American Airlines Flight Attendants Secure Tentative Contract Agreement

American Airlines’ 28,000 flight attendants have reached a tentative labour agreement with the airline, according to an announcement from their union on Friday.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), representing the flight attendants, stated that the agreement addresses key issues including compensation, work rules, and retroactive pay. Specific details of the agreement were not disclosed.

This tentative deal comes after more than three years of negotiations. The agreement will be reviewed by the union’s board, and if approved, it will be put to a vote for ratification by union members.

Union president Julie Hedrick said, “If approved, this agreement will put billions of additional dollars into compensation and work rules for our flight attendant workgroup.”

The White House had been closely monitoring the negotiations, with concerns about the potential impact of a work stoppage. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and acting Labor Secretary Julie Su had been involved in the discussions. President Joe Biden praised the agreement, noting it “averts a strike that would have been devastating for the industry and consumers” and highlighting that it “demonstrates once again that collective bargaining benefits workers, companies, and our economy.”

American Airlines said the contract would provide immediate financial and quality-of-life improvements for the flight attendants.

Last month, the airline proposed a new contract offering an immediate 17% wage increase and higher profit sharing in 2024, which was rejected by the union. The flight attendants had authorized their union to call a strike if an agreement wasn’t reached. The union had sought an immediate raise of about 33%, citing that the flight attendants had not received a pay increase in over five years and had faced numerous challenges since the pandemic, including dealing with unruly passengers.

Contract negotiations began in January 2020 but were paused during the height of the pandemic. Talks resumed in June 2021, eventually leading to this tentative agreement.