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Home » United Airlines » Union Vows To Fight United’s Flight Attendant Base Closures
United Airlines

Union Vows To Fight United’s Flight Attendant Base Closures

Matthew Klint Posted onJune 8, 2020June 9, 2020 15 Comments

United 2019 Polaris Cutbacks

The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) believes that United Airlines violated its contract in announcing three flight attendant base closures.

Of course a flight attendant union opposing the closing of bases is hardly newsworthy. But the AFA contends 1.) it was not made aware of the base closures in advance and 2.) United’s action may violate its labor contract with flight attendants.

In a note to members shared with Live and Let’s Fly, the AFA condemned United’s decision to close bases in Frankfurt, Hong Kong, and Tokyo Narita.

“This announcement is a shock for all of us and it will create tremendous uncertainty. In management’s announcement and the accompanying FAQ, the assertion that the company will not be making vacancies available in London is a source of serious concern to the leadership fo the Union as we do not believe this is consistent with the requirements of the Contract. We have consulted with the MEC Grievance Committee and AFA Legal and we will ensure the company is made aware that we have a dispute.”

I reached out the to the AFA to help me understand how the prohibition against transferring to London violates the contract, but did not receive a reply.

Why the announcement now? §17.D.1 of the contract (.pdf) requires the company to provide a 90-day notice before closing any flight attendant bases.

“The Company shall advise the MEC President in writing ninety (90) days before establishing or terminating a Base location . The recommendations of the Union shall be considered by the Company before making changes in the location of Bases.”

CONCLUSION

While it is unlikely United will reverse course on its recent base closure decisions, it appears the AFA will at least attempt to offer Frankfurt-based flight attendants a move to London instead of back to the States.  Keep in mind that many Frankfurt-based flight attendants already live in the Untied States.


> Read More: United Airlines Closing Three International Flight Attendant Bases


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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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15 Comments

  1. WR2 Reply
    June 8, 2020 at 3:03 pm

    Considering that they are paid through September 30, it seems like the 90 day notice requirement has been met.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      June 8, 2020 at 3:06 pm

      Right. The grievance seems to be with not allowing transfers to LHR rather than the closures themselves.

    • Lisa Bowers Reply
      June 10, 2020 at 7:10 am

      No many of them live in Europe. Please print facts , some of your statements are wrong in this article.

  2. Stuart Reply
    June 8, 2020 at 7:17 pm

    Sad but, they have no leg to stand on. And no one will care. 100,000 FA applicants are waiting that don’t imagine themselves only as first responders and would love the job at 50% the salary many were making. Even if for a few years only. Markets happen for a reason. And the unions defending absurdly paid senior flight attendants are now downward priced out of the market. Defending bases that have no reason to exist should be the least of their concerns. They should worry if there will even BE a union in the future. I get happier and better service at Starbucks from people making far less. Last I checked they were not unionized.

    This is a restart button. The realities are coming to be. It’s going to be a brutal wake up for many.

    • JoEllen Reply
      June 9, 2020 at 1:21 pm

      You’re buying a cup of coffee at Starbucks, not sitting there for an eight hour flight to Europe. The only reason you’re supposedly getting such great service at Starbucks is because the turnover is frequent and the sweet little college graduate that is taking your five minute order and putting it on the shelf can’t get a job anyplace else, of course they’re going to be all unicorns and rainbows.

      • Stuart Reply
        June 9, 2020 at 1:57 pm

        I’m assuming your a jaded long time flight attendant so you might want to watch out for the “sweet little college graduate” at Starbucks. They are ready to take your job at half the salary. Will have a better attitude. Will be in better physical shape to handle long haul flights. And can call for a doctor or nurse on board just as well as you. As far as turnover, so what, there’s plenty waiting just to fill vacant positions – just like at Starbucks.

        Oh, and I often do spend some hours at Starbucks or Others. Ya know, Coffee addiction and free WiFi when traveling. As well, the kindness of their well trained staff is always a pleasure to be around. 🙂

    • Mark Maciuba Reply
      June 9, 2020 at 10:59 pm

      Bitter,jealousy not good.
      I bet one of those “overpaid fas” Put you in your place.
      Pathetic loser!

    • Flight Attendant X Reply
      June 10, 2020 at 2:28 am

      The only brutal wake-up call that’s going to occur is the realization that unions have just as much money and just as many lobbiests in DC as corporations do. Like them or not, they aren’t going to disappear anytime in the foreseeable future.

  3. Christian Reply
    June 9, 2020 at 12:19 am

    I’m normally very pro-union, as I find them vital to mitigating the unbridled greed of big companies. That said, the union opposing every single measure Kirby suggests makes the union just as stupid as the company. It’s like some weird dimension where two intractable parties keep talking past each other. What I WOULD suggest for either party is to come up with a viable plan for the company regarding labor. If Kirby really was so smart, he’d design a contract that requires severe measures that would be reduced after meeting certain criteria. If the union was so smart, they’d offer a contract that solves the labor problem from within their own ranks so management doesn’t do this in a more brutal fashion. Instead, the impasse continues and is likely to poison Kirby’s stint as CEO.

  4. E.W. Reply
    June 9, 2020 at 6:42 am

    Are fight attendants the people used to remove Dr. Dao?

  5. Drew Reply
    June 9, 2020 at 8:33 am

    Is “fight attendant” in the headline a typo? Or a dig at United 🙂

    • Julissa Reply
      June 9, 2020 at 10:08 am

      That’s exactly what I was thinking. Lol.

  6. BDAGuy Reply
    June 10, 2020 at 10:27 am

    Briefly Eastern Airlines had a unique and successful cooperative relationship between unions, line personnel and management that achieved really great things in terms of savings, efficiencies and yes, better service and on-time performance because everyone saw themselves as stakeholders in keeping the airline going. Then cantankerous -to-toxic relations grew from distrust when new management imposed a harsher model on the workforce… we all know how this story ended: a once iconic carrier disappeared. Is United heading in the same direction? Perhaps. What with acute overcapacity in personnel and equipment, Delta and American (itself hardly a paragon of worker relations) could easily step into the void left by a smaller or shuttered United.

  7. Jason Reply
    June 10, 2020 at 8:00 pm

    United shouldn’t be so short sighted. Those foreign bases allow for greater market share at major international business centers at lower costs. Each flight attendant staying the night at a hotel, or two nights as often required on international trips, costs an airline well over $100+ dollars a night even when buying them in bulk. When you multiply that by the number of crews laying over in major cities every night the cost of hotels far outweighs the cost of operating a base, which is basically just having a small staff for one of these style bases. When United merged with Continental they abandoned gates in terminal 6 that they later sorely wished they could get back. They should think about that and not dismantle their bases due to short term lack of flying due to the coronavirus.

  8. Steve Reply
    July 9, 2020 at 7:12 am

    A UA flight crewed by NRT-based FAs is like flying on a totally different, and much better airline.

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