Flight Attendants at Alaska Airlines Vote 99.48% to Authorize a Strike
SEATTLE — Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), voted 99.48% yes, with 93.47% participating, on strike authorization should management fail to agree to significant improvements.
“Our time is now!” said AFA Alaska President Jeffrey Peterson. “Alaska Flight Attendants today backed up our fight for an industry-leading contract with a 99.48% strike vote. And we’re out on the picket line demonstrating that we’re ready to do whatever it takes to get the contract we deserve. There’s no excuse: Alaska management has the money to buy another airline, they certainly have the money to invest in Flight Attendants. We have a simple message for management: Pay us, or CHAOS!”
The last time Alaska Airlines Flight Attendants went on strike was the famous 1993 strike, where Flight Attendants took over the schedule using AFA’s trademarked strike strategy, Creating Havoc Around Our System™ or CHAOS™. A CHAOS strike is an intermittent strike strategy, where Flight Attendants could strike any flight at any time without notice to management or passengers. This trademarked strike strategy has the power to disrupt operations system-wide by striking just a few flights at a time, one hub location, or the entire system. In 1993’s strike, Alaska saw dramatic reductions in ticket bookings as passengers never knew whether Alaska flights might take off until they had already arrived at the airport.
“Alaska Flight Attendants are fired up and ready to go,” said AFA International President Sara Nelson. “You can’t fly without Flight Attendants. If Alaska management doesn’t remember what happens when you disrespect Flight Attendants, we are ready to show them. It’s past time for a fair deal.”
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.
The contract became amendable in December 2022. AFA filed for federal mediation with the NMB in September 2023.
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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.
