American Airlines and its flight attendant union have come to terms on a new contract, that current workers will vote on. It gives raises that make up for inflation over the past several years, and provides bonuses to make up for the lack of raises since January 2019. It also makes the job a lot less attractive for newly-hired flight attendants, creating grueling schedules for them so that cabin crew currently on payroll can have more comfortable work-life balance.
This is a change – amounting to “B-scale” work rules – that was demanded by the union. And it’s going to make the flight attendant career at American Airlines much less appealing to anyone considering it in the future.
New Hire Flight Attendants Will Work Straight Reserve Longer
Here’s the union’s description – any flight attendant hired after the contract is signed will have to work an extra full year waiting around at home and at the airport to find out whether they’re going to fly on any given day. They will wait two full years before they’re eligible for a specific flight schedule for the month. This way, flight attendants already working for the airline will spend less time “on reserve.”
Reserve means there are specific days and times you’re scheduled to be ‘on call’ for the month. You can get a call and have to acknowledge it right away, head straight to the airport.
You have to be available at all of your scheduled times, maybe starting at 4 a.m. You may sit at home, be out and about, and have to head into the airport to travel – or not. You may also be told ahead of time that on some of your reserve days you’ll actually travel. Ready reserve means you sit around at the airport in case you’re needed on the spot.
You may wind up traveling to different cities as a complete surprise. you don’t know where you’ll be sleeping on a given night. Or you may wake up in the middle of the night and wait, only to do nothing.
Under the current flight attendant contract, flight attendants work straight reserve for their first 12 months after training. Then flight attendants work ‘rotating reserve’.
If needed as a Reserve, once having completed a full year of Reserve duty, a Flight Attendant will serve Reserve on a one (1) month on/ one (1) month off Reserve rotation for a period of three (3) years; If needed as a Reserve after four (4) years, the Flight Attendant will serve Reserve duty on a one (1) month on/ three (3) months off rotation; iv. If additional Flight Attendants are required to stand Reserve duty in a particular month, they will be selected in reverse order of seniority. Their Reserve duty will not exceed their applicable rotation.
Some airlines require junior flight attendants to work reserve, and senior flight attendants get schedules. That is what senior flight attendants wanted, but juniors didn’t want to go back to straight reserve or more reserve.
The union proposed requiring new employees sit on ‘standby’ to pick up trips for three years, effectively making them work in service of better schedules for all existing flight attendants. Under the union’s proposal, no current flight attendants would have had to work more reserve. They settled with the company on two years.
The Union Is Senior Versus Junior Employees, Not Workers Versus Management
This change sheds light on an interesting phenomenon that’s underappreciated. Union contracts are generally designed to improve pay and quality of life for senior members at the expense of junior members. While the ‘union wage premium’, once estimated at 15% in academic literature, has disappeared in recent years more senior members of a union do well, but not at the expense of the company.
One area where this is similarly clear is boarding pay. Traditionally flight attendants have been paid only for time spent flying, not for boarding the aircraft, and they receive higher wages for time in the air as a result. Delta Air Lines changed this for their flight attendants, who are not unionized, unilaterally adding pay for time spent boarding. However no union has achieved this.
Indeed, prior to Delta’s move, unions did not generally even try to bargain for it. That’s because higher wages for time in the air, and no pay on the ground, benefits senior crew at the expense of junior employees since junior flight attendants tend to make short domestic hops (and spend more time boarding as a percentage of duty time) while more senior flight attendants work longer trips (and spend relatively less time boarding).
While it’s traditional for union-based seniority wages and work rules to benefit senior crew at the expense of junior employees who get paid less to do the same job, the practice of applying either lower wages or new, more onerous work rules only to employees not yet hired and covered by the contract is known as B-scales and hugely controversial.
Usually ‘B-scales’ are a way for an employer to get a union to accept concessions – since the employees voting on those concessions will never be harmed by them. Here it’s the union that proposed B-scale work conditions. They were dealing with an issue on which their membership is split. So they’ve come up with a proposal to benefit existing members, without harming existing members, avoiding angering their member voters. Current union members will vote for their own interest against the interest of those who will join the union in the future.
