PSA Airlines flight attendants have reached a tentative contract agreement that union leaders say could boost compensation by up to 50% over three years.
The agreement, announced by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, covers flight attendants at PSA Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines.
Union officials said the three-year tentative agreement includes an immediate 10% wage increase, boarding pay that adds an average of 15% to 16% in additional compensation, retroactive pay, additional wage scale raises, scheduling improvements, and increased flexibility.
“PSA Flight Attendants save lives every day and serve as the face of American Eagle in ever increasingly difficult conditions,” said Lee Wilkes, AFA PSA president in a press release.
“This tentative agreement starts to recognize what we do every single flight to get people to their destination safely. We fought extremely hard to set a new industry standard for contract duration. The more often we negotiate, the more chances we have to improve our lives. We look forward to locking this in and pushing forward on our careers with more in our pockets and more of our time reflected in our paychecks,” Wilkes added.
According to the union, flight attendants would see a 30- to 50% increase in compensation over the life of the contract, with what it described as a greater value placed on time spent at work. The agreement will be sent to members for a ratification vote, which closes March 6.
“PSA Flight Attendants need these improvements and we fought hard to get them in their hands for a ratification vote,” said Sara Nelson, AFA international president.
She added that “American CEO Robert Isom demonstrated his longstanding commitment to recognize the work of frontline employees who make it possible for American to fly,” while contrasting the negotiations with what she described as other carriers “succeeding on the backs of their underpaid workers.”
The tentative agreement follows months of public pressure from PSA crews.
In December, flight attendants picketed outside Terminal E at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, saying they had worked under an amendable contract for nearly three years and were seeking “double-digit pay increases, boarding pay, retro pay, and scheduling improvements,” as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
At the time, union representatives argued that American Airlines ultimately controls pay and working conditions at its regional carriers.
If ratified, the deal would mark the first new contract for PSA flight attendants since their previous agreement became amendable nearly three years ago, according to union statements.
