Summary
- Flight attendants at Alaska Airlines will vote on strike motion in January and February 2024 amid ongoing contract negotiations.
- The strike, if it occurs, will likely be the primary on the airline since 1993, but picketing has already began at some bases.
- The Association of Flight Attendants is asking for increased wages, higher working conditions, and pay forever worked.
Flight attendants at Alaska Airlines will likely be asked to vote on strike motion in an upcoming ballot, as ongoing contract negotiations reach a stalemate. The Association of Flight Attendants has confirmed that strike ballots will likely be sent to the airline’s 6,800 flight attendants in the brand new yr, with the vote opening on January eighth and shutting on February thirteenth, 2024.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Easy Flying
If it goes ahead, the strike will likely be the airline’s first since 1993. Nonetheless, flight attendants have already began picketing at a variety of Alaska Airlines’ worker bases, including Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Portland International Airport (PDX), as reported by the Portland Business Journal.
Ongoing negotiations
Negotiations have been ongoing since September 2022, with the AFA asking for increased wages, improved working conditions, and pay forever spent working, whether within the air or on the bottom. In October 2023, Alaska Airlines proposed a pay increase of 15%, which it claims would put its flight attendants
The offer was rejected, and the situation has come to a head in recent weeks, following Alaska Airline’s $1.9 billion purchase of Hawaiian Airlines. The news didn’t go down well with the AFA, after it was told that the union’s previous proposals weren’t economically viable. Further discussions are scheduled to happen in the brand new yr.
Photo: Philip Pilosian | Shutterstock
The AFA’s President of the Alaska Chapter, Jeffrey Peterson, explained why the union will likely be conducting a strike ballot, saying,
“The reality is Alaska management can afford an industry-leading contract. Management’s unwillingness to present adequate proposals brought us to this strike vote announcement. Our quality of life is non-negotiable. We won’t accept terms that leave us falling even further behind the industry for years to come back. Enough. If you desire to PLAY like a giant airline, it is advisable PAY like one. It’s time for Alaska to pay us or CHAOS.”
Gearing up for the vacation travel period
CHAOS is a trademark of the AFA, standing for Create Havoc Around Our System, and with a considerable 6,800-strong flight attendant community operating a fleet of 252 aircraft (as per the most recent data from ch-aviation), any strike motion does have the potential to cause disruption.
The news of potential strike motion couldn’t come at a worse time for Alaska Airlines, because the carrier gears up for considered one of the busiest travel periods of the yr. Nonetheless, the carrier has said that it doesn’t expect any operational impact from the strike ballot or any associated picketing.
This week, Alaska Airlines has launched several recent international routes, including Los Angeles (LAX) and Seattle (SEA) to Nassau (NAS) and Los Angeles to Guatemala City (GUA). The carrier will undoubtedly be hoping to tap into the busy vacation and visiting friends and relatives (VFR) markets this holiday season.
What do you make of the upcoming strike ballot by Alaska Airlines’ flight attendants? Do you’re thinking that an agreement will likely be reached to avoid industrial motion? Share your thoughts by commenting below.