100,000 Flight Attendants Prepare to Picket at Major Airports

On Tuesday, flight attendants will be picketing and holding rallies at 30 airports across the United States. Alaska Airlines flight attendants voted in favor of a strike, with attendants at Air Wisconsin, Southwest, and American Airlines casting similar votes. 

Picket lines are planned to be held in Orlando, Miami, New York, Washington DC, Los Angeles, and various other major cities in the United States, with attendants across three labor unions expected to participate in the rallies. 

Thousands of flight attendants are striking for higher pay and new contracts, as they argue pilots received large pay raises last year while their own wages have not increased in the last few years.

A Lengthy Road to a Legal Strike

99% of flight attendants, equating to over 26,000 flight attendants represented by the labor union, voted in favor of authorizing a strike. While most flight attendants support a strike, it’s a lengthy process for these union workers to legally go on strike.

Airline union members have to stay on the job until an impasse is officially declared by federal mediators. After the impasse is declared, workers still have to be on the job during a 30-day cooling-off period, and federal law can delay or block legal strikes by airline unions. 

Flight Attendants Are Feeling the Pressure

Regardless of the obstacles to going on legal strike, flight attendants feel the pressure of a higher cost of living and stagnant wages. Doris Millard, an Air Wisconsin flight attendant, stated, “With the wages that we have, it’s just unsustainable. We can’t live off of these wages…I feel like I’m being forced to give up my career and find something else or continue to basically live in poverty.”

Many flight attendants have stated they must work two jobs to cover their living expenses. One of the negotiations flight attendants are fighting for is a change in the hours they are expected to work. Flight attendants are responsible for being at the airport ahead of the flight, boarding, and deplaning, but many don't get paid until the airplane door officially closes, which results in several hours of unpaid work.

American Airlines responded to the strikes in a statement Tuesday that they understand and respect the flight attendants’ right to picket and hear their call to action.