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Home » United Airlines » Flight Attendant Union Battles United Airlines’ Base Closure Plan
United Airlines

Flight Attendant Union Battles United Airlines’ Base Closure Plan

Matthew Klint Posted onJuly 13, 2020November 14, 2023 19 Comments

a large airplane on the ground

After failing to find an amicable solution, the union representing United Airlines flight attendants has invoked a formal grievance process to battle the base closure of three international domiciles.

AFA Launches United Flight Attendant Base Closure Battle

Last month, United Airlines announced the closure of these three international flight attendant bases, citing a downturn in demand and a need to cut costs. These flights attendants, many of them U.S. citizens who voluntarily chose to be based at these stations, now face difficult prospects ahead. Those who are permitted to work in the USA will be able to transfer to a U.S. base, subject to United’s overall threat to terminate flight attendant positions effective October 1, 2020. But those who do not have a U.S. work permit will be forced out of the company.

In a memo to United flight attendants based in Frankfurt, Hong Kong, and Tokyo shared with Live and Let’s Fly, the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) outlined a lack of progress that had been made upon behalf of members. Specifically, the AFA had undertaken efforts to preserve the base at Tokyo Narita.

Per the AFA letter, United has been unwilling to budge and has been reluctant to even meet, stating “a meeting could only take place with the Union based on a pre-condition that major concessions would need to be part of any comprehensive solution.”

With progress stalled, the AFA will now file two Master Executive Council (MEC) grievances, as outlined by the contract. The MEC is the administrative body that represents United flight attendants within the AFA.

We have already filed two MEC Grievances directly related to the base closure. The first MEC Grievance was filed when the company announced the base closure and indicated that vacancies would not be created at our remaining international base, LHR in contradiction to the terms of our Contract.

The second MEC Grievance was filed when the company indicated that while Flight Attendants can submit bids for voluntary furloughs, those bids will not be awarded to those individuals not having the necessary documents to work in the United States as of October 1, 2020.

Outside legal counsel has been hired for each of the three international domiciles slated for closure.

CONCLUSION

With new bookings retreating once again and cancellations ticking up due to the latest surge in COVID-19 cases, a solution that will save jobs become less likely. Still, the AFA will fight the base closures on two fronts, arguing that closing off the LHR base to transfers and restricting voluntary furloughs runs afoul of the contractual rights of United flight attendants.


> Read More: United Airlines Closing Three International Flight Attendant Bases
> Read More: Union Vows To Fight United’s Flight Attendant Base Closures

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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19 Comments

  1. ed lewis Reply
    July 13, 2020 at 4:37 pm

    As expected. They cannot let a base closure happen without a fight. Remember these union officials have to be elected each year.

  2. Kenneth Reply
    July 13, 2020 at 5:44 pm

    The Association of Flight Attendants is dependent on members’ dues. As a former MEC Chair, I can guarantee you AFA will do everything it can to keep as many dues-paying members as possible on United’s payroll. But sadly, I think the chance of those foreign bases remaining open is somewhere between slim and none.

    • James Reply
      July 13, 2020 at 6:03 pm

      I don’t know how United can keep these bases open. Hong Kong for example had only 2-3 flights a day BEFORE the protests. That won’t happen again. And why not keep jobs in America. It’s silly to keep these bases open and a waste of money. While it is sad that these people will be losing their jobs, they should have known the risks of working for a foreign company and the chance they may not have much leverage in case of a base closure. If they were smart they would have seen the writing on the wall after most airlines abandoned their foreign bases (British Airways, Air New Zealand, and Lufthansa). And frankly, I doubt the American based AFA chapters care either. They cater to their senior members and I’m sure American based crews will be happy to get more international flying, instead of it being given to their foreign counterparts.

      • Dave Reply
        July 13, 2020 at 7:58 pm

        James you do realize that some of the flight attendants at these bases are American Citizens?

        The other issue that the flight attendants have is violation of seniority.

        • John Reply
          July 14, 2020 at 5:38 pm

          American citizens will have the option of transferring to any open US Base International bases are staffed with mostly foreign nationals.

          • Dm322
            July 21, 2020 at 12:56 pm

            They’re (non-US) not classified as foreign nationals since they belong to the same union as all United flight attendants and have the same contract, pay and work rules.
            This is different than most other flag carriers.

      • Mia Reply
        July 13, 2020 at 11:37 pm

        Do you agree AFA refund those international flights attendants union due they paid for 25+ years ?
        39*12*25=11700
        And good luck to all remaining FAs.

