SEATTLE — Flight attendants with Alaska Airlines voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if negotiations with the carrier don't result in a deal, the Association of Flight Attendants CWA announced Tuesday.
According to the union, which represents flight attendants at Alaska, 93.47% of members participated and nearly all — 99.48% — voted to authorize a strike if airline management does not "agree to significant improvements."
The strike authorization does not necessarily mean that a strike is imminent. It does mean that the union can request a release from the National Mediation Board. If granted, that would lead to a 30-day "cooling off" period ahead of a strike deadline.
“Our time is now!” said AFA Alaska President Jeffrey Peterson. “We’re out on the picket line demonstrating that we’re ready to do whatever it takes to get the contract we deserve. There’s no excuse: Alaska management has the money to buy another airline; they certainly have the money to invest in flight attendants. We have a simple message for management: Pay us, or CHAOS!”
According to the union, Alaska flight attendants last went on strike in 1993. The AFA's strike didn't result in a complete shutdown of Alaska flights but instead grounded flights seemingly at random — although strikes are selected by the union.
"A CHAOS strike is an intermittent strike strategy, where flight attendants could strike any flight at any time without notice to management or passengers," AFA said in a statement. "This trademarked strike strategy has the power to disrupt operations system-wide by striking just a few flights at a time, one hub location, or the entire system."
The union claims that the CHAOS strike in 1993 resulted in "dramatic reductions" in ticket bookings as passengers couldn't determine whether their flights would be canceled until they arrived at the airport.
Alaska flight attendants' contract became amendable in December 2022, and the union filed for federal mediation in September 2023.
In a statement released ahead of the vote, Alaska Airlines said that it anticipated the strike authorization would pass. It clarified that picketing by flight attendants after the vote would not disrupt flights as picketing staff are not scheduled to work.
The airline also underscored that the vote does not mean a strike is coming anytime soon.
Alaska had this to say about the status of negotiations and the likelihood of a strike:
"We agree with our flight attendants that we need a new contract, which is why we’ve been working hard to get an agreement. We’ve been offering industry leading top-of-scale pay for months with an immediate 15% raise to the entire pay scale and additional raises every year. We’ve closed more than 50 tentative agreements — representing dozens of topics where we’ve found common ground.
"We remain optimistic in the negotiations process. With six recently closed labor deals at the company and a tentative agreement reached in January for a new contract for our technicians, we’re hopeful to do the same for our flight attendants as soon as possible. AFA and Alaska leadership have met twice in the last three weeks and are continuing to bargain and meet with a mediator. Discussions have been productive and in the last two sessions; we reached four tentative agreements."
This comes as thousands of flight attendants from Alaska, Air Wisconsin, United, American, Southwest, Frontier and other airlines picket outside of 30 airports worldwide, including at the Portland International Airport.
Flight attendants from American, Air Wisconsin and Southwest airlines also voted near-unanimously to approve strike authorizations, according to the Association of Flight Attendants CWA.
“Flight Attendants are fighting corporate greed and demanding our jobs make it possible to live a good life. Working people in every job and every industry can relate and we feel the people with us,” said Sara Nelson, AFA-CWA International President, in a press release. “Our work brings people together from every part of the planet and showcases the strength of our diversity within our solidarity. We’re making history by standing together as one to make the airlines compete to the highest standards for our careers.”