PSA Airlines Flight Attendants Vote 99.2% to Authorize Strike Over Pay

WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 17, 2024) – Flight Attendants at PSA Airlines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Airlines, have voted overwhelmingly in favor of authorizing a strike. Represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), 99.2% of members supported the strike authorization after prolonged and unsatisfactory negotiations with PSA management.

“Our 99.2% vote shows PSA and American management that we will do whatever it takes to get the contract we have earned,” stated Lee Wilkes, president of the PSA chapter of AFA-CWA, which represents over 1,300 Flight Attendants. “We can’t afford to wait any longer. We’ll be back at the table next week with a message for management: it’s time to Pay Us or CHAOS™. PSA Flight Attendants need improvements now!”

The Flight Attendants are advocating for significant base pay increases, compensation for all time spent at work including boarding, improved sick leave policies, and better working conditions. They sought federal mediation in January, but PSA management's recent economic proposal fell short of expectations, offering minimal base wage increases that do not meet the cost of living or match increases at mainline carriers.

Negotiations are set to continue next week under the oversight of the National Mediation Board. Over 1,300 Flight Attendants were sent strike vote ballots, with the voting period spanning from August 21, 2024, to September 17, 2024. Notably, 86.5% of members participated in the vote.

“Flight Attendants at PSA and other regional airlines across the industry fly the same routes and provide the same service as mainline Flight Attendants. It’s time they get paid like it,” commented Sara Nelson, international president of AFA-CWA, which represents 55,000 Flight Attendants across 20 airlines. “Regional Flight Attendants deserve pay and benefits that reflect the value of their hard work.”

The union’s strike strategy, known as CHAOS™ (Create Havoc Around Our System™), could disrupt flights unpredictably. The union can decide to strike without prior notice to management or passengers. This right to strike is activated when the National Mediation Board declares negotiations deadlocked and initiates a 30-day "cooling off" period leading to a strike deadline.

PSA Airlines operates 500 daily flights to nearly 100 destinations as part of the American Airlines Group.

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The Association of Flight Attendants is the Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for over 79 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. 55,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.


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