United Continental Flight Attendants To Vote On Union Representation

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United Continental Flight Attendants To Vote On Union Representation By Bill Goldston

		April 4, 2011 - The National Mediation Board (NMB) granted the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA’s (AFA) request to declare that the United/Continental merger has created a single transportation system for the purposes of Flight Attendant representation. “Today is a watershed moment in our union and an exciting day for the thousands of Flight Attendants at the ‘new’ United Airlines who are ready to advance our careers with AFA representation. AFA sought this election because we want to unite Flight Attendants as quickly as possible in order to take maximum advantage of the leverage we have from the merger,” said Veda Shook, AFA International President.

Over 24,000 Flight Attendants will soon vote for Flight Attendant union representation at the combined airline. “This sets the stage for real gains for our profession,” stated Greg Davidowitch, president of AFA at United Airlines. “The benefits of membership in our Flight Attendant union are extraordinary. Sixty-six years ago United Flight Attendants negotiated the first Flight Attendant contract and through our union we have built the Flight Attendant career. “The expertise of our union has resulted in contracts and daily representation that reflect the entire work, and home, life of a Flight Attendant. The total package produces more money for United Flight Attendants. And now, all Flight Attendants will stand together for improvements across the board.” The representation election is not a vote for one contract or the other. Both contracts remain in effect after the election. The merger provides the opportunity to negotiate a new agreement with improvements that work for Flight Attendants from both airlines. AFA negotiates based on the priorities set by Flight Attendants through surveys, meetings and direct member feedback to elected Flight Attendant leaders. “AFA is the leading voice for Flight Attendants on Capitol Hill, with government agencies, at the bargaining table and on safety and security in the cabin,” Shook concluded. “This election is about seniority protection, job security, a strong contract and, above all, which union can best represent the Flight Attendants of the new United Airlines. AFA is that union.”

On January 18, AFA asked the NMB to declare that the merger of United and Continental has created a single carrier for issues of representation. Together, the approximately 15,000 United, 9,300 Continental and 270 Continental Micronesia Flight Attendants will elect a single union to represent their professional interests as the official collective bargaining representative in their newly merged airline. A voting schedule is yet to be announced.

		For over 60 years, the Association of Flight Attendants has been serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill. Nearly 50,000 Flight Attendants at 21 airlines come together to form AFA, the world’s largest Flight Attendant union. Other News Stories (For the latest news please checkout our home page) Labor Unrest At Lufthansa And Subsidiary Airlines CAA Welcomes Guilty Verdict For Passenger Carrying Chainsaw Crewmember Identity Verification Program To Begin Testing NTSB Investigating Southwest Airlines Rupture And Depressurization Event Gulfstream G650 Undergoing Flight Takeoff Performance Test Crashes As China Opens Its Low Altitude Airspace Eurocopter Showcase Its Product Line FAA Must Improve Controller Training Metrics To Identify Program Needs Boeing Releases Study On Jatropha Sustainable For Aviation Fuel AirTran Airways And Georgia Aquarium Unveil Dolphin 1 “Hearts of Courage” Survival Of A Plane Crash In The Alaska Wilderness Traveler Arrested For Improper Currency Declaration At Dulles Airport Orbitz Loses World's Largest Car Rental Operator As A Customer WTO Ruling Exposes Airbus Subsidies Gave Company Unfair Advantage Spanish Government, Iberia, and Airbus Launch Bio-Fuel Initiative Bombardier Enters Alliance With Fokker To Support The Dash 8/Q-Series Aircraft Eurocopter Sells First AS350 B3e To Slave Lake Helicopters Former U.S. Navy Air Traffic Controller Convicted Of Murder Richard Simmons Takes On Air New Zealand Passengers A New Flight Deck For The High Performance Piston Aircraft Market Legal Resident Tries To Sell Unmanned Aerial Vehicle On EBay UK Scheduled Flights On Time Performance Continues To Get Worse Eurocopter To Acquire Vector Aerospace Corporation British Airways Strike Vote To Send Clear Message To New CEO Family Members Conspired To Export F-5 Fighter Jet Engines To Iran Gulfstream Aircraft Receives AMO By The Cayman Islands Stop Work Order Issued On The JSF F136 Extra Engine Program By DOD Beechcraft Debut King Air 250 Along With Other Aircraft At Sun ‘n Fun Jeppesen Teams Up To Provide NavData To Sport And Experimental Aircraft Pilots Earthbound Remedies Inspired By Spacebound Bacteria Electronic Flight Strip System Goes Into Operation At Jersey Airport Passenger Travel Up On U.S And On Foreign Airlines Serving The United States FAA Installs 150th Alaska Weather Camera To Promote Safer Skies Fire At MIA Continues To Cause Flight Cancelations And Delays