American Airlines flight attendants vote to authorize strike

Flight attendants, American Airlines have been negotiating contract
Authorization vote ramps up pressure but does not mean strike is imminent
Flight attendants asking for pay raises, scheduling flexibility

Updated: Aug 31, 2023 / 01:20 PM CDT

FILE – American Airlines passenger jets prepare for departure, Wednesday, July 21, 2021, near a terminal at Boston Logan International Airport, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

(NewsNation) — American Airlines flight attendants voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, the union representing them said Wednesday.

A little more than 99% of voting members voted “yes,” the Association of Professional Flight Attendants announced on Twitter.

“Our 26,000+ Members have sent a clear message: we are ready to strike. #1u #SolidaritySummer,” the association wrote.

This does not mean a strike is imminent, but it does ramp up pressure during ongoing contract negotiations, The Dallas Morning News wrote. To start striking, the newspaper said, flight attendants would need approval by federal labor regulators and could only walk out after a 30-day cooling period.

APFA President Julie Hedrick told The Dallas Morning News that the union has been negotiating for over two years. NewsNation partner The Hill says the union’s asking for a one-time 35% wage increase, a 9% annual raise and increased benefits, as Hedrick says flight attendants at American have not gotten cost-of-living increases or any other quality-of-life improvements despite “keeping American in the skies both during and after the pandemic.”

Association of Professional Flight Attendants members, after the strike authorization vote was announced, picketed across the country, including at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, where NewsNation local affiliate WGN says they held up signs saying “AA makes billions. We can’t pay rent,” and “Ready to strike.”

“We are ready for an unprecedented contract,” said Dray Howard, Chicago-based president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, according to WGN. “We are ready for our flight attendants, who are new hires, to be able to live off of a decent wage. Not just survive. We are ready for a contract that allows us to have a healthy work-life balance. We are ready for a better retirement package. We are ready for better contractual language.”

In an email to NewsNation, a spokesperson for American Airlines said this strike authorization would not affect the company’s operations and that it is meeting regularly with the flight attendants union.

“We’re proud of the progress we’ve made in negotiations with the APFA, and we look forward to reaching an agreement that provides our flight attendants with real and meaningful value,” the company said. “We understand that a strike authorization vote is one of the important ways flight attendants express their desire to get a deal done. The results don’t change our commitment or distract us from working expeditiously to reach an agreement.”

Back in May, members of the Allied Pilots Association at American Airlines also had a positive strike authorization vote. However, this strike never came to fruition, as last week, American Airlines pilots approved a new contract raising their pay by more than 40% over four years and increasing company contributions to retirement plans. About 73% of pilots who took part voted in favor of the four-year, $9.6 billion contract.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.