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…
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