6.05.24 – American Airlines Flight Attendants Open Strike Command Center

Media Contact: Paul Hartshorn, Jr.
[email protected]

American Airlines Flight Attendants
Open Strike Command Center

EULESS, TX– (June 5, 2024) – Today, American Airlines’ 27,000+ Flight Attendants, represented by the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), opened a strike command center at APFA headquarters.

This centralized communications center is staffed with specially trained Union advocates, who are:

• Staffing a dedicated hotline to answer questions from Flight Attendants.
• Producing written materials, videos, and other resources to support Flight Attendants during a strike, including a strike handbook mailing to Flight Attendant’s homes.
• Communicating with Flight Attendants to ensure they are ready to strike.

“Flight Attendants have not had a raise in over five years. It’s time for American Airlines management to conclude these negotiations and pay Flight Attendants for their work today and retroactively,” said Julie Hedrick, National President of APFA and a career Flight Attendant.

APFA has requested a release from federally mediated negotiations but continues to negotiate with management as required by the National Mediation Board (NMB).“A release into a 30-day cooling-off period is the next required step towards a Flight Attendant strike at American Airlines,” Hedrick explained.

Management’s economic proposals continue to fall far short of addressing the current economic environment. Federally mediated talks, which include NMB-assigned mediators, have been ongoing and have yet to produce a contract that compensates Flight Attendants appropriately.

“It is way past time for management to acknowledge our contributions to the airline, address the new industry standard, and compensate us fairly. We are neither backing down nor settling for less than we’ve earned,” Hedrick said.

Under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), which governs labor contracts for Flight Attendants, airline workers must be released to strike by the NMB. Opening the Strike Command Center is the next step to ensure a successful work stoppage if the 30-day cooling-off period ends without additional progress.

The APFA Strike Command Center is fully operational, and representatives are available to take Flight Attendant calls to ensure they are fully prepared for a strike. Each of American’s ten Flight Attendant crew bases has fully trained representatives to help answer questions and explain the strike process, ensuring any work stoppage is successful.

Flight Attendants have watched American Airlines CEO Robert Isom’s pay package balloon to a staggering 31.4 million dollars and senior management reward themselves with bonuses and incentives for successfully navigating the pandemic. New-hire Flight Attendants at American Airlines start at just $27,000/year. Robert Isom’s compensation package is now 1,162 times that of a new-hire Flight Attendant.