The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) representing United Express Carrier Air Wisconsin Flight Attendants has again petitioned the National Mediation Board for a proffer of arbitration/release from mediation, which would start the clock for a potential Flight Attendant strike 30 days later.
Once released, the next step under the statute is a 30-day cooling-off period that ends with a strike deadline. There has been no progress during two negotiations sessions since May’s petition.
Air Wisconsin Flight Attendants will picket and leaflet at airports around the country in October to raise the issue in the public and ask passengers for support.
Flight Attendant negotiations at Air Wisconsin have been overseen by the National Mediation Board since 2017. In November 2018, Air Wisconsin Flight Attendants voted by 99 percent to authorize a strike. AFA has a trademarked strike strategy known as CHAOS or Create Havoc Around Our System™. With CHAOS, a strike could affect the entire system, a single airport, or a single flight. The union decides when, where and how to strike without notice to management or passengers.
Air Wisconsin is a regional airline, headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin operating CRJ-200 regional jets. Air Wisconsin previously operated as an American Eagle regional air carrier. As of March 2018, Air Wisconsin operates exclusively as a United Express regional air carrier.
At the same time, Hawaiian Flight Attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants- CWA (AFA), are gearing up for a strike vote after mounting frustrations in mediated negotiations. Strike vote ballots will be sent to the over 2,100 Flight Attendants late this month, with a vote count scheduled for November 20, 2019.
Flight Attendants plan to picket on October 9 at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport at 11:00am to keep the pressure on management. This follows four consecutive months of Flight Attendant protests at HNL and LAX. If you are in HNL on October 9, consider stopping by to support our colleagues at Hawaiian Airlines.
This lack of progress could lead to the National Mediation Board (NMB) declaring that negotiations are deadlocked and releasing both parties into a 30-day "cooling off" period leading to a strike deadline. AFA has a trademarked strike strategy known as CHAOS™ or Create Havoc Around Our System™. With CHAOS, a strike could affect the entire system or a single flight. The union decides when, where and how to strike without notice to management or passengers.