Fitzgerald Group President Keith Fitzgerald talks about the machinists union striking against Boeing, the market outlook and the expected Federal Reserve policy meeting.
- American Airlines and its flight attendants have agreed to a new five-year contract.
- The Association of Professional Flight Attendants said 95 percent of flight attendants eligible to vote voted, and 87 percent supported the new arrangement.
- The new contract includes industry-leading pay rates, wage increases for the next year, compensation for long seating periods between flights, and also addresses many of the quality of life issues flight attendants have advocated for.
American Airlines flight attendants have signed new five-year contracts with the airline, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) announced Thursday.
The union said 95 percent of flight attendants eligible to vote voted, and 87 percent supported the new agreement.
Over the past two years, unions in the aerospace, construction, aviation and rail industries have been pushing for higher wages and improved benefits amid a tight labor market.
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Flight attendants are also calling for an end to the industry practice of not compensating flight attendants for time spent waiting at airports during boarding, before the flight or between flights.
An American Airlines commercial plane flies over Washington and approaches Dulles International Airport on August 5, 2024. (REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo/Reuters)
“Among many improvements, this contract includes new seating equipment to compensate for long seating times between flights, and American Airlines flight attendants will become the first union to lock in pay while on board,” said APFA National President Julie Hedrick.
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The agreement reached in July provides for immediate wage increases of up to 20.5 percent, in addition to retroactive wage payments, to cover time spent negotiating.
The union says the new agreement includes some of the highest pay rates in the industry, as well as wage increases for next year, and addresses many of the quality of life issues flight attendants have been fighting.
Contract negotiations began in January 2020 but were halted at the peak of the pandemic, only to resume in June 2021.
