American Airlines Flight Attendants Reach Tentative Labor Agreement

American Airlines' 28,000 flight attendants have reached a tentative labor agreement with the airline, as announced by their union, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, on Friday. The agreement, which comes after more than three years of negotiations, addresses key concerns regarding compensation, work rules, and retroactive pay, although specific details have not been disclosed. The tentative deal will be reviewed by the union's board before being put to a vote for ratification by the members. Union head Julie Hedrick emphasized that if approved, the agreement would inject billions of dollars into compensation and work rules for flight attendants. The negotiations had drawn attention from the White House, with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and acting Labor Secretary Julie Su involved in the discussions. President Joe Biden praised the agreement, stating it averts a potentially devastating strike for the airline industry and consumers, highlighting the benefits of collective bargaining. American Airlines indicated that the contract would provide immediate financial and quality-of-life improvements for its employees. Last month, the airline proposed a new contract that included a 17% wage increase and higher profit sharing for 2024, which the union rejected. The flight attendants had previously authorized a strike if an agreement was not reached, with the union advocating for a 33% immediate raise, citing a lack of pay increases over the past five years and challenges faced during the pandemic. Negotiations began in January 2020 but were paused due to the pandemic, resuming in June 2021.