American Faces Nov. 18 Strike Date : Labor: Flight attendants push up their deadline as the airline wins approval for abridged training of replacement workers.
The flight attendants union at American Airlines plans to strike earlier than originally thought, setting a deadline of Nov. 18, one week before Thanksgiving, leaders said Monday.
The 21,000-member Assn. of Professional Flight Attendants had been threatening to strike by Nov. 22. Yearlong negotiations between the union and the carrier broke off Oct. 30.
The group had already been considering moving up the walkout. But union President Denise Hedges said the Federal Aviation Administration forced the union’s hand by approving American’s request to cut its flight attendant training time from seven weeks to eight days.
“We will not play a waiting game that allows the company time to train quickie replacements to carry out their threat to permanently replace us when we strike,” Hedges said at a news conference in this Dallas suburb.
Hedges alleged that the shorter training period compromises safety and said the union is lobbying the Clinton Administration to change its mind on the eight-day course.
Richard Mintz, spokesman for Transportation Secretary Federico Pena, said Pena is not considering asking the FAA to reverse the training decision.
American spokesman Al Comeaux has said the shortened training course retains safety instruction while eliminating many elements such as food and beverage service, grooming and marketing. The program also trains each attendant on only one type of aircraft rather than as many as five, Comeaux said.
FAA inspectors found that the course meets regulations, but they have increased oversight of the training program, agency spokesman Hank Price said.
American has imposed a contract on its flight attendants that it says raises their pay an average of about 7.8% per year over the next four years.
The union Monday offered to sign a contract including higher pay raises and other provisions similar to those it had on the table when talks broke off.
According to the union, American’s terms include increased contributions by employees for health benefits, something the union opposes, and a provision that reduces staffing on many flights.
Hedges said the union still wants to resume negotiations with American. However, no further talks are scheduled.
The new strike deadline falls before the Allied Pilots Assn. finishes polling its 9,000 members at American on a possible sympathy strike. Ballots are due to be tabulated Nov. 19, but the pilots union leadership plans to meet beginning Monday, spokesman Gregg Overman said.
