American Airlines flight attendants just ratified a new contract which provides 18% – 20% raises right away, full retro pay, plus boarding pay that the union says averages to an 8.5% raise as well. To get this, the union negotiated that new hires will get a worse deal than incumbent crewmembers have had.
Flight attendants there had been without a raise since 2019. The pandemic obviously slowed things down – the union wouldn’t have wanted to do a deal when nobody was flying and the airline was hemorrhaging money.
United Airlines negotiations, too, have dragged on for years. The parties are in federal mediation. And the union has updated its base pay demands.
- They are asking for 3% – 4% more than what American Airlines flight attendants just won.
- The bigger percentage increases are for more senior crew, who already earn more.
- And they are asking for bigger future raises, too. American flight attendants get future-year raises of 2.75%; 3%; 3%; and 3.5%. United flight attendants are asking for 4%.
- And they want these raises year after year. Traditionally there’s a fixed end date to the contract, and wages are frozen until there’s a new contract. That’s why American flight attendants had gotten their last raise in January 2019. Many American flight attendants now worry that their next deal will take four years to negotiate, during which they’ll be without raises.
Aviation watchdog JonNYC provides the detail and table of what the United Airlines AFA-CWA flight attendants union is asking for in mediated negotiations:
“From AFA at UAL. Asking for 28% immediate raise, 1/2 of base pay for ground pay (so all non-flying duty hours), and a 4% raise every year until a new contract is agreed on.” pic.twitter.com/QnO031m14u
— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) October 3, 2024
Already, the airline’s flight attendants voted to authorize a strike. For that to happen, the National Mediation Board would have to declare an impasse, followed by a 30-day cooling off period before releasing the parties to “self-help.”
That isn’t going to happen this year!
- They haven’t even finished laying out demands across all parts of the contract in their mediated negotiations.
- The Mediation Board’s members are majority-appointed by the current administration. Those members aren’t going to authorize a strike before the election.
- And there’s certainly no appetite for authorizing a strike while longshoremen are striking and the administration has said they will not order the dockworkers back on the job.
Ultimately we can expect that United’s deal will look similar to American’s but perhaps a little bit better, and profit sharing will be the biggest difference because even if they end up with the same formula United is more profitable.
But profit-sharing is the real difference-maker broadly. Delta Air Lines is the most profitable U.S. carrier, and their profit-sharing payments will make their cabin crew the highest paid. Delta flight attendants are non-union, so their pay is re-evaluated annually. They get raises each year. If United flight attendants see out-year increases like American’s, they are likely to be quickly surpassed by Delta wages.
Consistency. Best in industry for quality of life (regardless of seniority), compensation and leading the industry without distractions of a union.
The Delta Difference
Given that they have to apologize for the food they serve and the fact that there are so few of them they can’t get to you I have to support them.
Sorry saying Delta is any better is a grievous canard- in other words a complete lie.
Inflationary wages and consumables brought to you by Bidenomics. As Kammy says, “It’s working”.
Give them any raise they wish . Deduct it from the executives’ pay . That’s only fair .
Let them strike. Then look them out. The market is about to be flooded with a bunch of Spirit aisle donkeys anyway.
@Alert Scott Kirby could give his entire $18.6M pay and incentive package to the FA’s and they would get an extra $14 a week.
More union extortion. Maybe we can get a feature piece on the living arrangements Sara Nelson has, probably something like the dock worker union leader up in NJ has.
Regardless, the customers will lose like always.
Using Scotch Kirby’s own logic, United should agree immediately to all of these union demands. After all, he’s the one who said that United is the best airline in the world and the people you most interact with while flying are the flight attendants. That makes flight attendants the most critical part of being that best airline as claimed, so pay up for the best.
I say *NO* flight attendants don’t deserve any more raises, even if they Moan or bitch about it.
My flight experiences, good or bad, has depended mostly on FAs. UA FAs have been outstanding since Covid. AA FAs have been terrible. UA FAs deserve far better than what AA’s received.
@Chris. Your comments calling flight attendants “aisle donkeys” are disgusting. The news just announced 62% wage increases for dock workers over the next 6 years which I suspect you’re a okay with because you feel like that affects you directly. Just keep in mind that without flight attendants planes can’t fly and flight attendants deserve to make wage increases too considering how expensive things have gotten since covid. United flight attendants have not had a cost of living adjustment since before covid and things are plenty more expensive now! You should be a little less short-sighted with your disrespectful comments. No flight attendants and you don’t go anywhere.
