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American Airlines flight attendants will target a number of flights on Nov. 18 with what they call a nondisruptive "simulated strike" — a symbolic muscle flexing involving red and yellow badgelike disks attached to union pins that declare, "Got Guts" and "Got Union."
The demonstration, on the 16th anniversary of the union’s strike against the company, is aimed at sending a message that union members want an end to long-running contract talks."This is only a symbolic demonstration to show management that flight attendants are willing and able to do whatever is necessary to get a fair contract," said Laura Glading, president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. "We are not doing anything that would harm the company," she said. "In fact, we’re asking the public to fly American during the holidays."The 18,000 flight attendants are trying to recover wages lost through concessions in 2003 that helped the airline avoid bankruptcy. But Glading declined to spell out specific demands. The airline is also negotiating with its pilots and mechanics.Contract negotiations are scheduled to run through January. If there’s no agreement, the union will ask the National Mediation Board to let it move to a 30-day cooling-off period, the step before a real strike or other job action, the union says.Asked the purpose of a "simulated" strike on yet-to-be-announced "red" flights, Glading said: "We think it’s going to very helpful for us. If we have a job action, it’s good to have a drill, a dress rehearsal." She said there’s little chance members will not participate. The airline says talks are progressing. Spokeswoman Missy Latham said there has been tentative agreement on 72 percent of contract points. The airline doesn’t expect any work action for a while. Under federal law governing airline contracts, the National Mediation Board must declare an impasse and 30 days for cooling off before a union can strike. There’s no impasse."Historically, negotiations which are settled during mediation in the airline industry last an average of 19 months after the mediator comes on board — and we’ve been in mediated negotiations for roughly nine months," Latham wrote in an e-mail. Latham said that American’s flight attendants receive nearly the industry’s top pay and benefits, and that the airline is trying to reach a contract that recognizes their "service and dedication while positioning our company for long-term success by improving productivity."BARRY SHLACHTER, 817-390-7718
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