WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 9, 2024) – Flight Attendants at American wholly-owned PSA Airlines, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA), will take a strike authorization vote after management’s insulting proposals in contract negotiations. The American Airlines Group management team rewards themselves with massive compensation increases while Flight Attendants at PSA struggle to pay basic bills.
“Life at PSA is unsustainable for Flight Attendants without significant improvements,” said Lee Wilkes, president of the PSA chapter of AFA-CWA representing over 1,300 PSA Airlines Flight Attendants. “The cost of living has skyrocketed while our pay remains delayed. We can’t afford to wait any longer. We’re ready to show PSA and American management that we will do whatever it takes to get our contract.”
PSA Flight Attendants filed for federal mediation in January. Management finally returned an economic proposal—after stalling for seven months—with insulting base wage increases that fail to keep up with the cost of living and increases at mainline carriers.
Strike vote ballots will be sent to over 1,300 Flight Attendants, with the vote opening August 21, 2024 and closing on September 17, 2024. Recent strike authorization votes have propelled negotiations forward at mainline American and other airlines.
“Flight Attendants at PSA and other regional airlines across the industry are fighting to end tiers in aviation,” said Sara Nelson, international president of AFA-CWA representing 55,000 Flight Attendants at 20 airlines. “PSA Flight Attendants wear the same uniforms, fly the same routes, and perform the same service as mainline Flight Attendants. But airlines leave them behind in compensation and benefits.”
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 right to strike is triggered when the National Mediation Board (NMB) declares that negotiations are deadlocked and releases both parties into a 30-day "cooling off" period leading to a strike deadline.
PSA Flight Attendant attendants are fighting for double-digit base pay increases, increased pay for time at work, sick leave, work rule improvements, and more.
PSA Airlines is a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group operating 500 daily flights to nearly 100 destinations.
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The Association of Flight Attendants is the Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for over 78 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. 55,000 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.
