Strike Vote Is Underway, Concludes November 20

US Airways flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), held protests at four airports across the country Wednesday after it says the airline's management failed to negotiate a single contract for over 6,700 flight attendants. The America West/US Airways merger of 2005 remains incomplete and flight attendants are still working under separate contracts, in separate operations.

While US Airways flight attendants protested in unison Wednesday, results from the current strike vote will be announced in less than a week. The strike authorization, which concludes on November 20, demonstrates what flight attendants are willing to do to achieve a contract that can be ratified.

In a joint statement, Roger Holmin and Deborah Volpe, presidents for AFA representing flight attendants for pre-merger US Airways and America West, respectively, said "flight attendants are fed up and taking action to keep the focus on the current workers at US Airways. (US Airways CEO) Doug Parker needs to tend to the unresolved issues at the nation's fifth largest, but fractured, airline before seeking a takeover of American. We sacrificed and we work hard every day to make this airline profitable and it is high time management get serious about finishing this merger and recognizing frontline workers."

While US Airways profits soar, pre-merger America West flight attendants haven't seen contract improvements since 1999 and pre-merger US Airways flight attendants continue to work under a contract they reached during the airline's bankruptcy. "Parker has his eyes on a new merger with American Airlines, but he needs to tend to the unfinished business of this merger first and work with current US Airways employees who have delivered record profits. For a new merger forming the largest airline in the world to be successful, it will take the support of all of the workers involved, including US Airways flight attendants," added Holmin and Volpe.

US Airways flight attendants would utilize AFA's trademarked CHAOS tactics in the event of a strike. CHAOS stands for Create Havoc Around Our System, which includes intermittent strikes called without warning to management or the traveling public.

FMI: www.ourafa.org