American Airlines flight attendants vote to authorize a strike
By Gregory Wallace
(CNN) — The latest aviation employees to vote in favor of a strike are American Airlines flight attendants.
The union representing them, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, reported a 99.47% vote in favor of a strike authorization vote with 93% of union membership voting.
“We’re pushing back and we’re fighting corporate greed, and corporate greed is alive here at American Airlines,” union president Julie Hedrick said Wednesday, which says it represents more than 26,000 workers.
“We’re proud of the progress we’ve made in negotiations with the APFA, and we look forward to reaching an agreement that provides our flight attendants with real and meaningful value,” an American Airlines spokesperson said in a statement. “We understand that a strike authorization vote is one of the important ways flight attendants express their desire to get a deal done. The results don’t change our commitment or distract us from working expeditiously to reach an agreement.”
The vote does not mean a strike will happen any time soon. Airline workers and their employers face a series of lengthy steps before any actual strike could take place. Off duty American flight attendants are holding informational picketing events at a dozen airports nationwide on Wednesday.
Earlier this year, pilots at American and Southwest Airlines both voted to authorize a strike. Since then, American pilots ratified a new contract with their employer.
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