American Airlines, Flight Attendants Union Reach Tentative Agreement

An American jet taking off in San Francisco

American Airlines and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants said Friday they had reached a tentative agreement on a new joint collective bargaining agreement.

The agreement covers more than 24,000 flight attendants working at both American Airlines and US Airways.  It comes just ten months after the merger of the two airlines.  The flight attendants union had supported US Airways’ bid to merge with American in bankruptcy.

Details of the agreement were not released although the union said that the airline had “stepped up in a way that puts the entire industry on notice.”  The union said it will first be reviewed by its executive committee. If approved, it will be sent to the membership for a vote with a 30-day balloting period.  A simple majority is all that is needed for approval.

Earlier this month, the National Mediation Board certified the APFA as the bargaining agent for US Airways cabin crew members.  On Tuesday, the agency ruled that the Allied Pilots Association, American’s pilots union, can serve as the bargaining agent for US Airways pilots without requiring a representation election.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)