Flight Attendants Seek Support, Fairness from Congress

Northwest Airlines flight attendant Renee Foss, AFA-CWA Local 21091, talks with Delta and Northwest flight attendants on Capitol Hill for meetings with members of Congress.

More than 120 flight attendants – members of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA at United and Northwest Airlines and union activists from Delta Air Lines – went to Capitol Hill this week, seeking support for upcoming negotiations and Senate confirmation of a fair-minded nominee to oversee labor laws covering airline workers at the National Mediation Board.

With bargaining for a new contract at United beginning this April for 17,000 AFA-CWA members, United flight attendants urged members of Congress to support AFA-CWA efforts to restore industry-leading levels of pay, benefits and working conditions at the airline. During United's bankruptcy, the workers sustained significant wage reductions, reduced health benefits, a loss of pensions, and longer working hours.

Restoring fairness, integrity and pro-worker leadership to the NMB is a critical concern for flight attendants at United as well as at Northwest and Delta. If bargaining at United goes beyond Aug. 7, flight attendants will need the assistance of the NMB to reach a fair settlement and not be subject to lengthy delays.  

A fair-minded NMB also is vital for flight attendants at Delta and Northwest, who will be facing a tough anti-union campaign from management. Delta's 13,000 flight attendants don't have union representation and are fighting for a union voice. AFA's 7,000 members at Northwest seek to protect more than 60 years of collective bargaining. Both groups want to negotiate an industry leading contract.  That's why it's critical to have an NMB in place that will protect workers' organizing and bargaining rights.