SEATTLE — Flight Attendants at Horizon Air, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), are ramping up their fight for a fair contract by filing for federal mediation.
“Flight Attendants at Horizon Air and in the regional airlines deserve fair compensation,” said Horizon AFA President Lisa Davis-Warren. “The company needs to recognize the contributions we have made to its continued growth. We are hopeful that with the help of a federal mediator we will work with urgency to get the pay, benefits, and scheduling provisions we have earned.”
Horizon Air is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alaska Airlines. And while Horizon Flight Attendants work for the regional airline, management at Alaska ultimately controls their pay and working conditions at Horizon – where Flight Attendants provide the same service as their mainline counterparts while being paid significantly less.
Management has so far failed to offer meaningful pay increases for all Flight Attendants in the workgroup. Instead of raising the standards for regional Flight Attendants, management is content to maintain a two-tiered exploitative “regional airline” business model that leaves regional Flight Attendants behind.
Filing for federal mediation with the National Mediation Board is the next step in negotiations under the Railway Labor Act, and the NMB will oversee negotiations, assign a federal mediator, and schedule mediation sessions.