      • Carol Rochester Reply
        July 14, 2020 at 6:59 am

        My neighbor is a former veteran United flight attendant out of Chicago who took an early-out years ago when they actually still gave her money for retiring. She was based in Paris for two years, as the United flight attendants can/could transfer within the system as they like, and said it was by far the best time of her life. She says the overseas bases are a real asset. These co-workers there work the same routes and know exactly what they’re doing. None of the usual complete mess among US-based crews who work different flights, routes and markets with different service flows and offerings every other day. You can read that in frequent flier forums where the FRA and NRT crews are praised by paying customers. My neighbor always tried to work trips that were staffed with overseas crews (mixed crews) for their professionalism and the fun. These folks were hired in the 1990s, they’ve helped to bring United back to life after 9/11, they always ranked in the top categories of the internal customer satisfaction surveys, they took concessions and volunteered for furlough in the past and now they are getting the kick in the butt. My neighbor knows from her still active co-worker girlfriends that those most vocal about closing the overseas bases are apparently junior ex-Con(tinental) flight attendants, some with a mere 5 or 10 years seniority. Who are bullying more senior folks in the US over the phone into taking the separation package and bitching about the foreign bases for taking away their flying. My neighbor says the US based flight attendants should make no mistake about it: if United management gets away with closing the overseas bases and firing the veteran flight attendants there today, then they will do the same with the US bases tomorrow. So it’s a good thing for all United flight attendants that the union is fighting this, out of principle. They could put the overseas employees on leaves or furloughs for a few years so that they have at least a chance to come back when the economy recovers. This is about what? 600 individuals? Ridiculous. They are planning on furloughing 15.000 flight attendants. Firing the overseas crews will not save them a lot of money. So be prepared for the closure of US bases, coming up next.

      • John Slatee Reply
        July 15, 2020 at 7:06 pm

        James, I definitely support closure of a base if it does not make any economical sense to the company. But after closure, company has to follow the contract to transfer all the flight attendant to another base, not just selection of US citizens and green card holders get to stay and non citizens must leave… I believe there is no such clause in any company that show discrimination and inequality to its employees

    • Johnson Reply
      July 13, 2020 at 7:22 pm

      Those foreign passport holder flight attendants are not asking for international base open. They are asking for EQUAL TREATMENT.

      Can British Passport Flight attendant go back to LHR ? United says No

  3. Alucia lavantel Reply
    July 13, 2020 at 6:55 pm

    They will do what they do best…. advertising and in the end of the day what will happen ? Nothing! AFA dont do S. Shame to pay dues

  4. Mark Fisher Reply
    July 13, 2020 at 8:56 pm

    As a former AFA local president I most certainly support AFA following the procedures outlined by the NLRA which is the foundation of all negotiated contracts. While the current economic conditions are dire, the negotiated language stands. Both AFA and management must use common sense to ensure the survivability of the airline and protect ALL flight attendants whether they are based in the US or not.

  5. George Sussan Reply
    July 13, 2020 at 10:01 pm

    Force majeure. This is a common clause in contracts. I’m sure UA will use it.

    • Jace Reply
      July 14, 2020 at 3:21 am

      This is not Majeure..
      it is Discrimination

  6. Bob Reply
    July 14, 2020 at 2:41 am

    United is aiming for huge pay cuts to flight attendants, and getting rid of senior employees so they can hire cheaper ones when business gets better.

  7. Js Reply
    July 14, 2020 at 9:28 am

    Why are jobs held by foreign nationals who are *mostly* not green card holders being given priority over American jobs for an American company?

    • june Reply
      July 14, 2020 at 5:52 pm

      Good Point ! In the near furture, if United ever has a chance over booking ,make sure United upgrade US citizens first. And not upgrading people by their miles..(save good seats for US passport holders)

    • Saul Reply
      July 14, 2020 at 6:23 pm

      Why do Google, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Pfizer and all the other big American companies employ workers, or “hold jobs for foreigners” in your terms, in countries other than the US all over the world? Because they are global, international corporations. United Airlines is not some (small) domestic airline. At least not since the early 1990s. They are a global player. Should Heinz Ketchup let go of all their employees in India, Spain or Korea etc. during the corona crisis and employ Americans to do the work instead? Or should Toyota fire all American workers at their U.S. plants to save Japanese jobs? United hired these “foreign nationals” because they needed them starting in the 1990s for intercontinental routes when they couldn’t find enough qualified, multi-lingual Americans to do the job. (Multi-lingual flight attendants, by the way, are still a minority at the U.S. flight attendant bases). When times get tough, you can’t simply fire “foreign national” employees for being non-U.S citizens over Americans, particularly when they have contributed to a company’s sucess for a quarter of a century, if you are a global company. That’s (racial) discrimination. Think about it. The times when big American companies only employed American workers and big British companies only employed British workers and big Chinese companies only employed Chinese workers etc. etc. are, for God’s sake, over.

    • Jace Reply
      July 14, 2020 at 7:05 pm

      Why not sale seats only to US citizens,
      Make sure upgrade passengers by their Nationality ,NOT by their Miles..
      Save good seats to only US citizens and Green card holders.

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