- Under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), participating in “self-help” actions such as strikes or work slowdowns is only allowed after the National Mediation Board (NMB), at its sole discretion, releases the parties and a 30-day cooling-off period has passed.
- Engaging in or supporting these actions before the cooling-off period ends is against the law and could result in serious consequences for individual Flight Attendants, including disciplinary action or termination. It could also harm our Union’s negotiations and bargaining position.
- Both parties must maintain the “status quo” during negotiations, which means no changes to current pay, rules, or working conditions are allowed.
As negotiations intensify, we must be careful how we talk about negotiations and how to pressure management. Under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), only after the National Mediation Board (NMB) releases us following a 30-day cooling-off period are we allowed to engage in “self-help.” The NMB has discretion over whether to grant a release to strike.
Examples of self-help include concerted efforts to not pick up from Open Time, “work to rule,” refuse performing duties, disrupt the Company’s operation over a holiday period, coordinate calling in sick, et cetera. It is illegal to advocate for such actions before the end of the 30-day cooling-off period. Individual Flight Attendants may be disciplined, or their employment terminated for advocating for “self-help” outside the RLA provisions. We do not want to put Flight Attendants, AFA, or our negotiations at risk.
What this means is that both parties currently have an obligation to maintain the “status quo” and cannot engage in any self-help. The status quo refers to the current rates of pay, rules, and working conditions at the time of direct negotiations. It prevents the Union or Flight Attendants from taking work actions up to and including striking and management from imposing changes to work rules.
While this may seem unfair to workers, we must abide by the law. We have a plan to reach an agreement that does not put individual Flight Attendants at risk. Do not jeopardize yourself or our collective efforts by advocating for any such unauthorized and/or illegal activities. That being said, if you are feeling ill, please utilize your sick leave appropriately. Our power is in our solidarity.
Worldwide Flight Attendant Day of Action – June 13
Ready to make your voice heard? Want to show management how fed up we are? Join us for the Worldwide Flight Attendant Day of Action on Thursday, June 13! Flight Attendants from across the industry are uniting to demand fair treatment, benefits, and respect. Don’t miss out – RSVP now and be part of the picket line at one of the 30+ airports worldwide. It’s time to demand the contracts we deserve and show the power of our solidarity!
I’m a bit confused. If people choose “not” to pick up from open time, how is that a contradiction to the status quo. An intentional decision not to work on one’s schedule day off cannot be illegal in any respect.
As always, any one individual is not required to pick up from Open Time. However, if one or more individuals encourage each other to not pick up from Open Time (due to frustrations over the status of negotiations), that is considered “concerted activity,” which s illegal under the RLA during the status quo period.