Flight attendants at Alaska Airlines have been presented with a revised contract offer that comes with a warning from the union negotiating on their behalf: ratify this or forget about any pay raise for years to come.
New Tentative Contract Agreement For Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants Comes With Warning
Hailing a “short but vigorous” round of negotiations, the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA)–the union representing flight attendants at Alaska Airlines–has presented a new tentative agreement, dubbed TA2, to flight attendants. It includes:
- 32% pay raise (on average)
- retro pay dating back to 2022 (when the contract became amenable)
- boarding pay
But it also comes with a warning.
After a short but vigorous fight at the bargaining table, the Negotiating Committee (NC) is pleased to present a successor Tentative Agreement (TA2). You were very clear about specific disappointments of TA1 after it was voted down, and your NC listened closely and addressed many of those issues in TA2 bargaining.
Further, our federal mediator and the National Mediation Board have been direct in their communication to us that should TA2 not ratify, they would be unlikely to devote further resources to mediating a “TA3.” Management also indicated they will allocate their bargaining resources toward merger considerations and JCBA negotiations.
The choice before us is clear; your vote will either solidify the enhancements secured in TA2 or it will indicate your desire to retain our current contract without any improvements in pay and working conditions until the end of JCBA negotiations, which is likely to take years.
Why the warning?
First, because the threat of a strike is not credible with a new sheriff in town (aka the Trump administration). Even though Trump courted unions heavily and has appointed Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Labor Secretary, his picks for the National Mediation Board during his first term were very “pro-business” and there is no indication that will be different in his second term.
Second, because Alaska Airlines has historically relied on a lower-cost wage structure for its flight attendants…it’s part of its business model. The new tentative agreement objectively represents a huge improvement over the existing contract but going beyond could undermine all the planning and forecasting that has gone into making Alaska’s merger with Hawaiian Airlines a financial success.
New Flight Attendant Contract For Alaska Airlines Would Help Junior Flight Attendants
As part of the TA2, new hires would see boarding pay instituted at $16/hour, half of their regular pay. Meanwhile, flight attendants at American Airlines get $10.44 an hour and Delta Air Lines flight attendants make only slightly more. United Airlines flight attendants do not receive boarding pay (yet).
I’ve long found it strange that senior flight attendants make more money than nurses while junior flight attendants struggle to survive because their pay is so low. The idea of “equal pay for equal work” strikes me as reasonable and just and the idea that Alaska or any carrier would be unable to retain talent without steep proliferations in pay based on seniority strikes me as spurious.
Yes, the system in its current form does mean that folks make a career out of it and that does reduce training and HR costs over time. But it pits junior and senior flight attendants against one another (since their interests do not align) and makes it harder to recruit quality candidates in the first place (not that any carrier has trouble finding flight attendants…).
CONCLUSION
Flight attendants at Alaska Airlines have essentially been warned to take it or leave it with the latest agreement on the table. It includes a 32% pay hike, increased boarding pay, retro pay, and more fringe benefits.
My prediction: quick ratification.
image: AFA-CWA
Article is incorrect. American FAs make 1/2 of their hourly pay for boarding once that provision goes into effect on April 1st. Most junior FAs would be $17.91 and most senior FAs would be $41.12
You can see I pulled those numbers from the graphic presented to flight attendants (above).
I noticed that too, my guess is AFA is somehow incorporating how long the boarding pay is given. Or that the AFA language is for all boarding time vs APFA’s scheduled boarding time (but just a guess)
AA 50% pay is for scheduled boarding only. I’d imagine AS may generally schedule longer boarding times or AFA is somehow incorporating AA Mainline Delays vs AS to come up with some sort of weighted rate
The boarding pay for AA and DL is based on narrow-body boarding, which is the only type of aircraft that Alaska FAs currently flies, so that is the appropriate comparison. AA does not take 60-minutes to board a 737. Furthermore, that’s just the dollar value of the boarding, but AS FAs are actually credited .5 TFP for each boarding, so it’s actually more beneficial as they earn sick leave and it counts towards their productivity bonus as well as qualifications for earning health insurance.
The root of the confusion may be that Alaska flight attendants are paid via TFP rather than per hour. It is a hold over from the Southwest contract was applied to the Alaska flight attendant in the 1990s. A TFP is generally worth about 85% of an hour.
As a Seattle based flyer (and mostly Alaska customer). I’m hoping the FA’s don’t think the RLA will be allowing them to strike. The general mood from my associates in Seattle is that the newer FA’s being hired are very entitled and actively disliked by more senior FA’s.
Alaska wants to put this to bed with this offer, or they will just start over and those junior FA’s will be the ones to pay the steepest price
Work performance goes down after 10 years…should have a pay cut
I would love to visit you at your job and have input about your income. Stfu or go play in traffic
Living wages should be the starting pay for all FA’s and all workers in the USA. Stop the corporate welfare paid for by the tax payer for the benefit of the share holders.
The desperation of the AFA continues now the AFA is “warning” its own membership that its is suppose to be representing they must accept this offer or risk no raises for years. So Alaska has dug its heels in and the AFA is powerless and now they threaten and pressure their own members to take the deal or else.
This does not bode well for United flight attendants, it will just embolden United leadership to stand its ground on many issues where United and the AFA are far apart. If Alaska is able to stand up to the AFA, United surely will do the same and not back down forcing the AFA in time/months to issue a similar warning to UA FA’s.
