Flight attendants demand raises, better work conditions 

ASSOCIATION OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS-CWA

Flight attendants for American Airlines subsidiary PSA rallied across from Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Aug. 18 for better wages and work conditions.

The skies can be friendly. The compensation isn’t.

Flight attendants who work at PSA, a regional carrier of American Airlines, want to be paid for work inside the plane – not just in the air. They rallied Aug. 18 across from Charlotte Douglas International Airport to demand raises commensurate with the time they spend at work as opposed to when the plan is aloft. 

Because PSA’s routes are generally shorter, their flight time-only wages lags colleagues who travel cross country or internationally. 

“I spend at least six hours of the day getting to work,” said Kayce, a Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas-based attendant who lives in Wilmington, North Carolina, who didn’t give her last name. “It takes six hours to get to work, and then once I’m there, I’ll work 15 hours of the day, and I’m very happy to do so I love what I do for the public and for my crew members, but I might only get paid for three hours of that work.”

Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the union that represents PSA attendants, say management has proposed a single digit pay rase. The carrier’s attendants voted 99.2% last year in favor of authorizing a strike if necessary. 

AFA demands a contract that includes:

• Double-digit raises

• Boarding pay

• Retroactive wages

• Improved scheduling 

PSA’s attendants contend they earn more than 40% less than their peers at American who perform many of the same duties.

“We’ve faced operational meltdowns, gut-wrenching tragedy, and an impossible cost of living — while American Airlines celebrates record profits,” Sean Griffin, president of the Charlotte branch of AFA at PSA Airlines said. “It’s time for a real contract with real pay.”

American recently awarded raises of as much as 20.5% for some of its mainline flight attendants. The disparity, attendants say, is due to PSA not paying them for work done while planes sit on the tarmac – even during delays. 

“We’re not talking about from beginning duty time to finish,” said Kayce, who has worked  as an attendant for 15 years. “We're talking about flight hours only. That’s something I don’t think the public understands. 

“We’re only paid when the door closes to the time the door opens. We don’t get paid when we’re boarding here at PSA, and we don’t get paid when we’re on the ground serving beverages for two hours when there’s a delay. No pay.”

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