Flight attendants picket at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta airport, demand higher pay

ATLANTA — Dozens of flight attendants from various airlines protested outside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Tuesday, demanding higher pay.

They joined thousands of other attendants in demonstrations at airports across the country.

It came as more than two-thirds of U.S. flight attendants are in the middle of contract negotiations.

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“Our CEOs continue to take large bonuses while our salaries remain flat,” Alison Head, a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines told Channel 2′s Bryan Mims. “Flight attendants are out here today fighting against corporate greed.”

For about two hours, roughly 50 flight attendants who represent three unions picketed along a sidewalk outside the domestic terminal.

They chanted and carried signs, some of them bearing these words: “Deceived, devalued, disrespected.”

They’re fighting not only for higher wages, but better scheduling and retirement benefits.

The airlines involved in the labor dispute include American, United, Southwest, Alaska, and Frontier.

Atlanta-based Delta is not among the carriers in the contract negotiations.

“It’s not just the pay, it’s about work-life balance,” LaShaye Hutchinson, a flight attendant for Southwest said.

She said she hasn’t received a pay raise in more than five years.

She’s demanding an end to the industry practice of not paying attendants for time spent boarding and waiting at the airport between flights. Right now, they’re only paid when the plane is moving. “A lot of our time on the aircraft is spent with the doors open, and we’re not paid for that time,” she said.

“The flight attendants, if that door’s not closed, they not getting paid,” Suzanne Shafer, an attendant for Republic Airways said. “So they’re answering your questions, they’re helping with any emergencies, they’re taking care of the passengers, but they’re not getting paid.” Delta is the only carrier that pays flight attendants during boarding time.

Head said scheduling needs improvement.

“Not being rerouted, which means you expect to be home at 3 p.m. and now you’re not getting home until 3 a.m. We need some control over our schedules,” she said.

She also said flight attendants have responsibilities that are too often overlooked.

“Flight attendants are here. They are first responders,” she said. “If you have a medical situation on a plane, the flight attendant is the first to respond to you.”

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Channel 2 Action News reached the airlines for a response.

American Airlines issued this statement: “We appreciate and respect our flight attendants’ right to picket and understand that is their way of telling us the importance of getting a contract done – and we hear them. We have a proven track record of reaching new agreements for our team, ensuring they are paid at the top of the industry. That’s our same goal for our flight attendants.”

Southwest Airlines issued the following statement:

“Southwest has an award-winning culture that respects our employees and allows them to express their opinions in a cordial manner. The demonstration of off-duty flight attendants will not affect our ability to take care of our customers. We reached an industry-leading tentative agreement with TWU 556 in October 2023 and are scheduled to meet next week with the union and the National Mediation Board to continue working toward an agreement that benefits our flight attendants and Southwest.”

Alaska Airlines issued the following statement:

“We agree with our flight attendants that we need a new contract, which is why we’ve been working hard to get an agreement. We’ve been offering industry-leading top-of-scale pay for months with an immediate 15% raise to the entire pay scale and additional raises every year. We’ve closed more than 50 tentative agreements – representing dozens of topics where we’ve found common ground. We remain optimistic in the negotiation process. With six recently closed labor deals at the company and a tentative agreement reached in January for a new contract for our technicians, we’re hopeful to do the same for our flight attendants as soon as possible. AFA and Alaska leadership have met twice in the last three weeks and are continuing to bargain and meet with a mediator. Discussions have been productive and in the last two sessions, we reached four tentative agreements.”

Hartsfield-Jackson officials said the picketing did not disrupt any air travel.

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