United Links Ground Pay Offer to Reserve Givebacks in Flight Attendant Talks

Overview

• United publicly circulated a January update outlining a counterproposal after AFA-CWA submitted new economic demands.
• Sought-after items in United’s offer include Sit RIG pay for long ground waits, shorter Reserve Availability Periods, and faster implementation of wage increases.
• United conditions those gains on offsets such as cutting the reserve guarantee from 78 to 75 hours, phasing out the reserve override, and adopting a Preferential Bidding System.
• The company frames PBS as a method for awarding monthly schedules that does not create pairings, eliminate open time, or remove trip trading.
• Management maintains the rejected tentative deal carried industry-leading pay and says raises will come only within a balanced package, with no new agreement imminent.