for not paying up. That is the real anti worker behavior.
@Mike Hunt — You know better. “Right to work” is a strategic misnomer; it’s an insidious marketing strategy intended to make anti-union legislation sound like a pro-worker ‘freedom’ initiative. It’s been used for laws and by organizations that actually harm workers and help management. It should actually be referred to as “right to work for less” or “right to be a free-rider.”
@1990 – Look at this very article, and what is happening at AA! Workers are being forced to fund a union that just jacked up dues by nearly 50% and threatens their jobs if they don’t pay. The real free riding is a union leadership class living off mandatory dues while offering worse outcomes for the folks they claim to represent, not to mention the paying passengers themselves.
DL is mostly non-union, yet it is rated far higher by its own employees than the heavily unionized legacies like AA and UA. In fact, it just ranked No. 2 on Forbes World’s Best Employers. Delta’s flight attendant salaries are competitive with the other major carriers, and in many cases they are paid at or near the upper end of the peers. So the idea that workers must unionize to be happy at work or fairly compensated clearly does not fit the data.
The Union is total scum. Every singular American employee should take to socials and name that human waste we call Union Leadership out by name. You can’t fire them all. All in mass should simply not pay it. Fight people. The Union has become its own horrendous element.
@Mike Hunt — I’m well-aware that VFTW becomes ‘View from the (Right) Wing’ when it comes to unions; yet, organized labor, collective bargaining, and workers rights are all still worth fighting for.
If members do not like the direction of their union, they can not only demand better leadership, they can and should run for those offices; be the change you want to see in the world; while no leaders are perfect, many do work tirelessly and effectively for their members.
However, the actual ‘free-rider’ problem remains those employees who benefits from the union’s collective bargaining efforts (such as higher wages, better benefits, job security provisions) but chooses not to join the union or pay the associated dues or fees.
As to Delta, its relative success as a company mostly has to do with company culture, and its focus on ‘premium’ experiences for passengers (great, now I sound like Tim.) I’m still a Diamond right now; I do literally prefer DAL, over AAL and UAL, as a passenger. Admittedly, DAL does invest in their people and products, but, when there are issues related to employee healthcare, or operational crises, etc., a union really would better protect and serve those flight attendants.
@BA — By all means, if there’s real impropriety a foot, members can and should demand transparency, accountability, and an election to vote on new leadership.
But, rapidly to end the union, to reject collective bargaining, to ‘de-certify’ as it’s called, is a horrible, self-defeating idea for those workers. Also, it’s not done by ‘social media’; it’s through the NLRB.
Seems more-so like y’all are just right-wing, corporate-shills, wanting to bust unions, because of decades of anti-worker, pro-billionaire propaganda. Lotta astroturfing going on….