United Airlines Flight Attendants Authorize Strike

12/30/2004 6:11:00 PM

To: National Desk

Contact: Sara Nelson Dela Cruz, 847-292-7170 ext. 524, for the Association of Flight Attendants

CHICAGO, Dec. 30 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Flight attendants at United Airlines overwhelmingly authorized their Union to call for targeted CHAOS strike activities should a federal bankruptcy court permit management to abrogate its collective bargaining agreement with its employees. Court hearings begin January 7th in Chicago.

Of the eligible voters participating, 88 percent voted in favor of authorizing CHAOS strikes. "United flight attendants have spoken loudly and clearly: They will not allow their employer to exploit the bankruptcy process and strip them of their rights. They are ready to fight," said Greg Davidowich, president of the AFA Master Executive Council at United.

"United flight attendants have already made huge sacrifices to help our airline succeed," stated Davidowitch. "But it's not just up to the employees to save United. It's time for United management to look at itself for a solution to the current situation it has created. United's problems are not a result of high labor costs, but of failed business planning."

As United Airlines CEO Glenn Tilton seeks to scrap the United Flight Attendant legally binding contract, terminate the Flight Attendant pension plan, and impose cuts to wages, health care, and work rules, he is forcing AFA to mobilize for CHAOS. The Union has vowed to implement its strike plans if the Flight Attendants' Contract is rejected, and has called on the company to reach a negotiated settlement instead.

CHAOS -- which stands for Create Havoc Around Our System -- is AFA's trademarked tactic of surprise, intermittent strikes. Flight, dates and locations are chosen solely at the Union's discretion and targeted for maximum impact. CHAOS could take the form of a system-wide one-day strike, a strike targeted for one specific city or an individual flight at a remote location. Preparations for CHAOS are already well underway.

Talks between AFA and United management to reach a consensual agreement have been ongoing.

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 their website at http://www.afanet.org.

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