- STRIKE! -

The word strike is one of those useful, flexible words that carries a few definitions, as well as be used as a noun or a verb.  Here are a couple of those definitions:  

verb -  to hit forcibly and deliberately with one's hand, or with a weapon or other implement; 

            

verb -  to take swift action against an enemy or other threat in order to neutralize that threat at the optimal time; (to strike "while the iron is hot").

                   

             OR

noun  -  a refusal to work organized by a body of employees as a form of protest, typically in an attempt to gain a concession or concessions from their employer.

This post is about the last definition above, the noun, although it can be used as a verb within the same context.

Right now, the flight attendants at United Airlines are heavy into negotiations for their contract that became amendable in 2021.  Three years is a long time to wait, but the flight attendants have, until now, waited patiently for management to come to the bargaining table.  More importantly they have waited for management to come to the table without having brought their own exaggerated self-worth and bravado, and without the idea that it is once again time for the flight attendants to give up something so that the airline can remain competitive and profitable.

In saying that the contract for the flight attendants became amendable, here is some clarification.  Under the provisions of the Railway Labor Act, enacted more than a century ago, collective bargaining agreements between transportation workers and their employers do not expire.  The U.S. Government sought this protection because they knew that the shutdown of the railways would shut down the economy.  It was best to keep folks working while at the same time, hammer out new terms to an extension of the existing contract.  The U.S. Government would protect employees by making sure employers bargained in good faith.  As a vital part of our country's infrastructure, the provisions of the Railway Labor Act have carried over to the airlines.  

This does not mean that airline employees can be kept working under the same contract terms for years on end.  There can be a strike, but it takes quite a bit of time to get to that point.  When a contract becomes amendable, if one or both parties to the agreement want to negotiate new terms, then both parties are required to sit down and negotiate.  The flight attendants' union - the United Airlines AFA-CWA, under the leadership of current president Ken Diaz, has in place a negotiating committee charged with communicating the terms and conditions that their membership wants for this new contract period.  The significant provisions that are being re-negotiated include pay and benefits, scheduling, training, uniforms and appearance standards, as well as per diem compensation and hotels used for layovers.  There are thousands of details that need to be hammered out as management fights to not give anything up, and the AFA fights not to give in to management, as they have so many times before. 

United's management representative at the table is a man named John Slater, Senior Vice President in charge of In-flight Services.  On his LinkedIn profile, he describes himself as "an innovative travel industry executive with extensive experience in sales, customer service, operations, business strategy, distribution, and electronic commerce."  What is important to note here is that the man in charge of In-flight Service at United Airlines has no in-flight service experience.  If you have traveled on United recently and felt that the in-flight offerings were a little lacking, this is the first man to blame.  Mr. Slater's boss is Scott Kirby, CEO at United Airlines.  Mr. Kirby is a numbers guy, and when customer yields are down, he lowers his ax on expenses, no matter who might be under the blade.  To keep his job, Mr. Slater needs to come away from the negotiations with concessions from the employees.

With this round of negotiations, one change that the flight attendants want to see is to be paid for all hours they are on duty.  You know how airlines will allot 30-45 minutes, or even an hour to board a flight?  Did you know that during that time, the flight attendants are not getting paid?  In fact, they have already been in the airport and on the plane for an hour or more for check-in, briefings and completing safety checks.  When it comes time to board, flight attendants are expected to be on point, at their assigned positions, with smiles, and ready to assist with the boarding process.  Flight attendants assigned to premium cabins pull extra duty with pre-departure beverage service and taking meal orders.  Flight attendants assigned to the galleys have to make sure food and beverage carts are stocked and ready to go.  When a flight lands, when you hear that "ding" as the plane comes to a full stop at the gate, that is when the time clock stops.  The 30 or more minutes it takes for passengers to disembark is unpaid.  

All this extra, unpaid, duty time can get extended by irregular operations such as a mechanical problem at the gate, or waiting for baggage to be loaded for connecting passengers.  Then there is the extra unpaid time just built into a flight attendant's schedule.  I have seen flight attendants post pairings on Facebook that will have six hours of paid time, yet their duty day is fifteen hours, with the time spent sitting in airports waiting for their next trip.  Under the current terms of the contract, the company can ask flight attendants to put in duty days lasting 18 hours.  For international flying, say a trip from Washington-Dulles to Athens, flight attendants get paid for 20 hours, but they are away from the base for 48 hours or more.  

The flight attendants at United are asking that they get paid for every hour they are at work, both in the air and on the ground.  This is something that Delta Air Lines' flight attendants recently succeeded in negotiating with their management.  Flight attendants at American and Southwest are also asking for the same.  This is what you would call an "industry-leading" change which has been long overdue.  This is also an expensive change for the airlines, and if they cannot pay for it with higher fares, they are going to want concessions from employees. 

From what I have been able to pick up from posts by the AFA, the main concession United management wants from flight attendants is to go to a "Preferential Based System (PBS)" for scheduling.  Under the current system, every month the flight attendants will "bid" for the schedule they want for the next month.   Based on when they want to work, how many hours they want to pick up, where they want to go, and the type of aircraft being used for each segment, they will bid for lines made up of specific "pairings" or trips.   For example, a pairing may be a two-day domestic trip starting in Los Angeles, then to Denver, and on to Orlando for an overnight layover.  The return the next day will take them from Orlando to Houston, then home to Los Angeles.   This is a pairing, and a line may have three or more of these pairings in one month.  The lines are then awarded based on seniority.  The most senior flight attendants will usually get their first choice(s) and hold their line(s) for the month, and as you go down in seniority, lines will be awarded based on second or third choices.  For junior flight attendants, they are awarded the remaining available lines, with reserve times built in.  These are the most undesirable trips.  Flight attendants can trade or drop trips during the month, but if you are senior enough to hold a line, then you know when you are working.

