NEWARK − United Airlines flight attendants held a demonstration at Newark Liberty International Airport on Wednesday where they announced that the union overwhelmingly voted yes on a strike authorization vote.
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the union that represents United flight attendants nationwide, opened the strike authorization vote to its United members on Aug. 1 and announced Wednesday at 1 p.m. that 99.9% of members voted yes.
Nearly 20 picket lines at airports across the country held demonstrations on Wednesday, including United attendants at LaGuardia Airport, said the AFA-CWA.
“I’m hoping this vote will be a catalyst to get United management to come to the table and give us the industry leading contract that we deserve and that we are demanding,” said Kim Montgomery who has been a flight attendant for 38 years and is the President of the Council 6 chapter at AFA-CWA that represents United Airlines flight attendants based out of Newark Airport.
The union has been bargaining with the United corporation for nearly three years, said union representative Nathan Janda. The last contract became eligible for an amendment in Aug. of 2021, reported Reuters.
Flight attendants are demanding pay raises, a better work-life balance, lower work-duty days and improvements on the usage of reserves as well as other issues.
Montgomery explains her frustrations about the stalled contract negotiations. “The company continues to make money hand over fist. Our leaders get pay raises regularly while some of us have not gotten a raise in years. We have flight attendants who are struggling to make ends meat while our CEOs are on private jets,” she said. “We want some respect shown in the contract.”
A Untied Airlines spokesperson in an email to NorthJersey.com about the strike authorization vote said, “We continue to work toward an industry-leading agreement for our flight attendants, including negotiations this week and every month through November. Both sides have been actively engaged in these negotiations facilitated by the federal mediator requested by the union. We remain eager to reach an agreement.”
Some flight attendants argue, however, that the company is not bargaining in good faith.
“We’ve been in contract negotiations for over 30 months. We have been in direct mediation for four to five months, and have still not seen good faith proposals come through,” said Melissa Chipchak, the secretary of the Council 6 chapter at AFA-CWA.
Chipchak explained that flight attendants deal with so much hardship while on the job from dealing with medical emergencies to the different personalities of passengers and safety issues.
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Flight attendants wants ground pay
She explained the issue of work-duty days, something that the flight attendant is very passionate about. “They are very long, a lot of the traveling public does not know we can work up to 15 or 16 hours domestic days, but only half of that time is paid.”
Chipchak said the union is fighting for ground pay. “We want from the time that you check in, from the time that you leave, like a normal worker, you get paid for all the hours on duty,” said Chipchak.
On top of these long hours, Chipchak said flight attendants don’t have time to recuperate with the current contract allowing only eight hours in-between duty days.
“When you are fatigued and working that long it has an effect on your mental and physical health,” the secretary to the union council said.
“We were promised an industry leading contract, industry leading pay years ago, but everything the company is offering is pretty much the same or concessionary,” said Chipchak.
Keturah Johnson, who has been a flight attendant for six years and is the international vice president of AFA-CWA, said she feels disrespected by the company’s latest contract offer.
‘Flight attendants mean business’
Alex, who wished to not give his last name, but is a grievance rep for the union and has been a flight attendant for eight years, hopes the strike authorization “will show the company flight attendants mean business.”
Montgomery said she hopes this vote will push the company to present better bargaining sessions, but she said the union is willing to take the next steps necessary in order to gain a fair contract.
“We are definitely ready and willing to take the steps of a strike if needed down the road,” said Montgomery.
Flights attendants would still need the approval of the National Mediation Board before they go on strike, as reported by Reuters.
Montgomery and Chipchak said a successful strike authorization vote has brought tentative agreements to American, Southwest and Alaska airlines.
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA represents over 50,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines, including Delta and SkyWest. The union’s branch that covers Newark Airport has 6,000 union members.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: United flight attendants picket at Newark airport, vote to strike
