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Associated Press
Flight Attendants' Union Approves Strike
Tuesday November 16, 5:52 pm ET
By Allison Schlesinger, Associated Press Writer
Board of Flight Attendants' Union Authorizes National Strike; President Blasts Airline Industry
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The board of the country's largest flight attendants union authorized a national strike Tuesday after its president said the airline industry is using the bankruptcy process to threaten workers' livelihoods.
"Our entire industry is in turmoil and the careers of our flight attendants all hang in the balance," said Patricia Friend, president of the Association of Flight Attendants. "Almost everywhere we look, flight attendants are being forced to work longer hours with reduced rest time, and all for ever-decreasing wages. This must stop."
The union, which represents 46,000 members at 26 airlines, said it will immediately start the process of taking strike votes at four airlines -- UAL Corp.'s United, US Airways Group Inc., ATA Holdings Inc.'s ATA Airlines and Hawaiian Holdings Inc.'s Hawaiian Airlines -- and will tally the votes by the end of December.
From there, the union will wait until there is an action in bankruptcy court.
UAL and US Airways are trying to get bankruptcy courts to cancel union contracts and impose deep pay cuts, Friend said. She also noted that the bankruptcy process is being used to terminate pension plans and eliminate health coverage for retirees.
US Airways asked a bankruptcy judge on Friday to cancel the collective bargaining agreement for flight attendants and several other unions. The airline then wants to impose a 15 percent pay cut on the flight attendants, with no pay raises until 2008, and eliminate their pension plan. The judge has scheduled a hearing on the motion for the beginning of December and has 30 days to make a decision.
If the judge cancels the collective bargaining agreement, then US Airways attendants will be on strike and "will be supported by their sister and brother flight attendants within the AFA," Friend said.
It was unclear Tuesday how many flight attendants -- and from what airlines -- would strike if US Airways attendants were to strike. The union would probably use "our trademark chaos strike tactic, which involves intermittent strikes without notice as to flight, time, day, airport," union spokesman David Kameras said.
US Airways spokesman David A. Castelveter said the airline continues to negotiate. "We understand the union's frustration with what has happened to the legacy airlines and the impact it has had on flight attendant careers," Castelveter said. "A strike, however, by law is not permitted under these circumstances. It would ground this airline and send approximately 5,400 flight attendants to the unemployment lines."
If the judge rejects the company's bid to cancel the current contract, the union and the airline will continue to negotiate, but Friend said the airline could refile the motion at any time. "We're hoping that they'll withdraw that motion before we even have a hearing so we can continue to bargain toward a satisfactory conclusion," Friend said.
Friend announced the board's strike authorization vote at a news conference in a Pittsburgh hotel. Her comments were met by cheers and chants from dozens of flight attendants.
The national Railway Labor Act, which requires intervention of a federal mediator and a "cooling off period" if good-faith negotiations reach an impasse, has been replaced by the bankruptcy code, Friend said.
"When a bankruptcy judge abrogates a collective bargaining agreement in the court, that judge says to the parties the contract no longer exists, to the company, you're free to employ your self help, which is to implement the terms and conditions of your choosing," Friend said. "We intend to exercise our right to self help, which is to withdraw our services."
US Airways says it needs pay cuts to avoid liquidation and transform itself into a low-fare carrier like JetBlue Airways Corp. and America West Holdings Corp.
The judge presiding over US Airways' bankruptcy has already imposed temporary pay cuts of 21 percent on the flight attendants and some other union workers, comparing the airline's situation to "a ticking fiscal time bomb."
United is seeking another round of pay and benefit cuts from its union workers, including $140 million in annual concessions from the flight attendants on top of $314 million it has already secured, the union said.
"This proposed action is not helpful to our employees, or the success of our company going forward, or our industry," United Airlines spokeswoman Jean Medina said. "What is helpful is what we've proposed to do with our employees, which is to sit down together and find solutions to reduce United's costs so that we can emerge from Chapter 11 as a successful, profitable and sustainable company that provides jobs to our employees for the long term."
Flight attendants are not unionized at Delta Air Lines Inc., which is in danger of bankruptcy.
