American Airlines flight attendants demonstrated in front of the White House in Washington on May 9, 2024.
Drew Ungerer | AFP | Getty Images
Representing the union American Airlines Flight attendants on Wednesday rejected the company’s offer of an immediate 17% pay increase.
Chief Executive Officer Robert Isom offered flight attendants an immediate 17% pay increase early Wednesday as contract negotiations continue without an agreement and the possibility of a strike increases.
The airline and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants have struggled to reach a new contract agreement, disagreeing on key issues such as pay, with flight attendants not receiving a pay increase even before the pandemic.
“While progress has been made in some key areas, there is still much more to be done,” Isom said in a video message to flight attendants.
The union said the two sides would meet with federal mediators next week in a “final effort” to reach an agreement, adding that flight attendants had been told to prepare for a strike.
Strikes among airline employees are extremely rare — the last one was among Spirit Airlines pilots in 2010. If the two sides can’t reach an agreement, a release process will be initiated by a federal arbitrator, which can take several weeks.
“So, to get you paid more now, we’ve proposed to APFA an immediate 17 percent wage increase and a new formula that increases your profit sharing,” Isom said Wednesday. “This means we’re proposing a wage increase for all flight attendants and asking nothing in return from the union. This is unusual, but these are unusual times.”
Julie Hedrick, the union’s national president, said airlines should focus on preparing long-term contracts with flight attendants.
“That’s not true,” she said.
The union also said Wednesday it has opened a “strike command center” with a dedicated phone line and other resources to answer flight attendants’ questions.
U.S. airline pilots nearly reached a new collective bargaining agreement last year, but American Airlines flight attendants United With airlines Alaska The airline is still negotiating.
Last month, a bipartisan group of more than 160 House members wrote the National Reconciliation Board, urging it to help reach a deal with airlines and flight attendants.
