AUSTIN, Texas —
Flight attendants in Austin picketed Tuesday morning in what they said was an effort to get fair contracts.
Representatives from United, Southwest and American airlines met at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport at 11 a.m., outside of baggage claim, near the Red Garage.
The flight attendant said they have been without contracts for years and are looking to get a cost-of-living increase to keep up with the changing economy.
They want to show the flying public that while they may be smiling in the air, most are unhappy with their current management and situations.
"We know that the airline industry is ever-changing, and we just hope that there will be flight attendants there that will be able to afford to do this job. Right now, it's not now possible for some," Southwest Airlines flight attendant Allison Quinones said.
The flight attendants said their roles and responsibilities have changed, but the pay hasn't been keeping up.
"There are many flight attendants on food stamps currently because they can't afford cost of living," Quinones said. "There's a lot of things that we've gone through, in the last five years alone. Just the the change of pre-COVID flying to COVID flying to now post-COVID flying has been drastically different."
The Austin airport serves as a satellite base for American, Southwest and United Airlines.
A spokesperson for United Airlines told KVUE a negotiation session is set for March 19, and the company looks forward to working with the union that represents their flight attendants to narrow the issues so they can come to terms on an industry-leading agreement.
An American Airlines spokesperson said the proposal the company has had on the table since September of last year includes "increased pay, the addition of boarding pay and other meaningful improvements."
"We remain at the negotiating table, ready to make a deal – and we are confident that we will reach a new agreement soon," the spokesperson said.
Southwest Airlines said since November 2022, it has reached two agreements, "one that the union executive board chose not to send to members for voting and one that was not ratified." Southwest said flight attendants have authorized a possible strike, but a work stoppage isn't imminent and "the vote does not affect Southwest's operation or our ability to take care of customers."
Southwest said it reached an "industry-leading Tentative Agreement" last October and it is scheduled to meet next week with the union and the National Mediation Board to continue working toward an agreement that benefits everyone.
Tuesday's strike is happening at 30 airports across the country and a few internationally, including London and Guam.