What’s so often missed from the ‘union versus management’ narrative is that a union’s position is so often about privileging one group of employees over another (‘worker versus worker’ more or as much as ‘worker versus management’).
More Junior Flight Attendants Will Be Fired
American Airlines threatens to – and actually does – fire flight attendants who leave their base while working reserve.
When flight attendants are on reserve they may never get called to work, but they’ll get paid. Some of them – disproportionately an issue with American’s younger crew, I understand – will roll the dice and guess they won’t be called in. So they stay home in the city they live in, rather than the one they’re based at for work (where they may have a shared crash pad). Then when they’re called for duty they aren’t available, and may say they’re sick.
When flight attendants are scheduled for a ‘reserve availability period’ they have to be able to report to the airport within two hours (three where a co-terminal is involved). American investigates instances of,
- flight attendants ignoring their call up and missing a trip
- no shows and missing a trip
- calling in sick after they’re told they have to work reserve (when they’re sick they’re supposed to call out sick, not wait until they’re assigned a trip, of course this may get them attendance points)
What American does is investigates their travel to see whether they were really in the city they were supposed to be in. Cabin crew, it seems, aren’t very good at covering their tracks. According to the union,
[T]he Company will conduct a travel audit and compare it to your reserve schedule. They will conduct a 35R investigation. During this investigation, they will pull all your travel benefits history, including past, current AA listings, travel, and other airlines. They will use other evidence to substantiate their claim that a Flight Attendant was not in position to report within the contractual timeline.
Why Would Anyone Take This Job?
Flight attendants used to sign on to see the world, but flight benefits aren’t what they used to be with planes full. The first thing new hires realize is that even with standby travel, it’s still expensive to go somewhere with meals and lodging – and they aren’t making very much money.
The new flight attendant contract gives raises – but those are disproportionately skewed towards senior crew who don’t just get bigger raises in absolute terms, but bigger percentage raises too. The big sweetener in the contract is retro pay, which is much more for senior cabin crew and provides nothing at all to new hires.
This new contract is quite attractive for flight attendants who have been with the airline for a dozen years or more. It makes working for American Airlines much less attractive for anyone considering starting their career at the airline.
Not a fan of “activist” investors, or hedge funds, taking positions in companies as disruptors (they’re never in it to turn the enterprise around for anything but their own personal profit) but curious if anyone thinks AA is going to be the next WN, in that someone like Elliott Management may push for change, including the ouster of the entire c-suite and a redo of AA’s strategy, which clearly, doesn’t work? Surely, AA has more universal value than WN and much more potential.
And all that b*tching and moaning from Susan & Gary about how they’re still on reserve will continue because working two years straight reserve would surely suck and be a turn off to potential new hires.
Then again, some of the new crop are just as lazy, or lazier, and feel more entitled than Susan and Gary do, so this system may weed out the ones who can’t handle two years of reserve.
Either way, it’s fun to watch this circular firing squad screw each other over.
Gary,
I think you are either misunderstanding or misrepresenting this clause (I’m sure it’s unintentional). The clause in question actually protects junior flight attendants. It’s true that the change you highlighted reduces the protection, but it’s still better for junior FAs than if it didn’t exist at all.
If a junior FA can organically hold a line based on their seniority they can absolutely get one. What this clause does is require that if they CANNOT organically hold a line that they be rotated into a line anyway (now after two years instead of one) despite being too junior to hold one. They are actually creating a situation whereby the more senior FAs will share the “pain” of being on reserve so that junior FAs don’t have to sit reserve indefinitely.
By contrast the pilot contract does not have this clause and the most junior pilot (that wasn’t furloughed) in 2001 did in fact sit reserve for 11-12 years straight as opposed to their FA counterpart who would have rotated in and out of a line for most of that period.
