Dear Readers -
Thank you again for all of your kind messages and support. I apologize for not being able to update the blog more often, but I know you understand that work and life's other challenges just sometimes get in the way. Since the last post, I have been to the Shareholders' meeting in Chicago, and I received a response to my letter to Mr. Munoz. I will write about those in a post to come out soon. The biggest news is that a Joint Agreement has finally been worked out for United's Flight Attendants. It is a good contract, and at this time, United AFA members are casting their "Yes" or "No" votes for contract ratification. I know there isn't much time left to vote, but I wanted to weigh in and hopefully help some of you that have not voted to make your decision.
Joint Tentative Agreement Announced for United's Flight Attendants
It took six years, A LOT of hard work and time, but on June 24, 2016, after a marathon final two days of hammering out the last details, the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) for the United-AFA announced that a Joint Tentative Agreement (TA) had been reached. AFA leadership and the JNC were all committed to coming up with an industry leading contract and as details were released, it became clear that they had achieved that goal. On the "Our Contract" web site at www.ourcontract.org, the AFA has posted a chart summarizing the key points that make this contract "Industry Leading." You can check it out here - www.ourcontract.org/docs/ta/industrypdf.
I have read the full text of this TA, and I will admit I do not understand every detail. However, after reading all of it, I finally feel like I can exhale. The JNC actually did it, they worked out a contract that is far better than the agreements the three working subsidiary groups are working under, and a contract that by all appearances is better than the contracts for the Flight Attendants at Delta and American. United's Flight Attendants now have until noon eastern time on Friday, August 12, 2016 to ratify the new contract.
If the contract is approved, the new pay scales and work rules will go into effect in September of 2016. United management is saying that it will take eighteen months to fully integrate the seniority lists and actually have all Flight Attendants working together. Pre-merger United and Continental Flight Attendants have different scheduling systems and it is going to take time to update the programming and migrate the United Flight Attendants over to the system currently being used by Continental Flight Attendants. United Flight Attendants will need to be trained for the new Boeing 787's flying as Continental metal, and Continental Flight Attendants will need to be trained to work on United's AIrbus and Boeing 747 metal. Then there will need be joint training for the new scheduling system, and for the new Polaris® Business Class product being introduced into the fleet. Most importantly, during this time, the three groups are going to finally have to bring down some walls, come together, and define for themselves and as a group, what it means to be a United Airlines Flight Attendant.
From what I have seen and heard, the majority of pre-merger United Flight Attendants are voting "Yes" for the contract. It is hard to gauge how pre-merger Continental and Continental Micronesia Flight Attendants will vote, but those that are speaking out are saying to vote "No." There remains some animosity toward the AFA by pre-merger Continental Flight Attendants, and there is a grass-roots effort underway, focused in Houston and Newark, to form a new union, the United Flight Attendants Association (UFAA). Those leading the effort behind the UFAA are sending out the message that the AFA and its JNC have thrown the Continental Flight Attendants under the bus, so to speak, and that they can negotiate a better contract. I have also heard that it is just an accepted position to vote "No" on the first go-around and by doing so you force management to make more concessions.
I have been publicly standing behind United's Flight Attendants since 2004, and have made many new friends in this time. I have been there as they were forced to make concessions in order to save the company, and I have stood with them on the picket lines as they began to speak up and say enough is enough. I have always encouraged United's Flight Attendants to stand their ground because they deserve better. I have also stood up to United management and challenged them on their misguided efforts to keep seeking concessions from these employees that spend the most time with the customers. Contract negotiations were going nowhere while Mr. Smisek was running the ship. It was not until after he resigned and Mr. Munoz stepped in that real progress was made.
I say all of this because my experience is telling me that this is a contract that should be approved. For my Flight Attendant friends that are reading this, if you have not yet voted, I encourage you to vote "Yes." Here is why - economic winds are changing and airlines are facing new challenges that are affecting profitability. All of the airlines are seeing declines in Unit Revenue, and if those declines are not reversed soon, management is going to be looking at costs. The longer it takes to come up with any joint agreement, the greater the chance that management is going to be pressured to take back some of what they have given in this proposed TA you have in front of you now.
The other reason to vote "Yes" now is that you have new management that has a greater vision for United Airlines. They know how important the Flight Attendants are to the success of the company; however, they also have to answer to shareholders. Airline stocks have taken hits this summer, and United Continental has two large shareholder groups that have taken a more active position. So much so that they have been able to force changes to the Board of Directors. If United's Flight Attendants do not ratify this TA now, there are shareholders that have demonstrated that they can force management to change their position. For these shareholders, having an industry leading contract for the Flight Attendants may no longer be as important as doing what is necessary to turn the share price around.
Most importantly, vote "Yes" now because you have something that is concrete in front of you and it cannot be changed if times get tough. You will see bigger paychecks, be able to keep your benefits, and have industry leading work rules and protections. You will also have the pride that once again comes with being part of something special; where three groups with rich and proud heritages have come together, and that you played a part in making sure that this new United Airlines is better than ever.
If you have any questions, go to the "Our Contract" web site where you can find a lot of information about the TA and the improvements that are coming with it. In addition you can always contact your local AFA representatives. Volunteers are out there now at every domicile making themselves available to answer your questions. In addition, MEC officers are still out there conducting road shows that you can attend to ask your questions and voice your opinions.
Your local MEC officers and volunteers, and the JNC have worked so very hard in this last year to get to this point, so when you see them, no matter how you have voted, take the time to say thank you. In addition, you have a powerful advocate in Sara Nelson as head of the International AFA. She has stood by you on the front lines and she is a proud and dedicated United Flight Attendant. I first met Sara in 2008 at the UAL Shareholders' Meeting here in Los Angeles, and I have watched her work very hard for United's AFA members since that time. I do not think you would be here now voting on this Industry Leading Contract had it not been for the AFA.
