American Airlines on -board agents vote to strike - which means for your flights
Thousands of union workers are pressure for the carrier to offer better salary.
It was a summer of strikes, workers making waves in several industries. THE strikes of writers and actors agitate the entertainment sector, while the postal industry has been faced USPS protests And a potential UPS strike Avoided at the last minute. Now, your travel plans could be in danger, because the on -board agents of American Airlines have just passed to authorize a strike. Read the rest to discover what it means for future flights.
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American Airlines on board agents are pressure for salary increases.
The Association of Professional Board Agents (APFA) is currently striving to negotiate better wages for more than 26,000 American Airlines on -board agents. Their five -year contract became modifiable in December 2019 and the union started negotiations with the carrier in 2018 before being closed because of the pandemic, Forbes reported.
The talks resumed in 2021 but an agreement has not yet been met, and now they are at a "animated point of negotiations", president of Charlotte Apfa Scott Hazlewood said to the magazine on August 30.
On March 7, the APFA negotiation committee presented their economic proposal to American airlines. The proposal indicates that the union requests an initial increase of 35% for on -board agents, which could range from $ 40 to $ 93 more per hour depending on the years of service of a worker. The APFA also requests an annual increase of 6% each year after the initial increase.
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On -board officers have just passed to authorize a strike.
Almost six months after the APFA published their wage requests, the American Airlines on board agents are now trying to put more pressure on the carrier to approve salary increases. In a August 30 Press release , the APFA announced that 99.47% of participating on -board agents had just passed in favor of the authorization of a strike. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB
"Today, we have sent a clear message to American Airlines Management: we are excited and ready for a contract. They ignore this strike vote at their risk," said national president of the APFA Julie Hedrick said in a press release. "Our contributions to the success of American Airlines must be recognized and respected."
A ranging is unlikely to occur soon.
This does not mean that you will see the American Airlines on -board agents leave the planes tomorrow. Instead, the vote simply authorizes the leaders of the APFA to call for a strike "if the contractual talks do not give significant improvement," said the union in his communication.
But even then, a ranging would not be immediate. Federal law makes it difficult for airline unions strike , according to CBS News. As the media explained, the Rail Labor Act requires that federal mediators decide that new negotiations are useless before a strike can occur - and that it rarely happens.
"We cannot strike before the Liberation by the National Mediation Board and after a thirty -day cooling period," said APFA in its communication. "But if the management continues to offer concessions associated with lean improvements to remuneration and retirement, we will not hesitate to request a release to strike if necessary."
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Here's what a strike for travelers would look like.
If an agreement is not respected and the APFA is released from negotiations by the National Mediation Board, the 26,000 union agents of American Airlines can strike after the cooling period of 30 days. But it would probably be done through targeted employment And not a real complete strike, the view of the brought back.
The APFA has clearly indicated that a strike can "take many forms", according to A FAQ section on its website. "A traditional strike includes all workers who came out of work, but intermittent strikes targeting certain flights offer management of management and have proven to be more effective," said the Union.
In other words, it is more likely that the union would target specific flights for certain days rather than knocking on all levels, depending on the wing. Most on -board agents would work mostly most of the time, which minimizes their financial damage to a strike.
However, such action could still have a serious impact on the profits of American airlines by creating uncertainty about the potential flights of flights, making customers to reserve flights with a more stable carrier instead of American.
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American Airlines said that she expects to reach an agreement with the union.
A strike will not occur at all if an agreement is respected, which is anticipated by American Airlines. When Better life Completed to the carrier, a spokesperson provided a declaration indicating that the carrier continues to regularly meet the APFA and works to conclude a fair agreement with the union.
"We are proud of the progress that we have made in negotiations with the APFA, and we are impatient to reach an agreement that offers our real and significant value agents," said American Airlines in its press release.
The airline has added: "We understand that a vote on strike authorization is one of the ways in which the on -board agents express their desire to conclude an agreement. The results do not change our commitment or do not distract us to work quickly to reach an agreement. "
