Airline workers picket outside PDX for better pay
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Flight attendants picket outside O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on Tuesday. Photo: Taylor Glascock/Bloomberg via Getty Images
More than 300 flight attendants, pilots and other airline workers picketed outside Portland International Airport Tuesday as part of a nationwide demonstration over pay and working conditions amid ongoing contract negotiations.
The big picture: Multiple unions representing 100,000 flight attendants for Alaska, United, American, Southwest and other airlines picketed outside 30 airports nationwide.
Between the lines: The industry norm is they don't get paid until the plane doors close.
- Union members say they aren't fully or directly compensated for their work during boarding, deplaning or for time on the ground between back-to-back flights.
- In 2022, Delta became the first U.S. airline to pay flight attendants during boarding — at half the rate.
Zoom in: This isn't the first time airline workers have demonstrated in front of PDX to challenge their pay structure.
- In December, shortly after Alaska Airlines announced its plans to buy Hawaiian for $2 billion, over 200 Alaska flight attendants picketed as part of the union's efforts to ensure "pay for all time on the job, on the ground and in the air."
What they're saying: Flight attendants are "forced to work long days, with little rest, increased responsibility and fuller planes with no increase to compensation," particularly following the pandemic, union leader Brice McGee told Axios' Kate Murphy.
- Union leaders are frustrated that Alaska called union proposals not "economically feasible."
The other side: Airlines say they're working with unions on agreements.
- Alaska's proposals include an immediate 15% increase to the wage scale, annual raises and market rate adjustments in line with new contracts at other airlines. The airline is continuing to bargain with the union through a mediator and "discussions have been productive," it said in an emailed statement.
- United has mediated negotiations with the Association of Flight Attendants scheduled for March when they plan to "narrow the issues" to work toward an "industry-leading agreement," the company said in an emailed statement.
- Axios also reached out to American and Southwest for comment.
What to expect: These demonstrations are not strikes, though that's the next step.
- Alaska flight attendants authorized a strike after picketing Tuesday, while American and Southwest flight attendants have already voted to do the same.
- But union leaders want to avoid a strike, and one likely won't happen soon. Under federal law, it's illegal for airline workers to strike unless they get permission from the government.