7.09.24 – Negotiations Update #66: Negotiations Continue The Week Of July 15, 2024

Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Negotiations Update #66
Negotiations Continue the Week of July 15, 2024

Since the beginning of May, APFA and American Airlines management have been engaged in extensive mediation to reach an agreement. In this negotiations update, we will provide more information on the bargaining status and the steps moving forward to reach an agreement.

The last formal proposals between the parties were at the beginning of May and at that time, APFA and the company were several billion dollars apart. Up until May, the company was standing firm on the Delta wage rates which resulted in an 11.2% wage raise, boarding pay, out-year increases at 2% per year, no per diem increase, scheduling concessions, and no retro pay. The company subsequently increased their wage raise to 17% which also increased the value of boarding pay.

Since then, we have engaged in intensive mediation, starting with three straight weeks in DFW and then continuing at the National Mediation Board (NMB) in Washington, D.C., with talks directly supervised by the members of the Board. During this time frame, progress has been made with cabinet-level involvement from Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Labor Julie Su, and the help of our mediators.

To be clear, this intensive bargaining in Washington D.C., including last-minute meetings over the weekend, is highly unusual and indicates the amount of pressure and national attention our struggle has generated. The membership has stood together and made it clear that American Airlines Flight Attendants are willing to do what it takes to achieve the contract we deserve.

As a result of this process, to date, the company has added over one billion dollars in additional money over the life of the agreement beyond the May formal proposals. We have made progress at the bargaining table on almost every issue that separates the parties. This includes progress on issues such as wage increases above Delta, increases to per diem, out-year wage increases, retro pay, and beating back scheduling concessions. As a result, the gap separating the parties has narrowed so we are no longer billions of dollars apart.

Despite all this effort, we do not yet have a tentative agreement. We remain apart on key issues including the date-of-signing wage increases and a select set of other key issues. Although we have made progress in these areas, we are not going to sell ourselves short and will fight for the contract American Airlines Flight Attendants deserve.

As you will note, this update is not as detailed as our previous negotiation updates. For the first time at APFA, we have provided transparency throughout the process. We are, however, at a different stage of bargaining, and much of the movement at this point is through informal proposals, often through the federal mediators. As is typical at this point in negotiations, the NMB has limited the frequency and content of our communications.

The Strike Threat

It has been a roller coaster of bargaining these last two months. During this period, the NMB has set several mediation sessions which resulted in deadlines for the parties. During this period, the company made enough movement to, in the NMB’s estimation, make more negotiations warranted. As we say, that is both a good thing and a bad thing. It delays our negotiations and our right to strike. On the other hand, it puts hundreds of millions of dollars into our pay and other provisions, improvements that will make a real difference for many Flight Attendants.

But we also need to be crystal clear that underlying our bargaining is our request to be released into a thirty-day cooling-off period. Make no mistake– all the progress we have made at the bargaining table has been due to the pressure of a potential strike.

Under the Railway Labor Act, the NMB will keep the parties bargaining as long as they see the potential for a deal. That means if the company is putting tens or hundreds of millions more into the agreement, the NMB will keep the pressure on both parties to move forward to reach a deal. While we do not agree with how long or difficult it is to exercise our right to strike, when there is movement, the NMB will require more bargaining.

In terms of the next steps, we will meet with the company next week in Phoenix to continue negotiations. We are ready to close the remaining gap, but we are prepared to take all steps necessary to push forward our right to strike.

Our message needs to be clear to American Airlines management that the time is long overdue to reach an agreement of which American Airlines Flight Attendants can be proud. As a result of hard bargaining, we are within striking distance of a deal but it will require additional financial resources into the agreement.

Our Flight Attendant group has been incredible throughout this process with our 99.47% strike vote, our months of pickets, and our incredible solidarity. By staying strong and unified, we can and will push to get the contract we deserve.

Continue to wear your red WAR pin, red lanyard, and bag tags until we secure the contract we’ve earned.

In Solidarity,

Your APFA Negotiating Committee

Reese Cole
Kelly J. Hagan
Julie Hedrick
Timothy Legeros
Brian Morgan
Wendy Oswald
Susan Wroble
Joe Burns, Lead Negotiating Attorney

[email protected]