United’s Flight Attendants Ratify Contract

Flight attendants for United Airlines approved a 10-year employment agreement, ending negotiations that began about two years ago. The Assn. of Flight Attendants said that more than 52% of the 22,000 flight attendants employed by the carrier, owned by UAL Corp., voted for the unusually long-term contract. The votes were cast last month and the final tabulation came Thursday. More than 40% of the attendants voted against the contract. Some employees have objected to the size of the pay raise and company policies on the use of foreign-based flight attendants. The contract calls for raises and bonuses totaling a 36% wage and compensation increase over the next five years and it also increases retirement funding formulas. UAL and the union reached a tentative agreement in mid-July.