Q: With the economic changes since 2014, it seems “unrealistic” to hold to a 46% all-in total increase since we have a large time span to make up. Did we push harder for a higher all-in?
The 2014 Agreement (with a duration originally through 2019) was cut 1 year short by the JCBA negotiated in 2018. The agreement had pay increases through 2018 and the JCBA included pay increases, so Flight Attendants did receive pay increases during that time.
Prior to the Negotiating Committee gearing up to start negotiations for the contract subsequent to the JCBA, Covid hit. The Alaska pilots’ union was engaged in contract negotiations at that time and elected to shelve negotiations for a year.
That time was a very scary time in our industry. Flight Attendants bore the brunt of passenger lift, and the financial uncertainty in our industry was terrifying. AFA also decided this did not present a good climate for bargaining and also decided to delay bargaining for a year, like the pilots. Instead of just delaying negotiations, we negotiated a 1.5% raise (not high enough, agreed), and that insurance premiums would remain at the exact dollar amount and could not increase until the next agreement was negotiated.
No one could forecast what would happen to the airline industry. Without AFA leading the charge on getting the government to authorize Payroll Support Program (PSP) we would be seeing airline bankruptcies and employee furloughs.
So Flight Attendants have been receiving raises since 2014 (until December 2022). The increase in Flight Attendant costs achieved in this TA is significantly more than any other labor group at AS, and any other recent Flight Attendant negotiations. Do we always want more? Of course. However, the base wages in this TA are the second highest in the industry, below only Southwest’s, and they do not have boarding pay, which pays out every time you board a flight.