Flight attendants affiliated with American Airlines approve fresh agreement with their employer.
After obtaining votes from nearly all eligible flight attendant members, an impressive 87% voted in favor of the newly proposed agreement, as reported by the union.
Recently, unions across aerospace, construction, aviation, and rail sectors have been campaigning for increased wages and better employee benefits in response to the tight labor market.
Flight attendants have been particularly vocal about reforming the industry's tradition of failing to pay crews for their time spent during the boarding process and waiting at airports before and in between flights.
Highlighting some of the improvements in the agreement, APFA National President Julie Hedrick stated, "The contract incorporates a novel payment system for extended periods of sitting between flights for American Airlines Flight Attendants, making them the pioneer unionized workforce to guarantee compensation for boarding times."
The pact, which was signed in July, offers immediate salary increases of up to 20.5%, combined with retroactive wage adjustments to address the negotiation period.
In addition to competitive wage rates, the new labor deal features incremental salary increases over time and addresses numerous aspects of work-life balance that flight attendants have been pushing for, according to the union.
The contract negotiation process was initiated in January 2020 but was temporarily halted amidst pandemic-related circumstances, soon resuming in June 2021.
The business sector within aviation has seen unions advocate for better wages and benefits due to the tight labor market. This new agreement, signed in July, significantly improves the business aspect for American Airlines Flight Attendants, with immediate salary increases and a novel payment system for extended periods between flights.
