Summary
- American Airlines’ initial economic proposal to flight attendants is seen as a place to begin but falls wanting the industry-leading contract promised by CEO Robert Isom.
- The proposal does include some gains for flight attendants, resembling boarding pay, but denies many other requests for changes.
- American Airlines refuses to supply meals to cabin crew on duty for over 8 hours, which is seen as unfair in comparison with what pilots receive.
On September 13, the American Airlines Cabin Crew union, the Association of Skilled Flight Attendants, shared a public-facing response to American Airlines’ economic offer to the flight attendants. The Association found the offer to be lower than the industry-leading response promised by CEO Robert Isom.
“A starting proposal”
The September 13 statement by the Association of Skilled Flight Attendants (APFA) representing 26,000 flight attendants found that American Airlines’ management’s initial economic proposal was “A place to begin.” The proposal does give AFPA some gains – like boarding pay – but in addition denies many APFA requests for changes. Nonetheless, as Julie Hedrick, APFA National President shared with Easy Flying,
Flight attendants are uninterested in waiting. It’s our time to get a contract.
With that, wages within the table below, with DOS being the Date of Signing, clearly show a big gap. Moreover, not shown within the table is American Airlines’ lack of interest in either signing bonuses, retroactivity, or increases after the amendable date.
Graphic: APFA
One should note that American Airlines CEO Robert Isom promised President Hedrick an industry-leading contract. Isom said as per below,
“We’re going to work with you to get a contract that takes care of our flight attendants, and at the top of the day, after we sit down and we compare it with everybody else, you aren’t going to be behind.”
In some ways, American Airlines’ proposal is not less than nearing something that’s industry-leading. In other areas, work stays to be done.
Boarding pay granted
In a single significant improvement for APFA, an agreement was reached for boarding pay. Boarding pay is a serious point of contention for US cabin crew unions, as most airlines don’t pay for that critical phase of labor. As President Hedrick shared with Easy Flying, boarding is “definitely the busiest time for us, and possibly the toughest.” American Airlines expects cabin crew to get ticketed passengers onboard in 25–half-hour, evaluate the passengers, help with luggage, help calm nerves, and, in fact, help direct passengers to the right seats. President Hedrick also shared that,
“Safety is the primary priority at the moment. In any respect times, actually.”
Trained professionals with recurrent training
One other point that President Hedrick shared with Easy Flying is that flight attendants are trained initially for six weeks but have two days of in-person recurrent training and quarterly web-based training. The in-person recurrent training does include increased self-defense training. Nonetheless, American Airlines disagreed with APFA’s request to extend pay for sitting through the web-based training. Nor did either group agree on the rise for the in-person training days.
But American Airlines refuses to supply meals to cabin crew
As APFA posted on social media, American Airlines management has refused to conform to provide meals for sequences past an 8-hour duty time. That is contrary to what pilots get.
As if, in some way, cabin crew aren’t trained professionals who must be physically and mentally fit to look after an airline’s customers and property. Not to say, be ready to handle in-flight medical emergencies, from allergic reactions to childbirth and heart attacks.
Bottom line
American Airlines was asked to share its response to the APFA statement but declined by press time. Nonetheless, as APFA Spokesperson Paul Hartshorn, Jr. shared with Easy Flying as to what’s next,
“I feel in the event that they don’t make substantial movement in the following month, you’ll be able to see … the union ask to be released to strike to a 30-day cooling off period in the course of the upcoming holiday travel season. … Today’s developments don’t give us much faith that they are moving 100% within the direction they should, so we’ll wait and see.”
Again, over 92% of APFA members voted to authorize a strike if needed. Members recently demonstrated their collective solidarity at all-base pickets the day the outcomes were released:
Ultimately, with Alaska Airlines flight attendants in the same situation, the 2023 holiday season may come bearing gifts of flight attendant strike motion across the USA. One would hope for less turbulence, but President Hedrick’s members haven’t had a raise since 2019 and work 12-hour days.
Is American Airlines or APFA being unreasonable? Please be at liberty to share within the comments with civility.
: APFA