Mar 15, 2012
AFA-CWA reached a tentative agreement with Hawaiian Airlines covering 1,200 Flight Attendants.
The agreement was reached with the assistance of the National Mediation Board, using a "Facilitated Problem Solving" approach to negotiations.
"This agreement recognizes the contributions that AFA-CWA Flight Attendants make on a daily basis to the tremendous success of our airline," said Sharon Soper, AFA President at Hawaiian.
If approved by AFA-CWA leadership at Hawaiian, the tentative settlement goes to the membership for a ratification vote.
At Spirit Airlines, Flight Attendants, fed up with management delay and demands for givebacks, are calling on the NMB to declare an impasse in negotiations and requested a proffer of arbitration. AFA-CWA represents about 870 Flight Attendants at Spirit.
That's the first step to the NMB setting a 30-day cooling-off period, the time during which intense negotiations usually take place and lead to a settlement or a strike.
A nearly unanimous 98.4 percent of voting Spirit Flight Attendants authorized a strike if management fails to negotiate a new contract. Flight Attendants tried to deliver a petition signed by hundreds of Flight Attendants to Spirit's CEO, calling on management to engage in meaningful and productive discussions, but they were turned away.
"It's long past time for management to take these negotiations seriously. We filed for mediation two years ago in order to speed up negotiations and get management's attention. We want an agreement that recognizes our contributions, and we are prepared to strike if that is what it takes to get this management focused on reaching an agreement," said Todd St. Pierre, Spirit AFA President.
AFA-CWA members will hold an informational picket next week in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., following negotiations. Learn more at http://spiritafa.com/wp/.