Again, it shows union leadership is as bad as stereotypical politicians. They first want to remain in power, retaining all sorts of perks (including for many the feeling of importance). They need to show the masses how they’re working for them, even if it’s just for show (strikes are like government shutdowns). And, they are willing to throw future generations under the bus to placate older generations who could vote them out.
Gary,
What is the new hire reserve period at United? Is it better? Worse? Or are you just hating on AA again because you absolutely loath all things American Airlines?
If my memory serves me correctly, the reserve rules at UA are 5 years, straight reserve, or until you can hold a line organically. So, would you rather sit straight reserve 2 years or 5 years?
Please stop all this fear mongering. Its beneath you.
United’s reserve is irrelevant. I wrote that other airlines do straight reserve. American and US Airways came in with different approaches, and they went with a shorter straight reserve period followed by rotating reserve.. and they nearly DOUBLED THE PERCENTAGE OF CREW ON RESERVE.
So the change here is to increase the period of time on reserve, and then there is still rotating reserve as determined by the company.
New hires get worse work rules than they have today, in order to improve quality of life for current employees. That’s illustrative.
@Nick – I think you’re misunderstanding both (a) the history, and (b) how this change compares to the prior contract. See my comment immediately above.
I have not read the F/A TA. Thanks to Nick for the more accurate read.
I am a retired 121 pilot, a past pilot union BOD member, and union negotiator. I co-authored a reserve system adopted in a CBA.
Gary, you paint reserve as a clearly inferior proposition to a line holder. I disagree. I and many fellow pilots regularly bid reserve, even when senior in category. Over the long haul, come the 31st of the month, I had averaged about 8 days of flying, with about 11 fixed days off. It amounted to about 50% of the flying of regular line. And the pay guarantee was typically around 90-95% of a full line. The key: you must live at your base. Yes, there were bad trips and bad months. And one must be a flexible person. But I got to do way more stuff with my kids than my 8-5 M-F friends and neighbors, and many of my line holder colleagues.
I enjoy your blog a lot. Keep up the good work.
This might actually benefit passengers. Make the newbs actually put in the time and effort required to keep the job longterm. These idiots now want everything handed to them
immediately….the pay, the benefits, the schedule. F-them. This will go a long way to weed out the lazy and the losers.
@GarySTL – a lineholder can still bid reserve under this contract if they prefer it. most do not prefer it.
The fact that there is even rotating reserve is wrong. If it was a good idea why don’t the pilots have it too?…they don’t. Having said that what your piece lacks Gary is nuance. If rotating reserve were done away with the contract would get voted down and if no changes were made to reserve (as have been proposed) then it would get voted down. FAs with up to 40 years being on reserve is just plain nuts.
I was on straight reserve for over 5 years when I started and I just accepted the fact that was how it was and if I didn’t like it I could leave. I never felt entitled to be a lineholder until seniority warranted it.
Another false article! Written by someone that doesn’t have a clue about the job!
There is zero incentive for a talented/bright individual to become a flight attendant anymore. Countless hours waiting around on reserve, horrible customers to contend with when you do get to fly, an unlivable wage (non starter for anyone single and self sufficient) and flights so full now you can’t take advantage of the only real perk to the job. Then people complain and wonder why airline service is so bad.
@Vernon
You are neither talented nor bright. Why are you sticking around if it’s not worth it? Are you intellectually challenged and unable to make good decisions for yourself?
that’s why the turn over today is uge they don’t stay more then a year,to much pressure for no money ,if you are young go to another job,not a glamours job any more !!
Being on reserve is just part of the job, it’s unfortunate that it can extend beyond what’s expected, but that’s the way it’s always been in one form or another. Being a legacy AA flight attendant for over 35 years the reserve system that is in place now is so much better than it used to be. Reserve flights attendants have many more choices to better the situation. Back in the day we had to carry a beeper( no cell phones) and we were pretty much house bound, we had to call for permission to get released to go shop for food or pick up mail. This went on for days, so yes as bad as reserve is it is leaps and bounds better now. I guess it’s all in how you look at it as a career if you’re going chin up and make the best of it. Nothing is ever easy in the beginning with any job for anyone. You have your soup and salad days and just move on and keep plugging away or walk away. We all make choices.
