7.31.24 – 2024 Tentative Agreement Update #2: Boarding Pay

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

2024 Tentative Agreement Update #2:
Boarding Pay

One of the questions we receive is, “Why can’t we just take the boarding pay as regular wages?”

First, that is not what was negotiated. Flight Attendants provided clear direction that securing boarding pay was a priority in this contract. Over the last few years in particular, Flight Attendants have done an amazing job of communicating that we are not paid for boarding out into the press and the flying public. This has put pressure on management to deal with the issue. We have beaten the company up on the boarding pay issue and it would be odd to now say that we don’t want to be paid for boarding and we would rather go unpaid.

One of our basic demands in this round of bargaining was to get paid for boarding time. The company agreed early on to pay for boarding pay. It is a mistake to assume that we could simply go to the company and convert that into hourly wages. By way of example, we were able to secure an additional 3.5% in our 401(k) because we argued that we lagged the industry. We cannot, then, simply convert that into pay because we would still be behind the industry in retirement pay.

Second, work rules matter. We continually fight for rigs and other pay provisions that address the unique aspects of our jobs. Many times in bankruptcy court, we have understood that while pay comes and goes, once work rules are gone, they are gone forever. Here, we have a chance to lock in an inroad into correcting a historic inequity. This is a provision that we can build on in future contracts to push for more direct compensation for time not flying. Boarding is the most hectic part of our flying schedule and we should be compensated for it.

Third, while some have pointed out that boarding pay does not pay on sick and vacation like wages would, all of that has been considered in the financial model. When we negotiate wage rates, the cost of the impact on other payments is taken into account.

Boarding pay will be paid above the guarantee and above the value of the trip. That means when sitting reserve, boarding pay will be paid in addition to the monthly guarantee, increasing earnings for reserves. Likewise, unlike trip and duty rigs, boarding pay does not get eaten up by the value of the trip or applicable pay protections; it is paid in addition to the trip.

Fourth, the value of any pay provision will vary on what type of flying you do. Different rigs will kick in depending on the type of flying, but our job is to protect all flying. When negotiating provisions, we balance the benefits across all seniority steps, which was done with this agreement.

But we also need to be clear, it is our job as trade unionists to advance our profession and to make it better for the next generation. We benefited from our predecessors who fought for and won rigs and other contract provisions. They understood that a strong contract is not just about pay rates but work rules. Here, we have to do our part in the longstanding fight to make sure Flight Attendants are paid for all the work we perform.

Finally, Flight Attendants are voting on the Tentative Agreement as a whole. Some may prefer boarding pay, some may not. Some may have preferred more money in other areas but less in wages. But the job of the negotiating committee is to present a contract as a whole to the membership to decide as one package.

The reality is that our wage increases plus the boarding pay will increase our basic compensation on average by 26% to 28%. Placing all that money in the wage rates would have been easier to explain, but just because it is easier does not make it right.

One of the top Flight Attendant asks is boarding pay. We said we would fight to secure boarding pay, and we are proud to further diversify our compensation.

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