Q: Did achieving Boarding Pay affect our negotiated pay rates? In other words, if we went all in on pay, would we have seen a bigger raise across the board?
There are different ways to look at compensation. WN went all in on pay rates, but they also have a different flying network. Boarding Pay may have cost too much for them to achieve in this round of negotiations. AA clearly chose the same route as us, focusing on Boarding Pay in addition to raises to the overall pay scale.
We did consider going all in on pay rates – but we also heard from Members loud and clear the desire to be paid for all time on duty. After seeking guidance from the MEC, we decided that achieving Boarding Pay was the more favorable objective and a step in the right direction to achieve pay for all duty time.
With a significant part of our public campaign based on working without pay during certain times of duty – and based on feedback from Flight Attendants – we felt the direction was clear. That is why we ended up focusing on Boarding Pay.