Strike by Flight Attendants

* Why are we applauding American flight attendants for their “smart strike” and American Chairman Robert Crandall for his macho perseverance (Nov. 23)? It’s not a game show. Hundreds of thousands of innocent people were severely inconvenienced because grown adults couldn’t “talk it out” and tried to bully and hurt each other instead to get their way. It’s an embarrassment. We wouldn’t and don’t allow it on our kids’ elementary playgrounds.

Instead of buying into the “win-lose” labor-management power game every time the two sides can’t come to agreement, why can’t we all simply agree to binding arbitration in the first place? The threat of the unknown (an arbitrator’s award) hanging over both parties’ heads is a pretty severe incentive for serious negotiation. What President Clinton did was terrific, but business itself should be mature enough to start thinking “win-win” and to factor in the external, social costs to their poor communication skills.

RICHARD GREENE

Sherman Oaks

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* As a flight attendant for USAir, I appreciated your Column One article (Nov. 25) on our profession. However, it only skims the top of the “rough ride” we go through. Today, I am one of the few fortunate flight attendants who is able to be home for the Thanksgiving holiday with my family. Many times over the years I have found myself stuck at second-class hotels, arriving from my last flight so late that I was unable to order even soup and a roll from room service--let alone hot turkey with homemade dressing.

Due to airline policies, flight attendants are not compensated with holiday pay, which in many large corporations is triple time. Because a doctor’s letter is required for holiday sick call, flight attendants go to many extremes to get the day off to spend a few precious hours with their loved ones--such as getting pregnant, having foot surgery, or working a month of flights in three weeks, as I have done.

J. TRACEY COWLES

Newport Beach