Pinnacle Flight Attendants Ratify Bankruptcy Agreement
Washington, DC – Pinnacle Airlines Flight Attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) today ratified a six-year agreement that preserves wages, protects affordable health care and provides job security for over 1,500 Flight Attendants. The agreement includes $6.4 million in concessions demanded by management through the Chapter 11 restructuring process. The agreement was reached with the assistance of the National Mediation Board.
“Ratifying the tentative agreement does not mean we like it. Ratifying the agreement means we understand the value of preserving an enforceable contract, hourly wage rates, affordable health care and job protections. We worked with our professionals to minimize the impact and write key protections into the contract – and within onerous conditions we were successful. Still, the deck is stacked against the frontline workers who make Pinnacle fly. The Bankruptcy Section 1113 process for workers essentially means having to pick your poison,” stated Terry French, AFA President at Pinnacle Airlines.
“Flight Attendants are doing our part to solve a problem we didn’t create. And, we will continue our professional work as first responders as we promote a positive future at Pinnacle. We expect Pinnacle management to do their part through their own sacrifices and putting in place a successful plan for the future of our airline,” French said.
The agreement was ratified by 71 percent of Flight Attendants voting. The agreement will only take effect once concessions are put in place for all work groups either through agreements or court authority. Pinnacle Airlines, a Delta Connection carrier, filed for bankruptcy in April.
The Association of Flight Attendants is the world’s largest Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for 67 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. Nearly 60,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.
