Yesterday, United Airlines unveiled its new Elevated interior which includes an all new Polaris Business Class product. During the event, which was held in Brooklyn and attended by members of the Media and Mileage Plus frequent flyers, a group of flight attendants crashed the party to demand a new contract.
United Flight Attendants Protest Contract Talks at Polaris Unveiling
In videos posted to social media from the event, more than a dozen United flight attendants in uniform can be seen holding signs and chanting things like; “What do we want? A contract! When do we want it? Now!” and “If we don’t get it, shut it down.”
According to reports from the event, the chants lasted for roughly a minute before the flight attendants were escorted from the building. United and its flight attendants have been undergoing a contract dispute for quite some time.
While protesting outside of a company event is common, I can’t remember the last time I saw them barge into a private event space as part of a protest. However, it clearly is putting eyeballs on the flight attendants’ position as multiple travel blogs and news outlets have reported on the incident.
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) released a statement about the new Polaris cabins in which AFA International President Sara Nelson and United AFA President Ken Diaz were quoted saying:
“Service doesn’t happen without us. United has the money to invest in an industry-leading Flight Attendant contract with ‘premium’ compensation, work rules, and cabin interiors. CEO Scott Kirby can roll out all the new product announcements he wants — it means nothing without respect for the people who deliver it. New cabin interiors – if done with our involvement – can be helpful for doing our jobs and we want happy passengers. But a new aircraft cabin doesn’t pay rent, allow us to come to work without stress over paying our bills, attract new applicants, or give us the schedule control we need to have a life. Scott Kirby can’t promise a product without the people who deliver it.”
United Flight Attendants Haven’t Gotten a Raise in Four Years
While we’ve seen Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, and Southwest Airlines ratify new flight attendant contracts recently, United flight attendants have been waiting years for a new contract after their previous one expired in 2021. While that was during the Covid-19 pandemic, which obviously wasn’t a good time for airlines, the carrier’s profitability is now rivaling Delta and the flight attendants are ready for their piece of the profits.
As I reported last year, the United flight attendants voted to authorize a strike but the two parties have continued negotiations with neither side willing to budge. United’s flight attendant union is looking for a significant double-digit base pay increase, pay for time at work on the ground (boarding pay), schedule flexibility and work rule improvements, job security, retirement and more.
While that may sound like a long list of demands, that is essentially what we’ve seen many carriers move towards in their recently ratified contracts, especially regarding boarding pay. Currently, United flight attendants don’t get paid until the boarding door has been closed.
In the statement released by the AFA-CWA, the group noted that the two sides are currently in the middle of negotiations in Chicago which is intended to move them towards a tentative agreement.
While only time will tell if they’re able to come to terms this time around, I have to imagine that the conversation is slightly more contentious after a small group of flight attendants crashed the carrier’s big Polaris reveal.
Summary
A group of United Airlines flight attendants crashed the carrier’s big Polaris reveal yesterday in Brooklyn. Roughly a dozen crewmembers in uniform entered the venue carrying signs and chanting before they were eventually removed by security. While I feel for the crews who have been working for years without a new contract, I can’t imagine this is going to make negotiations easier for them with the carrier.