Although you may have personal reservations, it is widely acknowledged that employers should provide fair compensation to their employees. It is unreasonable to expect workers to demonstrate enthusiasm and a positive attitude while facing challenging circumstances such as sleeping in their vehicles, sharing cramped living spaces, or receiving insufficient rest periods. These conditions can significantly impact their ability to perform their duties effectively.
Scott Kirby could give his entire $18.6M pay and incentive package to the FA’s and they would get an extra $14 a week.
Using Scotch Kirby’s own logic, United should agree immediately to all of these union demands. After all, he’s the one who said that United is the best airline in the world and the people you most interact with while flying are the flight attendants. That makes flight attendants the most critical part of being that best airline as claimed, so pay up for the best.
My flight experiences, good or bad, has depended mostly on FAs. UA FAs have been outstanding since Covid. AA FAs have been terrible. UA FAs deserve far better than what AA’s
received. Give them any raise they wish . Deduct it from the executives’ pay. That’s only fair!
@Coffee Please
I didn’t know “Bidenomics” was responsible for GLOBAL inflation….got it!
The Flight Attendants need to get the Longshoreman’s Union to do their negotiating. 10% a year for starters.
This guy writes BS stories about airline employees, very anti union and pathetic. He knows nothing about how APFA works etc. All talk with no substance!
Funny @Frank that you do not mention a single thing I actually get wrong..
Please explain why you didn’t fully go into detail about ground time pay? Then explain why you didn’t mention that United is refusing retro pay?! No retro no MF way!!!
@Justsaying – I have written extensively about various pay demands, the focus here is on pay rates because that’s specifically what AFA filled out in response to the request from the federal mediator.
They deserve the raises, the job is extremely stressful when you have an in the air mechanical or medical or weather situation.
Top Leaders at United Airlines make extremely good pay with extremely good benefits.
@JGS
Medical….yeah getting on the pa and asking if there are any qualified medical personnel onboard is stressful to you?
Mechanical…..um the pilots are the ones troubleshooting, coordinating with mx control and landing the plane. You’re making sure you stowed the drink cart.
Base pay is better than some registered nurses. CRAZY!!!!
“ They get raises each year. If United flight attendants see out-year increases like American’s, they are likely to be quickly surpassed by Delta wages.”
What gives you the right to assume this is the case? The DL BS about how their employees are the highest paid is an absolute sham! Profit sharing is not a guarantee and it fluctuates. AA, UAL, SW, and Alaska all have FAR SUPERIOR duty rigs and with that comes financial gain over DL FA’s. I’d love to know who’s paying you at DL to spread your “pro company anti union” propaganda.
As to base pay being higher than Nurses. Are Nurses required to be on duty 14 hrs but only paid for 7 hrs? There is a huge difference.
Please make note that Mr Kirby doubled his income last year from 9 to 18 million.
As a 26 year flight attendant, I haven’t had a raise in 8 years. Plus, the company continues to lower bonus, profit sharing, gifting, flight attendant staffing, and above all…MORALE
@Lelo, please explain how you haven’t had a raise in 8 years. None in 2024, none in 2023, none in 2022, none in 2021, none in 2020, none in 2019, none in 2018, none in 2017 and none in the last two+ months of 2016.
Delta is not a great airline, they treat their flight attendants with no respect. No union, no concrete work rules, the boarding pay can be canceled at anytime. American airlines has the best work rules by far of any legacy carrier!!!! This Gary author is very anti-union, stick to airline miles and programs, he knows nothing about union business!
Heather… the duty pay vs hourly pay was created by early flight attendant history to ensure senior flight attendants (better long haul trips per month) made out better than junior (multiple short haul flights, more unpaid hours). The double pay rate compared to ground occupations of similar hire requirements (high school diploma) and training time to certify (weeks, not months:years); let’s say EMT given “safety” is often supplied. That double oay scheme for skill set is not being surrendered for duty pay, is it. The demand ignores history. Also, why are junior members getting lower pay rate percentiles… when it is their “food stamp pay” that is being flagged as a call to action? Perhaps they are not represented at the table.