And they’re paying union dues for the privilege of being treated like a second tier employee thanks to their union representation?
My wife, PSA/US/AA, did 13-years on straight reserve so forgive me if I don’t shed a tear for new hires that will have to do a grueling 2-years on straight reserve . . .
She is based at LAX and after 37-years still is on rotating reserve every third month.
The entire reserve system is broken. And AA wonders why so many flight attendants call in sick . . .
I was on straight reserve for 3 years at PSA. Then all of our West Coast bases were closed and I commuted from Northern Arizona to Philadephia for decades. My point is this, there is so much more to this job than money. Being on reserve builds confidence and excellence. It teaches you to be flexible and how to get along with others during stressful situations.
I appreciate that this contract states that senior bases like PHX and LAX can work with the union to change the system. I have suggested a ceiling – no rotating reserve after 20 years of service. Bring reserves in from other bases as they do already…just not to the extent needed.
A two-tiered system? Please. Lose the drama and get real. Real change is needed.
This contract is very good. This job – Inflight First Responder – is not for the faint of heart. Whiners and complainers do not make the cut for long. The truth is, I’m trying to make the world (at least on my flight) better – one smile at a time. geeze I’m not the future of American Airlines. With 42 years, I’m on my last leg. I support the new hires and welcome all aboard to this amazing industry and flight service in particular!
Give me a break. New hires as well as junior flight attendants spent up to 10 years on straight reserve. Therefore, they should continue, avoiding 40 plus year flight attendants being used as reserves.
Pay your dues.
Cry me a river my wife who has been a a/f for 35 years was on reserve for more than 14 years when she started with Piedmont then US Air and finally with American during all those mergers and bankruptcies. She was told that she would only be on reserve for 6 months. They will still be able to hire people. They all know that the airline is seniority based and one day they will be senior., it doesn’t have anything to do about being lazy.
Pilots sit straight reserve, until they can hold a line. Depending on the decade, could move pretty fast or agonizingly slow. Want to be based in DFW, better just move there as you will be sitting longer. Bid LGA, a few months in a crash pad. The difference is new FAs have no sense of duty, they’ll flake and game the system. Why, because they can’t afford a crash pad. Living in ops sucks. But the contract has a 3 on, one off rotation, so they’ll hold a line once every 4 months. Now darn it, they may have a 5:30 show on that line or a 23:00 get back, what to do, call in sick. They should be held to the standard, can’t work, bah bye. If you don’t want to do the gig, don’t apply. And if you’re working, stay off your phone and do a phase 3.
Thank you for taking my previous comment seriously.
Seniority is the most anti-American concept out there, at opposites with the American deal of meritocracy. An airline that breaks the shackles from this fiction and start rewarding employees on merits will do extremely well — good people will gravitate there, while do nothings will stay in the seniority-based system.
We’re already seeing this today, where FAs are mostly either part time workers or do nothings who spend their time onboard hidden in the galley taking care of their reading as opposed to passengers.
@Chris other than the. F-them comment… I have to say the rest of your comment is well said.
Yawn. Union scum being Union scum. Get me a sandwich, waitress.
And what the union do?..Nothing..! The union and the company walk hand in hand.. jus like the Union ( AFA)at United Airlines.
Comment on the “Zero Incentive”. Sounds like the job is not a good fit for you. Be fair to yourself and move beyond this as a career and find one that fits your expectations so you can be a talented/bright individual. So many opportunities out there you just have to pick the one that suits you.
This is sensationalized. Two years is not a long time; most of us have been on straight reserve for a decade or more in our careers. The last contract lowered it too much, causing harm to senior flight attendants. This adjustment is just a small step back to correct that error.
@WW
Thanks. I try.
@Walter: Where are you employed as the night time janitor responsible for ensuring all the toilets have been properly cleaned?
