Alaska Airlines flight attendants voted Wednesday to reject a temporary agreement reached by their union.
“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 nearly two-year dispute in which the airline’s flight attendants sought to negotiate their first new contract in a decade.
They say Alaska Airlines has given pilots big pay raises, but it’s not providing enough of a living wage for some flight attendants.
“There is still more work to be done. Flight attendants need improvements as soon as possible. Our union will continue to fight for the contract Alaska flight attendants deserve,” the statement said.
The three-year interim agreement that was rejected called for a 32% pay increase over the term of the agreement, payment for boarding time before the plane leaves the ground, and 21 months of retroactive pay to cover the time the pilots spent negotiating.
Alaska Airlines continues to negotiate and has On display What the airline described as 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 92.4% of eligible voters participate, the union confirmed. 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 among its members to identify key issues that need to be addressed in the negotiations.
In February, Alaska Airlines flight attendants agreed to strike for the first time in three decades. But before the strike can go ahead, the National Mediation Board must declare negotiations deadlocked, putting both sides into a 30-day “cooling-off” period leading up to the strike deadline.
The union said future steps could also include “additional lobbying efforts that will be necessary to pressure management, increase our leverage, and obtain additional funds in a new tentative agreement.”
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