US Airways Express Flight Attendants Authorize Strike

Piedmont Airlines Flight Attendants Support Strike by Strong Majority

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Piedmont Airlines Flight Attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), today sent a loud and clear message that if management fails to negotiate a new agreement, a strike could result at the airline. The strike was authorized by 98 percent of participating Flight Attendants. Piedmont is a wholly owned subsidiary of US Airways Group, Inc. and operates as a US Airways Express carrier.

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"Piedmont Flight Attendants have been focused on reaching an agreement that recognizes the value our professionalism brings to the airline. It is time that management move forward with negotiations and work with us to reach an agreement that reflects the contributions Piedmont Flight Attendants have made to the success of the US Airways system," said Anita Jwanouskos, AFA Piedmont President. "At this point, it is up to Piedmont management. Should they continue to ignore our critical role as First Responders and fail to reach an agreement, then they should be prepared for CHAOS™."

AFA has a trademarked strike strategy known as CHAOS or Create Havoc Around Our System™.  With CHAOS, a strike could affect the entire system or a single flight.  The union decides when, where and how to strike without notice to management or passengers. Throughout negotiations, AFA has continued to address Flight Attendant concerns while management has made regressive proposals. This lack of progress could lead to the National Mediation Board (NMB) declaring that negotiations are deadlocked and releasing both parties into a 30-day "cooling off" period leading to a strike deadline. 

"Flight Attendants at Piedmont did not take this strike vote lightly and our overwhelming decision to strike should show management the seriousness of this situation. Piedmont Flight Attendants are key partners in the overall success of US Airways and we want a contract that recognizes our part in any potential merger. We will not settle for less," added Jwanouskos.

Piedmont Airlines is headquartered in Salisbury, Maryland and provides over 400 daily departures to 55 cities throughout the eastern United States and Canada including Charlotte, NC; Philadelphia, PA; Charlottesville, VA; Roanoke, VA; and Harrisburg, PA.

The Association of Flight Attendants is the world's largest Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for over 65 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions.  Nearly 60,000 Flight Attendants at 21 airlines come together to form AFA, 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, AFL-CIO