United Flight Attendant Union Plans "CHAOS" Strike Strategy

The AFA has used CHAOS before without having been released from mediation. Of course they don’t officially endorse it but it does happen.

This particular strike strategy sounds like it was cooked up by a teenage girl.

Why a girl, specifically?

Some small corrections United has nearly 28,000 flight attendants not 25,000 flight attendants.

Your article also should be edited to include the list of concessions that United management has been demanding. These include cutting insurance PPO plans, cutting several insurance plans actually, shortening international and domestic rest of layovers, abillity to reassign crew while on a layover, cutting reserve call out times from 3 hours to 2 (in cities like LAX, New York, Washington DC this would be in fact insane) cutting PTO, and trying to force PBS when the flight attendants were sent a survey saying overwhelmingly they did not want it.

This is with United claiming they are making record profits in 2024. Many of the Flight attendants won’t be waiting on a strike they have been talking about ways to get back at the company if no contract is reached by summer 2025.

What is unfortunate is many of the customers will be the ones to be put in that uncomfortable situation during a peak travel season.That is what happens when they are now one of the lowest paying airlines currently with bases like SFO, BOS, LAX, New York, HNL, Washington DC.If United wants to ruin NPS scores and it’s reputation that is entirely their choice

I HUWAP (Hate Unions With A Passion) because I believe they are OCREs (Outdated Communist Relics Everywhere) and I love flying Delta because I know I won’t be stuck with SUFAs (Surly Union Flight Attendants) when I FUFIF (Fly Up Front In First).

@TravelinPenis

So you just confirmed that you wouldn't have been mad if he said a boy instead.
Typical wife-losing male feminist behavior.

@Mason...wow, I don't track Willy, so maybe I'm missing history of some sort...but you're clearly an idiotic jerk

They actually trademark a method to sabotage their employer.

Are they really having your backs with a trademark?

Oh, wow, aren’t you just the acronym genius of the century? HUWAP, OCREs, SUFAs, FUFIF—someone get Merriam-Webster on the phone, we’ve got a new wordsmith in town! But let me tell you, hating unions with a passion while simultaneously loving first-class luxury is giving “I like my champagne, but not the people who pour it” vibes. Bold choice, darling.

Sure, Delta’s got your non-unionized dream team, but let’s not pretend unions haven’t, you know, existed forever to fight for little things like livable wages and humane schedules. I mean, what’s next? A “No Labor Rights Allowed” club?

And calling unionized FAs “surly”? Sweetheart, let’s be real—if they’re dealing with entitled acronyms-on-legs in coach or first, their attitude might just be the result of your energy. Bless your heart, though. Enjoy your champagne and acronym party while the rest of us live in the real world. Cheers!

of course they're organizing on bluecry.

UA FAs are getting the unions which the (or rather their predecessors) voted for.

Meanwhile, DL FAs are on the second or third round of pay raises post covid and have boarding pay.

the post covid period of labor cost resets for the industry and the trials that unions have had in getting new contracts reinforce why DL FAs have chosen NOT to be represented by unions and why it will take at least a generation for unions to have even a modicum of credibility to the claims of what they supposedly offer

@Matt H doesn't seem to understand how screenshots work

@LAXLonghorn

And so is he.
You clearly saw what he did but pretends like you didn't, because you agree with him.

Besides I don't think there's a better indicator of me being right than getting called an "idiot" by brainwashed hypocrite OMAAT audience.
So you're welcomed.

@Mason surely you can find a better way to spend your Sunday afternoon than dragging whatever deep-seated culture war grievances torment you into the comments section of a points and miles blog

Oh Tim Doneth,

Is this why Delta flight attendants keep asking about switching to Southwest on the aft galley? Because according to them they have weak insurance and a non existent sick policy. Southwest is owning them right now and that’s the power of a union. Respond back to me when Delta offers everything that Southwest flight attendants have to their flight attendants. 🙂

Bro can’t stfu about delta. It’s exhausting.

WN FAs waited for 2 years after DL FAs got boarding pay and their FIRST post-covid pay increase.
With high inflation, no unionized FA will ever make up for what they lost while their union begged for companies to pay attention to them.

And, if you don't like hearing about DL, then substitute SkyWest. SKYW FAs ALSO got boarding pay long before any unionized FAs got it.

@LAXLonghorn Mason loves to make pointless comments to Willy, although in my experience Willy’s posts are typically accurate, respectful, and prompt further discussion. Mason is merely a troll.

CHAOS involves having flight staff simply no-show for a small percentage of the total flights fo that day to disrupt operations. While I'm onboard with the rights to unionize, to negotiate and to conduct a membership strike within the limits of the law, CHAOS essentially makes random customers hostages who will be punished if a third party (management) does not comply with the union's wishes. It does so without prior warning to the pax, and it does so without the discomfort the broad membership would feel if they went on general strike. If the union wants to strike then announce the date and have all members go on strike. The union and management will experience financial losses and one or both will revise their position at the bargaining table. Passengers will be inconvenienced, but at least will have a few days warning to make alternative plans.

