US flight attendants are fed up like their Air Canada peers. Here’s why they aren’t likely to strike

By RIO YAMAT Associated Press Airlines Writer At the end of work trips Nathan Miller goes home to a makeshift bedroom in his parents house in Virginia The -year-old flight attendant is part of a PSA Airlines crew based in Philadelphia but Miller says he can t afford to live there He makes about a year working full-time for the American Airlines subsidiary Despite often staffing multiple flights a day Miller commutes by plane between Virginia Beach and Philadelphia International Airport a distance of about miles I ve considered finding a whole new job It s not something that I want to do Miller who joined PSA two years ago reported But it s not sustainable His situation isn t unique Frustrations among flight attendants at both regional and legacy airlines have been building for years over paychecks that several of them say don t match the weight of what their jobs demand Compounding the discontent over hourly wages is a long-standing airline practice of not paying attendants for the work they perform on the ground like getting passengers on and off planes Sara Nelson the international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA holds placard during a demonstration at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Monday August in Washington AP Photo Rahmat Gul Air Canada s flight attendants put a community spotlight on these simmering issues when about of them walked off the job last weekend forcing the airline to cancel more than flights The strike ended Tuesday with a tentative deal that includes wage increases and for the first time pay for boarding passengers In the United States however the nearly century-old Railway Labor Act makes it far more tough for union flight attendants like Miller a member of the Association of Flight Attendants to strike than largest part other American workers Unlike the Boeing factory workers and Hollywood writers and actors who collectively stopped work in modern years U S airline workers can only strike if federal mediators declare an impasse and even then the president or Congress can intervene For that reason airline strikes are exceedingly rare The last major one in the U S was over a decade ago by Spirit Airlines pilots and the greater part attempts since then have failed American Airlines flight attendants tried in but were blocked by mediators PSA Airlines flight attendants hold placards during a demonstration at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Monday August in Washington AP Photo Rahmat Gul Without the ultimate bargaining chip airline labor unions have seen their power eroded in contract talks that now stretch far beyond historical norms according to Sara Nelson the international president of the AFA Negotiations that once took between a year and months now drag on for three years sometimes more The right to strike is fundamental to collective bargaining but it has been chipped away Nelson reported Her union represents attendants including the ones at United Airlines Alaska Airlines and PSA Airlines On Monday she joined PSA flight attendants in protest outside Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near where an airliner operated by PSA crashed into the Potomac River in January after colliding with an Army helicopter All people on the two aircraft were killed including the plane s pilot co-pilot and two flight attendants The airline s flight attendants also demonstrated outside three other U S airports In a report PSA called the demonstrations one of the key techniques flight attendants express their desire to get a deal done and we share the same goal Related Articles Misunderstood Why this university is creating classes around psychedelic medicine A look at consumer prices months into the second Trump administration Currently in History August total solar eclipse captivates America FTC sues LA Fitness operators for exceedingly hard gym cancellation policies Judge denies Justice Department request to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts Flight attendants say their jobs have become more demanding in contemporary years Planes are fuller and faster turnaround times between flights are expected Customers may see them mostly as uniforms that serve food and beverages but the a great number of hats attendants juggle include handling in-flight emergencies deescalating conflicts and managing unruly passengers We have to know how to put out a lithium battery fire while at feet or perform CPR on a guest who s had a heart attack We re trained to evacuate a plane in seconds and we re inevitably the last ones off noted Becky Black a PSA flight attendant in Dayton Ohio who is part of the union s negotiating group And yet Black says their pay hasn t kept pace PSA flight attendants have been bargaining for over two years for better wages and boarding pay Alaska flight attendants spent just as long in talks before reaching a deal in February At American flight attendants began negotiations on a new contract in but didn t get one until Southwest Airlines attendants pushed even longer over five years before winning a new deal last year that delivered an immediate wage hike and annual increases through It was a great relief Alison Head a longtime Southwest flight attendant based in Atlanta stated Coming out of COVID where you saw prices were high and individuals struggling it really meant something The contract didn t include boarding pay but secured the industry s first paid maternity and parental leave a historic win for the largely female workforce A mother of two Head commented she returned to work fairly fast after having her first child because she couldn t afford to stay home Now new parents don t have to make that same hard decision she announced Numerous of her peers at other airlines are still waiting for their new contracts At United attendants rejected a tentative agreement last month with voting no The union is now surveying its members to understand why and plans to return to the bargaining table in December One major sticking point boarding pay While Delta became the first U S airline to offer it in followed by American and Alaska multiple flight attendants still aren t compensated during what they call the busiest part of their shift Back in Virginia Beach Miller is still trying to make it work On family vacations during his childhood Miller noted he was fascinated by flight attendants and their ability to make people feel content and safe Now he s got his dream job but he isn t sure he can afford to keep doing it