So sad to read the comments left on these types of articles. Rude and senseless, when I fly I give the upmost respect to flight attendants. They deserve raises just like any other profession/job. Dealing with the,kind of people that travel in today’s society is insane. Flight attendants deal with alot and of course when your new to a job, it can be challenging. Unfortunately in most jobs, especially if you’re new, you have to pay your dues!
If the main point you wanted to convey in this post was “Gary Leff hates unions”, mission accomplished
How about this novel idea:
Completely do away with a full month of reserve. Assign the new hire flight attendants 6-9 reserve days during the month creating a partial line for the most junior. This eliminates a full month of reserve for anyone (the full month reserve can often for many years or decades)
By awarding partials (6-9 reserve days) it spreads the burden over a greater number of reserves BUT enhances the quality of life for the most junior.
Delta does this!
A non union carrier, once again creates an environment and quality of life to share the burden unlike the union “dumping on the most junior” and lowest paid.
Just like initiating boarding pay, non-union Delta continues to LEAD the industry in innovation, pay and quality of life. Far superior to the antiquated union system of junior vs senior.
Think outside the box! Creating a “team” that works from the most senior to the newest of hires.
Take the job. After a few years you’ll be making good money as well as having a fabulous Instagram side gig.
Plenty of fantastic memories, wonderful experiences and great friends.
No one makes you sign the dotted line. You’re free to accept or decline the job.
Every year you become more senior the better your trips will be ✅.
Walter. Sit down and shut up
Shannon – get off your knees before you say that.
As an airline employee who had to commute for over 10 years to keep my job. FA’s deserve way more than what they get! If I was an attendant, I would have been in jail along time ago. 75% of the flying public are just complete A holes. It’s like flying Walmart all the time.
I get where you’re coming from with the junior senior thing but I think you have to remember that the senior people were junior once and paid their dues sitting reserve. I also had the pleasure of going back on reserve at 25 years and had to cover three airports as a commuter with a family. Senior people may get a bigger raise but as most contracts top out at 13 or 14 years, anyone with more than those years of service have gone without contract raises for the whole time the contract was expired.
Senior people do need to make sure junior flight attendants aren’t abused, but reserve, standby, and domestic multi-leg flying is just part of job. Flying is a very different job than any other. Seniority only gets you somewhere at your own carrier and department. It’s not like you can quit and pick up where you left off at a new company. Many of us senior flight attendants are on our second or third airline which means we started at the bottom each time. You pay your dues by flying what you’re told and maybe living on rice and PB& J sandwiches.
I support junior flight attendants, but at 35 years I want to be able to enjoy my job and take advantage of what that seniority means. Not on the backs of reserves, but knowing each part is a stepping stone that they will get to enjoy as well as they gain seniority.
@Walter. I’ll get off my knees when your momma does ♀️. Loser
There are other airlines out there where you get to go home every night. Alaska is one of them. I’m not sure if it’s only the senior FAs that work those routes but whenever we go to Hawaii the crew all seem to love their schedules. Out and back each day.
Gary, please block that vulgar Walter!
He degrades all people! He must lead a miserable life.
Disgusting!
This article is full of misinformation. The most egregious is suggesting that Delta came up with boarding pay or ground pay and unions did nothing. Boarding pay was initiated BY UNIONS in contract proposals prior to Delta implementation. Delta picked it up and began paying for this time as a strategy to keep their FA’s from unionizing.
@natedawg – that is highly misleading, unions did not push for boarding pay for the very reason that the APFA LAX Base President observes in opposing the new TA, that it means lower hourly rates (though Delta did theirs as a true add-on). Including pay in the hourly rate is better for senior crew, who work fewer longer flights. Including boarding pay is better for junior crew, who work more short flights and therefore spend relatively more time boarding. Unions usually redistribute pay from junior to more senior members, and thus haven’t prioritized boarding pay. But once Delta did it, it became harder to do that. So APFA worked to do it in other ways – such as a longer reserve period for new hires (B-scale work rules) and bigger percentage raises for more senior flight attendants, who already earn more.