Flight attendants picket Cleveland Hopkins amid contract negotiations
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Flight attendants picket outside Hopkins in October. Photo: Sam Allard/Axios
Dozens of flight attendants, pilots and other airline workers picketed outside Cleveland Hopkins International Airport yesterday as part of a nationwide demonstration over pay and working conditions amid ongoing contract negotiations.
The big picture: They joined picketers at nearly 30 airports nationwide from unions representing 100,000 flight attendants for Alaska, United, American, Southwest and other airlines.
What they're saying: "We are not a line item on a balance sheet," Melinda Beal, president of the Association of Flight Attendants local chapter, told Axios.
- She said attendants have been forced to work longer hours with little rest between shifts, while wages have eroded due to inflation and airlines rake in billions in profits.
- They're asking for raises and are challenging the pay structure.
Of note: These demonstrations are not strikes, though that's the next step.
Between the lines: The industry norm is that attendants don't get paid until the plane doors close, Axios' Kate Murphy reports.
- Union members say they aren't fully compensated for their work during boarding or deplaning, nor for time on the ground between back-to-back flights.
- However, Alaska Air, for example, said in a statement that flight attendants are paid for boarding time "through a pay mechanism that was negotiated with the union in previous contract cycles."
- In 2022, Delta Air Lines became the first U.S. airline to pay flight attendants during boarding — at half their standard rate.
The other side: Airlines say they're working with unions on agreements after Alaska Air said it made an offer that would put their flight attendants at or near the top of the industry.
- United Airlines has mediated negotiations with the Association of Flight Attendants scheduled for March.
Flashback: AFA flight attendants previously picketed at Hopkins in the fall as part of an effort to pressure the airlines.
Zoom in: Cuyahoga County prosecutor candidate Matthew Ahn marched with demonstrators Tuesday.
- "Strong unions, high wages and strong protections are crime prevention," he told Axios.