Association of Professional Flight Attendants Assistant to the National President, Alin Boswell, appeared on America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the status of current negotiations with American Airlines.
The APFL represents about 25,000 flight attendants who work for American Airlines.
Union members have worked for about four years without a contract, and Boswell feels the two sides are nearing a resolution. He explained that the reason for this gap is due to AFPA members agreeing to pause negotiations during the pandemic to better serve customers. This pause allowed American Airlines to return to profitability, he added.
Boswell said negotiations have been complicated by Delta Airlines, who employs non-union flight attendants. Since Delta does not have to deal with a union, it can change the terms of employment, which has artificially lowered the overall industry wages for flight attendants. There is an organizing campaign currently taking place at Delta, he added,
In addition to the CBA negotiations, Boswell described his transition from working as a teacher to becoming a flight attendant. He also shared how he navigated the challenges of working in one place as a teacher to constantly traveling in his current profession.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.