AFA Flight Attendants Rally in Pittsburgh on Nov 17, 2004
Demonstration to Support Nationwide Strike Resolution
Hundreds of Flight Attendants representing 26 different carriers were joined by other Union Members to protest corporate greed and let management everywhere know that "Enough is Enough."
Only a little over a year ago, United Airlines Flight Attendants ratified a 6-year Contract totaling $314,000,000 in annual concessions for the purpose of a successful reorganization of the airline - but management failed to create a plan to see that end.
United management delivered new demands last week for the termination of our defined benefit pension plan in addition to $137,614,000 in annual concessions that will cut our pay, destroy our work lives and wreck our benefits - effectively creating a job that no one wants. How much is too much and when is enough, enough?
"Flight Attendants have been victimized for far too long by the avarice of airline executives, whose first and last instinct when times are tough is to squeeze employees to the breaking point," said Pat Friend, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. "We will not let them break us."
"We are calling for a union-wide, nationwide strike, because these attacks on our craft and our Contracts are an industry-wide problem," said Friend. "If even one carrier tears up its Contract, it gives a green light to its competitors."
We are standing up to fight for our career and our industry. We will not endure the unendurable. It's time to fight!
AFA Press Release dated November 17, 2004:
Demonstration to Support Nationwide Strike Resolution
| Date: | Contact |
|---|---|
| November 17, 2004 | David Kameras 202-434-0586 |
Union Promises CHAOS™ if Contracts are Abrogated
PITTSBURGH - Hundreds of flight attendants and their supporters today rallied in Pittsburgh to show support for a decision by their union to call for a nationwide strike in the event that one or more of its contracted carriers abrogates its collective bargaining agreements.
"Flight attendants have been victimized for far too long by the avarice of airline executives, whose first and last instinct when times are tough is to squeeze employees to the breaking point," said Pat Friend, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. "We will not let them break us."
When a job action is implemented, it will take on the form of CHAOS (Create Havoc Around Our System)TM, AFA's trademarked strike action that allows flight attendants to control airline schedules and operations with intermittent tactics. Flight attendants may stage a mass walkout, as in a traditional strike, for a day or a week, or strike individual flights-with no warning to management or passengers as to time or location.
Yesterday during its annual meeting, the AFA Board of Directors unanimously approved a resolution warning that union self-help is possible once any contract is abrogated. The union has begun the process of polling members at the seven carriers currently in bankruptcy to obtain their authorization for a strike.
"We are calling for a union-wide, nationwide strike, because these attacks on our craft and our contracts are an industry-wide problem," said Friend. "If even one carrier tears up its contract, it gives a green light to its competitors to satisfy their greed by attempting similar action. We must not allow this 'race to the bottom' to continue."
More than 46,000 flight attendants join together to form AFA, the world's largest flight attendant union. AFA is part of the 700,000 member strong Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afanet.org.
All rights reserved. CHAOS™ is a registered trademark.