Flight attendants at United Airlines are threatening to revolt over a new tentative labor agreement that they believe will require them to be available during their downtime on domestic and international layovers when they are meant to be resting ahead of their next flight.
The contentious provision has been written into the agreement despite the flight attendant union telling crew members just six months ago that it would reject “far-reaching” and previously “unheard of” concessions.
Flight attendants highlighted their fears over the rule nearly a week and a half after the tentative agreement was first announced after the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) published the full text of the proposed deal for the first time.
The union had told flight attendants that concessions like the requirement to be contactable at any time during layovers was a “major obstacle” that was slowing down the already drawn-out negotiations with United.
The tentative agreement, however, reads: “Flight Attendants are required to be reasonably available on layover, including acknowledging any calls from Crew Scheduling.”
During longer layovers, United wouldn’t be able to contact flight attendants during a federally mandated rest period, but after this point, the airline’s position is that there is no additional rest requirement.
As a result, flight attendants fear they would be effectively prohibited from drinking after their required rest period.
The agreement does not explain what “reasonably available” means, giving United a wide scope to interpret the text in a way that best suits them, potentially interrupting flight attendants when they are sleeping or resting, and reassigning them to earlier flights.
A spokesperson for the union, however, says that fears over the layover provision for being reasonably contactable have come about due to a misunderstanding.
In an attempt to quell flight attendant fears, the union has directly addressed this issue, saying that the provision already exists in the current contract, which came about from an arbitration decision.
Flight attendants aren’t required to answer the phone or acknowledge any electronic communication, but a FAQs section created by the union states that if a flight attendant “knows the company is attempting to contact them, they will need to check their schedule.”
Another new requirement in the tentative agreement will make flight attendants check their crew scheduling agreement after every flight they work, allowing the airline to reassign them to another flight at a moment’s notice.
There had already been growing disquiet amongst United’s huge flight attendant workforce over the tentative agreement, with critics pointing out that the much-hyped ‘industry-leading’ pay package was no more than what their peers at Delta Air Lines already earn.
Now that the full agreement has been published, however, flight attendants are being encouraged to go through the text with a fine tooth comb and check out all of the provisions that could impact both their work and home lives.
The union is holding roadshows at United’s bases across the country in an attempt to educate its members about the new agreement and address any concerns they have.
Flight attendants won’t vote on the agreement until July 7 through July 29. If approved, the agreement, along with big pay raises, would come into effect on July 30.
Of course, it’s difficult to judge how flight attendants might actually vote on the agreement, although it’s hard to ignore the growing disquiet amongst United’s crew members.
An immediate average pay rise of 26.9% would bring United’s flight attendants to a comparable pay level with Delta flight attendants, while a retro pay agreement would make up for some of the last five years in which crew members at the Chicago-based carrier haven’t received a pay raise.
The union has also pointed out other improvements in the new contract, such as United removing wording that allows the airline to put flight attendants in ‘downtown-like’ hotels during longer layovers.
This will address an issue in which United has been booking hotels in second-tier towns and cities and moving flight attendants out of centrally located hotels in international destinations like Amsterdam, London, and Rome.
This article has been updated with background information from the AFA-CWA.
Check out the full tentative agreement here (PDF attachment):
