Pinnacle Airlines Flight Attendants Join AFA-CWA

Flight Attendants at Pinnacle Airlines this week voted to join AFA-CWA, adding 1,800 members at the newly merged carrier.

"We are unified. In voting for AFA, Flight Attendants recognize that AFA's vast experience is the best choice for protecting the jobs and contracts of our sisters and brothers at the new Pinnacle Airlines," said Veda Shook, AFA International President. "We welcome our flying partners from pre-merger Pinnacle and Colgan, whose experience and contributions to our profession will further strengthen our Flight Attendant Union. Together we will meet the challenges in the Pinnacle bankruptcy and set a strong foundation for a better future. Together we are better."

Pinnacle had already owned and operated Colgan, and in July 2010 the corporation acquired Mesaba, where AFA already represented about 500 Flight Attendants. Management stated that Mesaba Flight Attendants would simply become new employees of Pinnacle — without union representation, their previous contract and all of the grievances on file. But there was one exception: Mesaba Flight Attendants' discipline files would get transferred to their new employment.

Challenging this incredible injustice, AFA-CWA filed for an election the following summer for all post-merger Pinnacle Flight Attendants.

In April, the National Mediation Board ruled that the three former airlines were now a single carrier and it would schedule an election if AFA-CWA could display the required "showing of interest" within two weeks. Though the odds were stacked against them, they succeeded.

AFA-CWA members made up less than 30 percent of the combined work force. But this week, 55 percent voted for union representation.