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Alaska Airlines flight attendants voted down a contract promising 32% raises

The vote was 68% against the agreement and 32% in favor with a 92.4% participation rate

By Melvin Backman, Quartz Media

PublishedYesterday

The flight attendants at Alaska Airlines have rejected a tentative agreement that would have gotten them 32% raises on average. This comes after nearly two years of negotiations by members working with the Association of Flight Attendants union.

“This is our union democracy in action,” the union said in a statement Wednesday. “This is our contract, and we will fight to address membership concerns as expeditiously as possible.”

In a statement provided to Quartz, Alaska Airlines said that “we remain committed to reaching an agreement that reflects the critical role of our flight attendants and is good for Alaska’s long-term success.”

The vote was 68% against the agreement and 32% in favor with a 92.4% participation rate. Besides the increase in pay, the contract would have granted Alaska flight attendants so-called “boarding pay,” or compensation for time spent helping passengers get settled before a flight. Typically, flight attendants are not on the clock until a plane’s doors close.

From here, the union says that it will poll its members on tweaks to the contract, request new federally mediated bargaining dates, and “scheduling additional Mobilization efforts which will be necessary to put pressure on management, increase our leverage, and get additional money into a new tentative agreement.”

If a new round of negotiations reaches impasse, there remains an outside chance that the flight attendants could go on strike. In February, their union approved such an action with near-unanimity.