As I understand it, with PBS scheduling, flight attendants will not be able to choose lines with specific pairings.  Instead, they will bid, or build their lines, based on the kinds of pairings they want, with choices of the number of hours they want to pick up, the days off that they want, and if they want those pairings to be international or domestic, or a combination of both.   For senior flight attendants, the optimal outcome is that the scheduling system assigns the pairings to the preferences that they have bid, but these pairings are not always going to be to cities they want to go to.  For example, they could say they want two-day international trips, with weekends off.  PBS scheduling will then build their line based on those preferences, but that line may not have the specific pairings they want to work. The pairings they are assigned may not be the cities they want to go to.  The pairings they are assigned could be different throughout the month.  The paid hours for each pairing could also be different. PBS scheduling is liked by management because it makes setting the schedules easier, and it gives them the flexibility to assign different pairings in a line to optimize staffing out of a base.  Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be effective and really cheap to use with PBS scheduling.      

The only real, tangible, incentive for flight attendants is to attain seniority.  It is a tough job, and over decades of service they pay their dues, and then they become senior enough to the point where they can set the schedule they want.  Over the years you learn which trips operate with the best aircraft, or which cities have the best hotels for layovers, and the easiest commutes from the airports.  No one wants to fly for 10 to 16 hours to arrive at the destination and face a 90-minute commute from the airport to the hotel.  They certainly do not want to go through all that to fly on planes that have been in service for 30+ years, with poorly designed cabins (really Continental, you were too cheap to put in fresh-air vents for the passengers in your 777's?).  They certainly do not want to stay at a hotel with no air conditioning, or no decent restaurants or shops nearby.  Under the current bidding system, these senior flight attendants who have put in their time, get to choose which type of aircraft they fly on, and the cities they most enjoy visiting.  With a "Preferential Based System," those choices may not be available.    

- STRIKE AUTHORIZATION -

Well, all that I just went through is taking the long way to get to the main point for this post - the strike authorization vote that is now underway.  This is the chance for United's flight attendants to tell their negotiating committee that they are ready to strike to get what they want.  This does not mean there will be a strike, there are still a few hurdles to clear before it gets to that point, but a "Strike Authorization" does tell the negotiating committee that AFA members are ready to fight for what they have earned.  Going back over the last 30 years or more, every time United's flight attendants came to the negotiating table, management was there asking them to give up something.  Each concession request came with the promise that as profitability improved, United's employees would reap the benefits.  Sustained profitability for United Airlines has been realized, but the only real beneficiaries have been senior management earning millions of dollars in salary and equity awards.  

With the last round of negotiations, United's flight attendants did gain raises in hourly pay, and there has even been some profit sharing; however, in return, they now have to put in longer duty days, which management has had no problem in exploiting.  Domestic trips for the flight attendants have become marathons, covering multiple cities over several days, and with minimal rest periods.  Fatigue is common to the point where safety is a concern.  The flight attendants have also had to put up with long waits on the phone because staffing for crew scheduling or the hotel desk has been reduced.  Finally, United's flight attendants have had to put up with a decline in service standards for the customers, which makes their job even more difficult.  Mr. Slater, you call yourself an expert in customer service; however, customer service is about what you can do for the customer, it is not about what you cannot do.  United has gone from being a premium legacy carrier to a "so-so" carrier, and those that are bearing the brunt of complaints are the flight attendants.  If I were a United flight attendant, top on my wish list would be for service standards to be raised to the level they once were.  Pay and benefits are important, work conditions are also important, but if I am embarrassed to say the name of the company I work for, then going to work is that much harder.  

The deadline to vote for Strike Authorization is noon eastern time on Wednesday, August 28, 2024.  From the posts I have seen, almost 85% of the membership has voted, I hope that kind of showing indicates that United's flight attendants are ready to stand in solidarity to make sure real improvements are made.  For any active United Flight Attendant that has not voted, please do so now, and please vote to authorize the strike.  Unity and solidarity, that is what is needed from the membership, now more than ever.  For junior flight attendants who have felt that there is no reason to get involved, you need to get involved.  From what I hear, so many of you have become disenchanted by the job.  It is no wonder with the low pay and ungodly hours you are putting in.  For you it seems like a thankless job that will not get any better; however, that can change if you are ready to stand up for yourself and for your flying partners.

As a show of their resolve, at bases around the world, United's flight attendants are holding another "Day of Action" on August 28, to coincide with the deadline for the Strike Authorization vote.  If I can get away tomorrow morning, I will be heading out to the airport, sign in hand, to get out the message that this customer stands with the Flight Attendants, and with all front-line employees at United.  If things are not made better for the employees, what chance is there for us customers?  AFA leadership says they are fighting for an "Industry Leading" contract, I say "Industry Leading" is not good enough, it is time to push the envelope to set a higher standard that puts United Airlines ahead of all the other carriers.