WASHINGTON, DC (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Flight attendants at an American Airlines company are preparing to go on strike following complaints about their pay.
Between August 21 and September 17, ballots will be sent to more than 1,300 PSA Airlines flight attendants authorizing a strike. The employees work on regional flights for the American airline American Eagle.
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“Without significant improvements, life for flight attendants at PSA is untenable,” said Lee Wilkes, president of the PSA branch of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA union. “The cost of living has skyrocketed while our pay is lagging behind. We cannot afford to wait any longer. We are ready to show PSA and American management that we will do whatever it takes to get our contract.”
PSA flight attendants requested mediation from the federal government in January. The union says management ultimately presented an economic proposal that included “insulting increases in base salaries” that do not keep pace with the cost of living and wage increases at major airlines.
PSA workers are fighting for a double-digit increase in their base salary, higher overtime pay, sick leave, improvements to work rules and more.
Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, PSA Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Airlines Group and operates 500 flights daily to nearly 100 destinations.
In July, American Airlines and its flight attendants’ union said they had reached an agreement on a new contract This also includes salary increases; the deal applies to 28,000 employees.
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants had previously rejected an offer from American that would have included an immediate 18 percent pay increase and a 2 percent annual pay increase. Flight attendants voted to strike last year, and union leadership had threatened a strike in the fall.
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