US Airways Flight Attendants Speak Out

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

US Airways passengers received an unexpected welcome while checking in at Washington's National Airport yesterday as dozens of flight attendants circled the airport’s departure area at noon chanting “Hey hey ho ho - corporate greed has got to go!” The flight attendants – who have been without a contract for over 5 years – charge that while US Airways recently boasted the largest quarterly profit in the company’s history, the airline is stalling negotiations and is demanding unfair concessions in wages, healthcare and job security protections. “We all made huge economic compromises to help keep this company afloat years ago, and now they have turned their backs on us and are trying to stiff us out of even more money,” said one worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It’s time that we recoup the millions of dollars we gave to save them.” In response to airline management “throwing a wrench in bargaining,” Association of Flight Attendants-CWA US Airways Council 41 Executive Secretary Stephen Smith told Union City that flight attendants plan to “start making lots of noise” over the coming months to increase pressure on US Airways to reach a fair contract, which would cover about 400 flight attendants in the Washington area and over 7,200 nationally. The demonstration was part of a system-wide day of protests in Philadelphia, Charlotte, Phoenix and Washington. – report/photo by Adam Wright