Mediated Negotiations Have Stalled, Vote Count Scheduled In May

Air Wisconsin Airlines flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), are gearing up for a possible strike at the carrier after mediated negotiations recently stalled. Strike vote ballots will be sent to the over 300 Flight Attendants next week with a vote count scheduled for May 22. Air Wisconsin, the largest privately held regional airline in the United States, operates as a US Airways Express carrier.

"Air Wisconsin Flight Attendants make great contributions to the success of our carrier through our professionalism and crucial role as first responders. It is time that management recognize Flight Attendants as key partners in the future success of our carrier and gets serious about negotiations," said Brenda Barrall, AFA Air Wisconsin President.

In the course of bargaining, management has continued to seek concessions and remove previously negotiated improvements, including many quality of life provisions important to Flight Attendants. This lack of progress could lead to the National Mediation Board (NMB) declaring that negotiations are deadlocked and releasing both parties into a 30-day "cooling off" period leading to a strike deadline. AFA has a trademarked strike strategy known as CHAOS or Create Havoc Around Our System. With CHAOS, a strike could affect the entire system or a single flight. The union decides when, where and how to strike without notice to management or passengers. 

Air Wisconsin operates regional flights as US Airways Express, serving 70 cities in the US and Canada. Air Wisconsin carries an estimated six million passengers per year with hubs in Philadelphia, Washington, DC, New York, Raleigh, NC, and Norfolk, VA.

FMI: www.afacwa.org