WASHINGTON — Three separate unions representing flight attendants at major U.S. airlines are picketing and holding rallies at 30 airports on Tuesday as they push for new contracts and higher wages. Among those airports are Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and Dulles International Airport (IAD).
In a statement, the flight attendants say they are increasingly frustrated that pilots won huge pay raises last year while they continue to work for wages that, in some cases, have not increased in several years.
They argue that they have not been rewarded for working through the pandemic and being responsible for the safety of passengers.
The unions are calling Tuesday's protests a national day of action. It is not a strike.
Federal law makes it difficult for airline unions to conduct legal strikes, which can be delayed or blocked by federal mediators, the president and Congress. According to the unions participating, mediators have already turned down one request by flight attendants at American Airlines to begin a countdown to a strike; the union plans to ask again next month.
Tuesday’s protests were organized by Hedrick's union, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants; and the Association of Flight Attendants, which represents crews at United Airlines, Alaska Airlines and several other carriers; and the Transport Workers Union, which represents crews at Southwest.
Alaska Airlines has responded by releasing a statement on their website including updates on how their nrgotiations are going.
"Discussions have been productive and in the last two sessions, we reached four tentative agreements," the statement reads. "We respect our flight attendants’ right to communicate what’s important to them during the negotiating process."
United Airlines responded to WUSA9's request for a comment saying they'll begin negotiations as requested by AFA on March 19.
"We’re looking forward to working with AFA to narrow the issues so that we can continue to work toward an industry-leading agreement for our flight attendants," the airline wrote in a statement.
Southwest Airlines said they are scheduled to meet with the union and National Mediation Board to continue negotations next week. but added that any protests would not impact service for customers.
"Southwest has an award-winning culture that respects our Employees and allows them to express their opinions in a cordial manner," they wrote in a statement. "The demonstration of off-duty flight attendants will not affect our ability to take care of our customers."
The protests come on a day when multiple flights experienced delays and cancellations due to wintry weather, a mix of rain and snow, in areas along the Northeastern coast.
The DMV was not exempt from this as multiple flights saw cancellations, with WUSA9's Jess Arnold advising travelers to check their flight status before heading out the door Tuesday. She was at DCA as the wintry mix started to impact the area and stated that 'red' could start to be seen on the flight information board meaning even before 6 a.m. there were called flights.
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