Flight Attendants at American Eagle Carrier Air Wisconsin Vote to Authorize a Strike
Flight Attendants vote to authorize strike on the heels of management proposals that would leave them near the bottom of industry pay
Washington, D.C. (January 31, 2024) —Flight Attendants at American Eagle carrier Air Wisconsin overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike, with 99% in support of authorizing the strike.
“Air Wisconsin Flight Attendants are done with management’s pitiful offers,” said Doris Millard, AFA Air Wisconsin President. “Flight Attendants have waited for years to get pay increases necessary to live following COVID, while the cost of living has skyrocketed. We can’t pay our bills on Air Wisconsin wages — life at Air Wisconsin is unsustainable. We’re fighting to change that.”
Air Wisconsin Flight Attendants and allies will take the contract fight public on February 13th picketing in Chicago in solidarity with Flight Attendants across the industry fighting for new contracts at American, Alaska, United and more.
Air Wisconsin Flight Attendants have been engaged in contract negotiations for a year-and-a-half. Negotiations stalled after management put forward offers with inadequate pay increases and refused to increase minimum guaranteed hours while demanding a complete scheduling system overhaul.
“The aviation industry’s two-tier employment system means regional Flight Attendants take home significantly less for the same job,” said AFA International President Sara Nelson. “Management’s current proposals would exacerbate the problem. Air Wisconsin Flight Attendants want a fair deal, and if it takes a strike to get one we’ve got their backs across the industry.”
Now that members have authorized a strike, the union can request a release from the National Mediation Board (NMB) leading to a 30-day "cooling off" period and strike deadline. AFA has a trademarked strike strategy known as CHAOS™ or Create Havoc Around Our System™. With CHAOS, a strike could affect the entire system or a single flight. The union decides when, where and how to strike without notice to management or passengers.
Air Wisconsin Airlines is a regional airline based in Appleton, Wisconsin, solely operating flights for American Airlines under the American Eagle brand.
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The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, (AFA) AFL-CIO represents 50,000 Flight Attendants at 19 airlines. AFA is the union that has advanced the Flight Attendant profession for 78 years, beating back discrimination and improving wages, benefits, working conditions, and aviation safety, health and security in the aircraft cabin. AFA also partners with the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.
