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AFA-CWA Bargains Agreement at United
AFA-CWA reached a tentative agreement with United Airlines that provides the airline with contract changes and concessions by flight attendants as United continues to reorganize in bankruptcy.
The agreement, which would run through 2012, is subject to membership ratification; the results will be available on Jan. 31. The AFA-CWA United Master Executive Council has unanimously recommended ratification of the agreement.
The settlement calls for a wage cut of 9.5 percent and other reductions in benefits, but establishes a "success sharing" program with cash incentives based on United's performance.
Flight attendants have continually demonstrated an enormous amount of good faith in working to help struggling airlines like United and US Airways, said AFA-CWA President Pat Friend.
Greg Davidowitch, president of the AFA-CWA United MEC, said the union "fought management every step of the way to ensure that this agreement would not provide a penny more from flight attendants than is legally necessary. We sought to ensure that any contractual change would be shaped in a way that avoids destruction of our career."
Flight attendants had overwhelmingly, by an 88 percent vote, authorized strike action and implementation of the union's CHAOS program if their contract was abrogated as United had sought in bankruptcy court.
Separately, the bankruptcy judge rejected an agreement between United and the Air Lines Pilots that called for the termination of all employees' defined benefit pension plans as part of the settlement with the pilots. "This decision indicates that United Airlines management is wrong in trying to pit one employee group against another," Davidowitch said.
The tentative agreement reached by AFA-CWA at United does not include changes in the pension plan and AFA-CWA continues to forcefully oppose elimination of the plan.
The agreement, which would run through 2012, is subject to membership ratification; the results will be available on Jan. 31. The AFA-CWA United Master Executive Council has unanimously recommended ratification of the agreement.
The settlement calls for a wage cut of 9.5 percent and other reductions in benefits, but establishes a "success sharing" program with cash incentives based on United's performance.
Flight attendants have continually demonstrated an enormous amount of good faith in working to help struggling airlines like United and US Airways, said AFA-CWA President Pat Friend.
Greg Davidowitch, president of the AFA-CWA United MEC, said the union "fought management every step of the way to ensure that this agreement would not provide a penny more from flight attendants than is legally necessary. We sought to ensure that any contractual change would be shaped in a way that avoids destruction of our career."
Flight attendants had overwhelmingly, by an 88 percent vote, authorized strike action and implementation of the union's CHAOS program if their contract was abrogated as United had sought in bankruptcy court.
Separately, the bankruptcy judge rejected an agreement between United and the Air Lines Pilots that called for the termination of all employees' defined benefit pension plans as part of the settlement with the pilots. "This decision indicates that United Airlines management is wrong in trying to pit one employee group against another," Davidowitch said.
The tentative agreement reached by AFA-CWA at United does not include changes in the pension plan and AFA-CWA continues to forcefully oppose elimination of the plan.