AirTran Flight Attendants Continue Six-Weeks of Picketing In Chicago

WASHINGTON, March 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AirTran Flight Attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), will continue a "Six Cities in Six Weeks" series of public protests on Thursday, March 17, in Chicago. Despite ongoing negotiations between AFA and AirTran management this week, management continued to stall meaningful discussions and Flight Attendants once again, bring their frustrations to the picket line.

Flight Attendants' frustrations escalated recently over reports that top AirTran executives will be receiving nearly $20 million in merger bonuses. AirTran Flight Attendants will continue the pickets across the country through April 1 until a tentative agreement has been reached. If there is not an agreement by April 1, then picketing will continue in six additional cities.

Ready to begin focusing on the transition to Southwest Airlines, AirTran Flight Attendants may continue to work under the AFA contract for at least another two years. Under the Railway Labor Act, this future change in ownership does not negate the carrier's obligation to negotiate now with its Flight Attendants in good faith.

"We are fed up that management refuses to recognize the contributions Flight Attendants have made to our airline, yet they are receiving tens of millions of dollars in bonuses. It's the hard work of all AirTran employees that make our airline successful but only a few that reap the benefits," said Stephen Grimaldi, AirTran Flight Attendant and AFA Chairperson of Flight Attendant Mobilization. "AirTran Flight Attendants are committed and dedicated to reaching an agreement that reflects our contributions to the airline's success and we will not stop until that agreement is in place."

For over 60 years, the Association of Flight Attendants has been serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill.  Nearly 50,000 Flight Attendants at 21 airlines come together to form AFA, the world's largest Flight Attendant union. AFA is part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org

SOURCE Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA)

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