Overview
- United Airlines and AFA-CWA returned to negotiations in Chicago this week under federal mediation after years of bargaining since the contract became amendable in August 2021.
- Roughly 71% of voting flight attendants rejected a prior agreement that United called industry-leading, which offered average wage increases near 27%, retro pay, signing bonuses, and higher per diem rates.
- AFA-CWA is now seeking immediate wage increases without givebacks and is pushing for enforceable staffing and rest standards along with quality-of-life provisions such as ground time pay, limits on red-eyes, better layover hotels, reserve improvements, and stronger contract compliance.
- United has said any added items must be offset by concessions from the tentative deal and has floated a preferential bidding system, which union leaders have called a non-starter.
- Flight attendants report going years without a raise, tensions have escalated, and there is no immediate job action as negotiations continue under mediation.