United Airlines flight attendants picketed Los Angeles International Airport for the second time Thursday, Dec. 14, claiming they’re underpaid and not being compensated for the time they spend boarding, deplaning and waiting between flights.
The one-hour protest was part of a nationwide day of action demanding United management negotiate a “fair” labor contract. An estimated 1,500 United flight attendants based out of LAX are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.
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Armed with signs reading, “Contract now,” “Ground time pay leads the way” and “Pay us, or chaos,” more than 50 workers converged on the airport’s upstairs departure level at Terminal 7 as travelers passed by.
One, who dressed as Santa Claus, held a sign reading, “Corporate greed doesn’t fly.”
United flight attendants held similar protests at nearly 20 U.S. airports Thursday, including San Francisco International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental/Houston Airport, Denver International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport, among others.
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Their labor contract was last amended in August 2021 and negotiations between AFA and United management are ongoing this week in Chicago.
Kimberly Burckhalter, United AFA Council 12 president, said the airline is dragging its feet.
“Last week we filed to have a federal mediator come in,” she said. “Our CEO just came out saying, ‘Well, we’ve finished with the pilots, now we can start with the flight attendants.’ That makes it seem as if these negotiations are just starting, but that’s not true. It’s been two years!”
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United pilots approved in late September a contract that includes substantial pay raises.
In a statement issued Thursday, United said it’s hopeful a labor agreement will be reached soon.
“We continue to make progress with the AFA,” management said. “We look forward to scheduling additional negotiations with the AFA and the federal mediator to reach an industry-leading agreement for our flight attendants.”
The LAX-based flight attendants held an earlier protest in October, also over wages and work conditions, just after the airline announced nearly $15 billion in revenue for the third quarter of 2023.
They’re also seeking rules that give more control of their time and compensate them when operations are disrupted by weather or staffing shortages, and they want management to improve their health insurance coverage and other workplace benefits.
Burckhalter said Southern California’s soaring housing costs have forced some flight attendants to work two or even three jobs to get by.
“Some are in a situation with multiple people living together to save money,” she said.
Timothy Trueman, AFA-CWA’s council vice president for Los Angeles and San Diego, said flight attendants are putting in lots of hours they’re not being paid for.
“Even though their wages might seem high, they only get paid once the door closes on takeoff to when the plane rolls into the gate,” he said. “So at the end of the day, they might have worked 13 hours, but only gotten paid for seven.”
New flight attendants average $25,000 to $30,000 a year, Trueman said. Those with five to 10 experience average $40,000 to $50,000, and senior flight attendants with more experience make $65,000 to $70,000 annually.
“We’re looking for an increase to offset what inflation has done,” he said. “We’re trying to get cost-of-living wages and improvements to our benefits.”
Burckhalter said beginning flight attendants are placed on reserve status, which means they have no set schedule and work only when the company calls them in. That makes it nearly impossible to plan for family events or other activities, and some never move out of that status.
“Some have been on reserve status for 10, or even 12 years,” Burckhalter said.
