Alaska Airways flight attendants authorize strike for first time in 3 many years

Alaska Airways flight attendants and supporters wooden in entrance of the Ted Stevens Anchorage Global Airport on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, the similar day union participants voted to authorize a strike. Alaska Airways flight attendants haven’t negotiated a brand new contract in just about 10 years. (Loren Holmes / ADN) Flight attendants with Alaska Airways voted to authorize a strike for the primary time in additional than 30 years on Tuesday.Information of the vote emerged as greater than 60 flight attendants protested for higher pay outdoor the Ted Stevens Anchorage Global Airport.The vote does no longer imply a strike will happen.However the resolution raises the stakes in an effort by way of the attendants to barter what they are saying is their first new contract in a decade. They are saying Alaska Airways has awarded massive pay will increase to pilots however does no longer even supply a habitable salary to a few of its flight attendants.The negotiations have dragged on for greater than a 12 months, and flight attendants have held a couple of protests outdoor the Anchorage airport and different airports nationally.Alaska Air flight attendants on Tuesday picketed outdoor 30 airports in 3 nations, mentioned Rebecca Owens, spokesperson for the Native Council 30 in Anchorage for the Affiliation of Flight Attendants. Flight attendants with 24 airways have been concerned.Alaska Airways mentioned in a commentary on Tuesday it’s making development within the negotiations.“We stay constructive within the negotiations procedure,” the corporate mentioned. “With six lately closed exertions offers on the corporate and a tentative settlement reached in January for a brand new contract for our technicians, we’re hopeful to do the similar for our flight attendants once imaginable. AFA and Alaska management have met two times within the ultimate 3 weeks and are proceeding to discount and meet with a mediator. Discussions were productive and within the ultimate two periods, we reached 4 tentative agreements.”“Whilst communicate of a strike is relating to, particularly for our visitors and the communities that depend on our provider, it might no longer occur briefly,” the commentary persisted. “Many extra steps would want to happen over many months, if no longer longer, earlier than a strike is even imaginable.”The dispute comes at a time that Alaska Air has confronted disrupted flight schedules after a part of the fuselage of a Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft blew off in midflight ultimate month, an incident that ended in groundings of the planes and that Boeing has mentioned it’s in command of.Alaska Air is touting massive earnings and has presented $1.9 billion to obtain Hawaiian Airways, Owens mentioned.Nevertheless it hasn’t presented affordable pay will increase to flight attendants, she mentioned. Many flight attendants obtain poverty-level wages, forcing some to depend on their spouse’s or partner’s earning for monetary steadiness, Owens mentioned.[With some flight attendants on welfare, Alaska Airlines faces contract fight]First-year flight attendants on the airline make a mean base pay of lower than $24,000 every year, union officers have mentioned.“This isn’t a task that will pay sufficient to toughen your self,” Owens mentioned.Dozens of off-duty flight attendants, joined by way of pilots, held wooden indicators and chanted within reach as she spoke. They marched in brisk winds close to the Alaska Airways terminal.“Alaska makes $$$$,” some indicators mentioned. “We will be able to’t make hire.”Greater than 5,900 flight attendants on the airline voted 99% in choose of a strike this week, Owens mentioned. The union had mentioned ballots could be despatched to six,800 flight attendants.Ahead of a strike can happen, the Nationwide Mediation Board should claim that negotiations are deadlocked, hanging each events in a 30-day “cooling off” duration resulting in a strike cut-off date, the union has mentioned.The union follows a strike technique referred to as CHAOS, or “Create Havoc Round Our Gadget.” It employs unannounced moves on random flights, Owens mentioned.The ultimate time Alaska Air flight attendants went on strike used to be in 1993, the Affiliation of Flight Attendants-CWA mentioned in a commentary on Tuesday.The airline skilled “dramatic discounts” in price tag bookings since passengers didn’t know till the ultimate minute if their flight could be affected, the union mentioned.“You’ll be able to’t fly with out flight attendants,” Sara Nelson, president of the Affiliation of Flight Attendants Global, mentioned within the commentary. “If Alaska control doesn’t keep in mind what occurs while you disrespect flight attendants, we’re in a position to turn them. It’s previous time for an even deal.”• • •

Author: OpenAI