American Airlines flight attendants may strike - Dallas Morning News

Snippet from the Dallas Morning News...

American Airlines flight attendants may strike
08:19 AM CST on Thursday, March 4, 2010
By TERRY MAXON / The Dallas Morning News


After contract talks with American Airlines Inc. recessed without a deal Wednesday night, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants said it will ask the National Mediation Board to start the legal process that could lead to a strike.
Also Online

The union said the company walked out of NMB-mediated talks Wednesday evening without responding to the union’s last proposal. It said it will ask the NMB to start a 30-day cooling-off period, after which the union could walk off their jobs.

“Now, with no other options on the table, management has forced us to take the next step necessary to get the contract we have worked so hard for,” union president Laura Glading said.

American spokeswoman Missy Latham said the union’s claim that American walked out was “categorically untrue” and said the airline looks forward to further negotiations.

“In fact, American Airlines negotiators are still in Washington, D.C. This round of talks was always scheduled to conclude at the end of business Wednesday evening and American Airlines actually agreed to wait to hear the union’s counter-proposal,” Latham said.

“We agreed to review this version and the mediator recessed the session, after 7 p.m. [Eastern]. We will respond to the counter-proposal at our next negotiating session,” she said.

Anyone have an insider opinion? Think they'll work this out without a strike?

Continues to heat up. Here's what APFA Union President Laura Glading had to say on KERA TV on 3/16/2010:

Quote:

---

Glading: As close as we get, & the closer we get and more reasonable the proposals are looking, the further the company moves away. It's a moving target. I don't' think they want to reach an agreement, I really don't.

Glading says flight attendants gave up 2 billion dollars in concessions in 2003 and they want a contract that pays them what they made before concessions. She says by stalling on a new contract, American saves a million dollars a day. Union attorney Rob Clayman says American's current proposal would still pay attendants less than they earned 7 years ago.

---

Any news? How come this hasn't made national news?

Nothing will happen until the mediator releases them to their 30 cooling off period. It is obvious that the Company is stalling for time. Every day they're still talking, is money in their pocket!