Senators urge United CEO for fair contract for flight attendants

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2024 – A coalition of 25 senators, spearheaded by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), has urged United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby to engage in negotiations aimed at resolving a longstanding labor dispute with the airline's flight attendants. The group, which includes 24 Democratic senators, is advocating for a contract that addresses pay increases and quality-of-life improvements for the 28,000 flight attendants who have gone nearly four years without these benefits. The senators' letter to Kirby can be read in full by clicking here.

During the pandemic, flight attendants at United Airlines faced numerous challenges, including increased aggression from passengers and safety concerns. Despite these hardships, the airline reported $1.4 billion in profits over the last four years and recently celebrated a record-breaking revenue day. Meanwhile, CEO Scott Kirby's compensation exceeded $38 million, with a significant 90% increase in the past year alone.

The senators criticized United Airlines' decision to implement a $1.5 billion stock buyback in October, a move they argue is at odds with the financial struggles of the airline's flight attendants. The letter states, “New collective bargaining agreements at United and across the airline industry have begun to reflect significant gains for workers after two decades of austerity and consolidation…Flight Attendants have waited long enough for a contract that reflects their essential work.” They called on Kirby to “personally engage in negotiations and help bring them to conclusion without any further delay.”

The letter was endorsed by key figures such as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and several other high-ranking Senate committee members, including Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.). Other supporters include Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), among others.

Coinciding with the senators' appeal, thousands of United Airlines flight attendants participated in a system-wide "day of action." The protest aimed to pressure management to remove concessionary proposals and expedite the contract negotiations. Further details about the protest can be found here.

Sara Nelson, President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents 55,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines, including United, remarked on the situation, stating, “Flight Attendants save lives every day and serve as the face of United Airlines in ever increasingly difficult conditions. But management is proposing more than 50 concessions in negotiations to stall a contract long overdue. The airline is boasting record profits, handing out cash to Wall Street and ballooning executive pay while failing for more than three years to negotiate a fair contract for Flight Attendants. No other group across the industry has taken concessions. It’s a delay tactic and utter disrespect for the frontline workers of the airline. We need a contract now. Cheers to Chairman Sanders for leading this letter that includes Leader Schumer, Chair Cantwell and 22 of their colleagues calling on United CEO Scott Kirby to get serious and get it done.”