Aug. 21--United Airlines flight attendants, frustrated with the pace of labor contract talks that haven't produced a joint deal years after the 2010 merger of United and Continental airlines, have requested federal mediation.
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, representing some 24,000 United workers, filed a motion Thursday, noting "a clear dispute exists" and saying it was an effort "to bring three years of negotiations to a close."
"We are calling on management to negotiate a fair contract within the reality of record profits. Three years after the talks for a joint contract began, management doesn't seem focused on negotiating a contract flight attendants can ratify," Sara Nelson, union president, said in a statement.
United, which is earning record profits during a period of full planes and low fuel prices, said it proposed a process for immediately resuming negotiations with a goal of getting a deal done by the end of the year, according to a posting on unitednegotiations.com.
"Unfortunately, the union prefers to pursue mediation," the company said in the post. "We remain very committed to reaching an industry-leading joint agreement."
In a note to its flight attendants, United said that while federal mediation is likely to begin in weeks, the process "can often take months or, in many cases, years to conclude."
Without a joint contract, flight attendants continue to work separately, on airplanes that are designated as pre-merger United, Continental or a smaller group, Continental Micronesia. That leads to inefficiencies for the airline, its workers and the traveling public, said flight attendants, who protested stalled talks with demonstrations last month at O'Hare Airport and United's headquarters in Willis Tower.
Mediation is a formal process in which a mediator directs negotiations, including setting the time and place of meetings, subjects to be discussed and the general approach to talks.
The flight attendants union in a news release took a shot at United management's recent announcement that the airline would repurchase more of its stock, a move to please Wall Street, and invest $100 million in a Brazilian airline.
"A $3 billion share buyback and investment in a foreign airline without any attempt to invest in United's frontline is troubling," Nelson said. "Management needs to position United to compete with any airline in the world. That starts with negotiating fairly with the women and men who breathe life into the Friendly Skies."
Last year, about 2,500 United flight attendants opted for buyouts of up to $100,000.
gkarp@tribpub.com
