Flight attendants at US Airways (NYSE:LCC), represented by the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) have voted 51 percent to 49 percent to not ratify a proposed five-year collective bargaining agreement between the carrier and AFA. US Airways and AFA reached a tentative agreement on August 7, 2012 that would have amended existing contracts for the airline’s 6,800 flight attendants who are based in its three hub cities of Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Phoenix and its Washington, D.C. focus city.
“We are disappointed that our flight attendants chose to vote against ratification of a new contract,” said Doug Parker, US Airways’ Chairman and CEO. “The tentative agreement was unanimously endorsed by AFA leaders in each domicile and by the members of the AFA negotiating committee, and we thank them for their leadership. We would also like to express our appreciation to National Mediation Board Member Linda Puchala and Mediator Jim Mackenzie and Veda Shook, AFA’s International President, for their assistance in reaching the tentative agreement. Going forward, our current collective bargaining agreements remain in place, and we will consult with the National Mediation Board (NMB) to determine the next steps.”