DENVER – Flight Attendants at Frontier Airlines, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), will take a strike authorization vote as management refuses to negotiate over the impact of the carrier’s business model change. Frontier management has a legal obligation to bargain over that impact, separate and distinct from their obligation to bargain over regular contract negotiations, yet it refuses to do so or to even engage in mediation through the National Mediation Board.
“Frontier management’s ‘out and back' business model has resulted in a massive hit to our compensation and time away from our homes,” said Jennifer Sala, AFA Frontier President. “Frontier Flight Attendants are experiencing harm right now. There’s no time to wait to address the impact of management’s decisions on our lives.”
Strike vote ballots will be sent to the 4,000 Flight Attendants, with the vote opening on August 20, 2024 and closing on September 18, 2024.
One common example illustrates how quickly and significantly Flight Attendant pay and work life have been affected. When comparing the same number of days at work in February with March, a Flight Attendant experienced 11% fewer paid flight hours, coupled with a requirement of 5 more trips to the airport. In April that became a 17% reduction in flight hours paid (base compensation) and 8 more trips to the airport. This example means over the course of two months, Flight Attendants lost nearly 20% in pay for the same number of days worked, while also being required to report to work 40% more.
“This strike vote will show just how serious this issue is and the action Flight Attendants are willing to take to get it fixed,” said Sara Nelson, AFA International President. “The change in time on the job and compensation is staggering. We will not pay for this business model change. The longer this goes on, the more Frontier will have to pay to make it right.”
AFA has a trademarked strike strategy known as CHAOS™ or Create Havoc Around Our System™. With CHAOS, a strike could affect the entire system or a single flight. The union decides when, where and how to strike without notice to management or passengers. There is no strike date set at this time. The first step is authorization by the members to empower the union to set a strike deadline, if necessary.
The Flight Attendant Union filed for federal mediation with the National Mediation Board (NMB) in May after issuing a formal notice to management on April 3, 2024, that its “turn” plan constitutes a dispute under the Railway Labor Act, separate from regular contract negotiations. This impact of the new business model has a significant negative effect on the working lives of the over 4,000 Flight Attendants in a way not contemplated under the negotiated collective bargaining agreement.
