Alaska Airlines flight attendants a bellwether?

Alaska Airlines flight attendants have voted down a contract negotiated by their union that offered a 32% raise over three years and an innovation in enabling boarding pay, as flight attendants today aren’t paid for their time while helping passengers board an aircraft and readying the cabin for departure.  While the union leadership felt the offer was reasonable, the rank and file voted 64% against, with 94% of eligible employees voting.

Clearly, there is the need to go back to the negotiating table and increasing the offer.  One of the problems is that younger flight attendants find it difficult to make ends meet under the current contract, and many have side hustles, including Amazon part-time delivery gigs.

The labor activism

is emblematic of a broader issue impacting the industry, wage growth in an inflationary environment.  The flight attendant group wants to earn a living wage, which despite the substantial three year increase being offered, isn’t viewed as enough by the rank and file to meet that threshold.