Alaska Flight Attendants Reject Initial Contract Agreement

Alaska Airlines flight attendants voted Wednesday to reject their union’s tentative agreement.

“This is democracy at work, and flight attendants always have the final say on any contract,” the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents Alaska Airlines flight attendants, said in a statement to reporters.

The decision continues a dispute that has lasted nearly two years as the airline’s flight attendants sought to negotiate their first new contract in a decade.

They say Alaska Airlines has given big pay raises to pilots but doesn’t provide a livable wage to some of its flight attendants.

“There is more work to be done,” the statement said. “Flight attendants need improvements as soon as possible. Our union will continue to fight for the contract Alaska flight attendants deserve.”

The initial three-year agreement, which was rejected, called for a 32% pay increase over the life of the agreement, payment for boarding time before the plane leaves the ground, and 21 months of retroactive pay to cover time spent negotiating.

Alaska Airlines continues to negotiate and has done so. I offered What the airline calls an industry-leading proposal, including an immediate 15% increase in the pay scale, according to an online statement from the airline.

AFA Alaska represents more than 6,500 flight attendants.

The flight attendant vote, which ended on Wednesday, saw a turnout of 92.4 percent of eligible voters, the union said in a statement. Online statement.

The union said 68% of voters opposed the deal, while 32% voted in favour.

The union said it plans to conduct a survey of members to identify key issues to be addressed in negotiations.

Alaska Airlines flight attendants were allowed to strike for the first time in three decades in February. But before a strike can happen, the National Mediation Board must declare negotiations deadlocked, putting both sides into a 30-day “cooling-off” period that ends with a strike deadline.

Future steps could also include “additional lobbying efforts that will be necessary to pressure the administration, increase our leverage and obtain additional funds in a new tentative agreement,” the union said.