74% of United flight attendants against new pay agreement

Nearly three-quarters of United Airlines flight attendants have voted against a new pay agreement negotiated by the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), according to a poll by USTN. 

92% of those surveyed said they had already cast their ballots on the tentative agreement, with voting scheduled to end on Tuesday. 74% said they were rejecting the deal which affects 28,000 United workers. 

A Tempting Offer?  

84% of United flight attendants who responded to our poll do not believe the tentative agreement (TA) between United Airlines and its 28,000 flight attendants is “industry leading”, as AFA claim it is. Analysis by USTN shows that – while the deal offers an average pay increase of 26.9% - flight attendants have suffered a 24% loss in real-term earnings due to inflation during the five years since the last agreement lapsed.  

Ground pay may have helped members to overlook the smaller than expected pay increase, compensating United flight attendants for time spent not only boarding passengers, but also doing check-ins, briefings, and experiencing delays. While ground pay did not materialise (the union conceded and agreed to boarding pay instead), AFA leadership would argue that other measures more than made up for it. This includes retaining United’s traditional bidding system, specificity when it comes to layover hotels, and 10 weeks’ paid maternity leave, plus 2 weeks parental and adoption leave.  

United flight attendants have high expectations when it came to this deal, having lived through half a decade of inflation, second jobs, and stagnant pay. In many cases, the deal has not met their battle-hardened standards.  

The majority feel AFA’s communication has been ineffective 

The poll revealed that 74% of respondents believe AFA has not effectively communicated the benefits of the deal, suggesting significant messaging and trust issues. This sentiment is potentially fuelled by the misinformation surrounding the voting period, including reports from “trusted sources” about the contract containing ‘24 hour always on call policy,’ tech-based surveillance, and a loophole that would allow the deal to be renegotiated if United management claims hardship.  

While the union’s comms team was quick to shut these reports down, members apparently don’t believe AFA’s response has been strong enough and misleading narratives have continued to flow online. This is partly caused by the union refusing to engage with genuine criticism, preferring to denounce all and every concern related to the TA as “misinformation” perpetuated by “A.I. and Chat GPT”.  

No Love Lost 

The data paint a bleak picture for AFA’s agreement, with only 22% of respondents who had not yet voted saying they were going to say back to the deal. While the survey is not statistically representative of all flight attendants, things aren’t looking good.  

If the contract falls through, it won’t be for lack of effort. AFA leadership have been hosting roadshows across the country, reportedly cornering United flight attendants as they step off planes, and even promising significant one-off bonuses if members vote ‘yes’. However, these efforts have been overshadowed by misinformation, poor expectation management, and a deal that took far too long to produce.  

With voting closing tomorrow, we won't have to wait long to see if the union has truly shifted members opinion or if they will be forced back to the negotiating table.