Language like this also could hurt the AFA chances at organizing Delta FA’s.
The AFA is a failure and they have failed Alaska FA’s and now are telling Alaska FA’s to take what most likely is a bad deal or else that isn’t how a union is supposed to work. Great job Sara Nelson your leadership of the AFA is an absolute joke and a complete failure.
Powerless? The Alaska attendants rejected the first TA and the AFA secured a better TA this time around. If they say no it would likely be years for a new contract because of a new contract with Hawaiian. United is not merging with any other airlines so it’s not a similar situation at all.
Bad deal? Have you actually spoken to any Alaska flight attendants? Most are in favor of it. Higher pay, retro pay, boarding pay and a clause for Market place value match for Delta, United, and American. It’s not a bad deal
With the retro pay+ 12% profit sharing(more than Delta) they will be in a good position
If it is such a great deal as you claim then why threaten your own membership with take the deal or else no raises for years?
I’m someone who’s in this industry and I’ve never seen a union threaten its own membership with take the deal or else usually its the company that tells employees this is our best and final offer take it or leave it. For the AFA to use this language towards people they are representing tells me all I need to know about this deal. Unionis are not supposed to threaten its own membership it supposed to represent them and if they vote it down then get back to work not telling them it’s this or nothing at all.
The AFA under Sara Nelson is a joke.
Because they will be merging with Hawaiian soon and the focus must be shifted towards that. That has been stated many times. Just because you are anti union and don’t wish to have one doesn’t mean you need to be bashing the Alaska AFA. IMO they have done a great job securing a good deal for their flight attendants
Who threatened anyone? You’re being manipulated by the author using the term “warning” multiple times. But if you read the actual memo, it’s just laying out the situation. It’s no different than a memo from joanne or Kristen about situations you encounter at your non-union company…except you have zero say in what they ordain to you. Note that the FAs voted down the first TA and got something better. THEY had a say. You have none. You take what you’re given.
Remember not getting a raise in 2021 ans 2022? Well, that retro pay just gave them a raise during the pandemic. Did D give you back pay for the pandemic for cost of living increases? NO!
Not very bright, as you? The author of the article used the term “warning” multiple times, not the union. That was done purposely to influence how you read the article. It’s called media manipulation.
If you actually read the statement, it’s presenting the facts. It’s saying they were heard on their concerns and they were addressed.
I’d say the union and members did a great job to get what they wanted out of the company.
Your statement about nursing pay struck me as odd so I just looked at Indeed and nurses in California – where you live – make over $50 an hour on average which is over $100,000 a year with the upper end being around double that. Is the average FA making $100K a year right now?
First, it’s really none of your business nor do you have a say in what an FA makes. Should i come to your job and evaluate how much u make and determine simply from the job title or what i *think* you do and say you don’t deserve it? Sit yer ass down.
Second, while you may think $75/hr sounds like a lot, you need to keep it mind that it’s not a 40/hr a week job like you office folks. If anything, divide that by 2 and that’s actually what they make for the time they are on duty. Example: if i work a full day that starts at 8am and don’t get home or to a layover until 8pm, that’s a 12hr work day. But, since FAs are only paid for flight time, it’s likely I’m actually getting paid for 6 or 7 hours only that day. A 12 hr duty day is rarely a 12 hr PAY day.
Umm, jerkwad… Follow your own “name”. This is called the comments section. Matthew made an assertion and your asinine non sequiturs. Nurses are normally employed by a medical group or a hospital so a 10 hour day – except breaks – means a 10 hour paid day.
Christiant senior Delta flight attendants make $79.80/hour while American just negotiated ~$83/hour…….well over $100,000 a year. These boarding numbers are also on the lower side at Delta as well. International boarding pay is $36 per boarding……well above the $26 quoted for Alaska.
AFA a crappy union.
Delta FA’s take note.
Huge mistake for Delta FAs to bring this union on-board.
Please do proper research.How is this a bad deal when this would align Alaska with Delta pay rates? Not to mention they would be getting retro pay. They also received larger profit sharing than Delta and Delta has way more employees. Please speak on it
Oh yea…it’s so terrible that they got to reject their first TA and got more. That’s so horrible. Yes, keep out a union that helped the average worker. Please let the company keep more money to pay top executives who play golf and go on CNBC to laugh at how much they make compared to everyone else and then go throw the pig skin with tom brady.
I think sky waitresses should be thankful for what they make.
Larz, your jealousy is showing.
Oh poor you, were you rejected by a Flight Attendant?
Where do you work? I’d love to come visit and evaluate your salary. I’m part of DOGE and think i could find some “efficiencies” there.
This is why things are so much better in countries that do not permit unionising.
Hahahaha. Please name one of those countries.
You missed the third reason for the “warning”: Alaska FAs will get to start negotiating alongside Hawaiian FAs on their joint contract in less than 2 months. Both unions, represented by AFA, are set to merge this week and each has already chosen their negotiating members. Expect that they will get to secure even more improvements and more raises as Alaska Airlines will want to merge their seniority list as quickly as possible to be able to fully integrate their operations. They can’t do that without the merged seniority list, which AFA owns.
Matthew, Senior flight attendants do not make more than nurses. That $74 per hour is for actual flight time. The average flight attendant flies average 20 actual flight hours per week, unlike a nurse working 40. $74 an hour equates to maybe 80K per year with per diem for a senior flight attendant. Hardly over paid.
Suddenly Sara Nelson is quiet.