Posted on: Friday, May 25, 2001
American Airlines may be hit by strike near July 4
USA Today
Another airline strike is looming — this time at American Airlines, whose 23,000 flight attendants are gearing up for a strike around July 4.
Three years of contract negotiations between the airline and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants broke down Wednesday night, and the National Mediation Board declared an impasse.
Union officials said yesterday that the union is expected to turn down the mediation board's offer of arbitration and authorize a strike instead. The 30-day countdown to a walkout could begin next week, after the union's board meets in Dallas.
American said it offered flight attendants a 21.6 percent raise over 5 years, retroactive pay, a 3 percent signing bonus, increased pensions and other new benefits.
The chief contract negotiator said the airline is "confident this contract will be resolved ... without any service disruption."
Sue Oliver, a senior vice president of American, said the airline is committed to getting a deal and noted President Bush has pledged to do all he can to prevent airline strikes. Bush intervened to prevent a strike by Northwest Airlines' mechanics' union, and his administration threatened intervention when Delta's pilots union threatened to strike in late April.
American's flight attendants haven't received a raise since November 1997. The last contract came up for renewal in 1998, and the following year, flight attendants voted down a tentative agreement.
If no contract is reached during the 30-day cooling-off period, American is expected to lobby the White House to name a Presidential Emergency Board. Federal law allows White House intervention when an airline strike threatens a significant disruption, and American is now the United States' largest carrier.
The appointment of a PEB makes it illegal for the union to strike for 60 days, while the board holds hearings and recommends contract terms. If both sides don't accept the terms, Congress can vote to impose them.