Flight Attendants' Union Approves Strike
Tuesday November 16, 5:52 pm ET
By Allison Schlesinger, Associated Press Writer
Board of Flight Attendants' Union Authorizes National Strike; President Blasts Airline Industry
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The board of the country's largest flight attendants union authorized a national strike Tuesday after its president said the airline industry is using the bankruptcy process to threaten workers' livelihoods.
"Our entire industry is in turmoil and the careers of our flight attendants all hang in the balance," said Patricia Friend, president of the Association of Flight Attendants. "Almost everywhere we look, flight attendants are being forced to work longer hours with reduced rest time, and all for ever-decreasing wages. This must stop."
The union, which represents 46,000 members at 26 airlines, said it will immediately start the process of taking strike votes at four airlines -- UAL Corp.'s United, US Airways Group Inc., ATA Holdings Inc.'s ATA Airlines and Hawaiian Holdings Inc.'s Hawaiian Airlines -- and will tally the votes by the end of December.
From there, the union will wait until there is an action in bankruptcy court.
UAL and US Airways are trying to get bankruptcy courts to cancel union contracts and impose deep pay cuts, Friend said. She also noted that the bankruptcy process is being used to terminate pension plans and eliminate health coverage for retirees.
US Airways asked a bankruptcy judge on Friday to cancel the collective bargaining agreement for flight attendants and several other unions. The airline then wants to impose a 15 percent pay cut on the flight attendants, with no pay raises until 2008, and eliminate their pension plan. The judge has scheduled a hearing on the motion for the beginning of December and has 30 days to make a decision.
If the judge cancels the collective bargaining agreement, then US Airways attendants will be on strike and "will be supported by their sister and brother flight attendants within the AFA," Friend said.
It was unclear Tuesday how many flight attendants -- and from what airlines -- would strike if US Airways attendants were to strike. The union would probably use "our trademark chaos strike tactic, which involves intermittent strikes without notice as to flight, time, day, airport," union spokesman David Kameras said.
US Airways spokesman David A. Castelveter said the airline continues to negotiate. "We understand the union's frustration with what has happened to the legacy airlines and the impact it has had on flight attendant careers," Castelveter said. "A strike, however, by law is not permitted under these circumstances. It would ground this airline and send approximately 5,400 flight attendants to the unemployment lines."
If the judge rejects the company's bid to cancel the current contract, the union and the airline will continue to negotiate, but Friend said the airline could refile the motion at any time. "We're hoping that they'll withdraw that motion before we even have a hearing so we can continue to bargain toward a satisfactory conclusion," Friend said.
Friend announced the board's strike authorization vote at a news conference in a Pittsburgh hotel. Her comments were met by cheers and chants from dozens of flight attendants.
The national Railway Labor Act, which requires intervention of a federal mediator and a "cooling off period" if good-faith negotiations reach an impasse, has been replaced by the bankruptcy code, Friend said.
"When a bankruptcy judge abrogates a collective bargaining agreement in the court, that judge says to the parties the contract no longer exists, to the company, you're free to employ your self help, which is to implement the terms and conditions of your choosing," Friend said. "We intend to exercise our right to self help, which is to withdraw our services."
US Airways says it needs pay cuts to avoid liquidation and transform itself into a low-fare carrier like JetBlue Airways Corp. and America West Holdings Corp.
The judge presiding over US Airways' bankruptcy has already imposed temporary pay cuts of 21 percent on the flight attendants and some other union workers, comparing the airline's situation to "a ticking fiscal time bomb."
United is seeking another round of pay and benefit cuts from its union workers, including $140 million in annual concessions from the flight attendants on top of $314 million it has already secured, the union said.
"This proposed action is not helpful to our employees, or the success of our company going forward, or our industry," United Airlines spokeswoman Jean Medina said. "What is helpful is what we've proposed to do with our employees, which is to sit down together and find solutions to reduce United's costs so that we can emerge from Chapter 11 as a successful, profitable and sustainable company that provides jobs to our employees for the long term."
Flight attendants are not unionized at Delta Air Lines Inc., which is in danger of bankruptcy.
