AFA, APA To Bargain Jointly For Pre-Merger Union Members

The unions representing each pre-merger flight attendant group at the new American Airlines reached an unprecedented agreement with Company management last week on bargaining for a joint contract. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA represents the pre-merger US Airways workgroup while the Association of Professional Flight Attendants represents the pre-merger American workgroup.

"Flight attendants at the new American Airlines deserve a contract which reflects our contributions in making this merger possible," said Roger Holmin, MEC President, AFA. "We look forward to joining with our flying partners at American and fighting for the contract we deserve." 

"Flight attendants have proven once again that hard work and cooperation pay big dividends," said APFA President Laura Glading. "Throughout American's bankruptcy and this merger, flight attendants worked together to blaze our own trail. At the end of the trail is the joint contract that represents how hard we've worked and how successful the new American will be. Today, that end is in sight."

The final agreement is based on the deal AFA and APFA reached in December. Under the accelerated timeline in the agreement, all of the flight attendants at the new American will be reaping the merger's benefits by February 2015 at the latest – an unprecedented timetable in airline mergers.

The agreement between AFA and APFA also provides that pre-merger US Airways flight attendants will become APFA members. Therefore, that agreement will need to be ratified by a vote of the pre-merger US Airways flight attendants. In that same balloting, those flight attendants also will be voting to approve the negotiations procedures that AFA, APFA and the Company have agreed upon. Balloting will begin within 10 days and conclude within 40 days.

Following ratification, negotiations with management will follow an expedited timeline and the combined flight attendant group will have a new joint agreement within a year.

FMI: www.afacwa.org