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United Airlines flight attendants could see 31 percent wage hike in new contract

By Ed Adamczyk
United Airlines' 25,000 flight attendants will receive double-digit raises under a proposed new contract approved by union leaders Tuesday and sent to members for ratification. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI
United Airlines' 25,000 flight attendants will receive double-digit raises under a proposed new contract approved by union leaders Tuesday and sent to members for ratification. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo

WASHINGTON, June 30 (UPI) -- United Airlines' 25,000 flight attendants will receive double-digit wage increases under a new contract approved by union leaders.

The Association of Flight Attendants' council of elected local labor leaders unanimously approved submission of the proposed contract to members for a ratification vote. The contract is the first for the company's flight attendants since United and Continental airlines merged in 2010, and the first to unify work rules.

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Currently United flight attendants are assigned to work only on United planes, and Continental flight attendants on rebranded Continental planes; the inability to mix aircraft and assigned flight crews has caused flight delays. Finalizing the joint contract is among the last pieces of the merger of airlines; the airline is still negotiating a combined contract with its 9,000 mechanics.

Base pay for the highest-seniority flight attendants will rise 18 to 31 percent, union spokeswoman Taylor Garland said. Profit-sharing, extension of a flight attendant-specific healthcare plan and improved retirement plans are included in the new contract.

The contract process was a slow one under the leadership of CEO Jeffrey Smisek, who resigned in September 2015 while under federal investigation regarding his dealings with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. His replacement, Oscar Munoz, placed a higher priority on labor relations; under his watch negotiations improved significantly, Sara Nelson, union president and a United flight attendant for 20 years, told The New York Times.

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The new contract will "set new industry standards that push our careers forward as United airlines seeks to restore our premiere status in the industry," the council said Tuesday in a letter on the union's website.

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