Boarding pay is not all encompassing Timmy. In other words, they are still not being paid from the time that they show up at the airport until debrief. So there they are not being paid for long sits and delays. Southwest has higher paying duty rigs which equals way more money vs the weak af boarding pay. That’s the reason why Southwest flight attendants didn’t vote in boarding pay actually. 🙂

Southwest flight attendants have free insurance plans and they have the best work rules/contract in the country!

Many countries pay from sign in until sign out but yet we have the airline SMELTA that brings in the most revenue refusing to. They are the reason why other airlines including United have refused to. You can drink all the purple juice you want Timmy but you’re delusion is laughable and pathetic!

And Southwest profit sharing has been next to nothing for the past several years after that being a cornerstone of WN compensation

And WN FAs clean planes unlike most other FAs

It is a low class essentially voluntary quiet strike.

You and others have been informed

And that free insurance and higher paying duty rigs plus higher top out pay will more than balance it out. Oh and the work rules that = way more money. Southwest flight attendants are laughing all the way to the bank meanwhile the Delta flight attendants are being rerouted.#IYKYK

Worked for an airline once where the F/As voted to CHAOS (represented by AFA). All of us at headquarters and in airports management got to go through flight attendant training. If a particular crew or crew member decided to CHAOS, we had a letter to hand them, collect their company ID, airport ID, wings, and manual and they were considered locked out at whatever city they decided to do that at, and then the station manager or supervisor would step in and work the flight while the F/A figured out how to get home. Or they'd have to walk off in the hub where reserves would get called or people from HDQ sitting around would step in without even taking a delay.

Not saying that was the "high road" approach but they came to an agreement pretty quick.

No, I don’t mind hearing about any airline. Your constant need to fawn over delta detracts from meaningful conversations.

Nobody is fawning over delta. I am accurately noting the price most flight attendants pay to be part of a union. Even as their unions try to convince Delta employees to unionize. This kind of stuff undoes years of union efforts

And SkyWest FAs are also non-union

That a union would tell an employee to stick their neck out when that is what the union should be doing is criminal considering that is what the unions are paid to do

Sounds like someone is on the GUTS list...

Well that’s sort of the point of this strategy, which is to maximize impact and disruption.

Sounds like it’ll be very effective, good thing I avoid United these days.

Tiny handed Tim Dunn’s only point in breathing is literally to fawn over Delta

Even more specifically … I fvcken hate unions. Despise them.

My mother told me back when I was just starting my career … don’t like your job/salary/ work conditions, don’t whine. Find a better job. If I landed a better job, then that was a win. If I didn’t find a better paying job, then I must not be worth what I thought.

Same with FAs. Go find a better job that gives you everything that make your ego flutter.

Unions are shit. They *used* to play a valuable role in our economy and society. Today the most important role of a union is to defend an employee against an adverse action, even if they employee should be fired.

Kirby could give a call to head of the unions, highlighting if you plan to proceed with this CHAOS plan, we might hire Lorenzo back as chief negotitatior and I sure there won't be any more issues.

@Timtamtrak

TravelinPenis may be accurate or contributing to the disfussion, but never respectful.
And I'm not even talking about my experience with that dick.

Maybe in your delusional world, a disrespect is a respect?
Understanding liberals sure requires at least a degree.

You do literally everyday.

Blatantly calling for chaos is definitely going to help their strike approval chances. For sure.

US flight attendants are the worst when it comes to service … many a times the pilots and attendants conspire to have fake turbulence do they do not have to do any service… they are already overpaid for what service they provide .. when I travel the Middle East or Asian airlines the service is at whole another level… in my eyes they should hire those flight attendants so at least passengers have a better flying experience…

I have repeatedly included SkyWest which is less unionized that DL in the comments but you somehow manage to ignore that because it is against your narrative.

the Railway Labor Act has been the rule of labor law for airlines almost as long as airlines have been around.
DL figured out long ago that the company and its passengers do best with the least amount of unions.
WN is the most successful post deregulation airline and it has figured out how to be successful by getting along w/ unions. As much as people love to tout WN's labor contracts, WN people work harder - as defined by efficiency - than legacy carrier employees and also have paid good profit sharing, a concept that WN unions are not ready to believe is no longer possible.

AA and UA are the prototype for labor-mgmt conflict in the airline industry and while UA has made great strides because of Oscar Munoz, the delay in getting a new FA contract is proof that UA's labor conflict roots are still real.

all an article like this proves is the identity or grouping of people that hide behind anonymous user names. No one except airline labor and mgmt would believe that the labor-mgmt conflict situation is beneficial for anyone compared to a non-union environment or a unionized environment that includes high pay.

whether the levels of service is better is a subject for another topic (and Ben has covered it) but US airlines operate in the most lawsuit happy environment in the world.
The cost of turbulence injuries is rising worldwide and UA and WN are both stopping service earlier to reduce the risk of FA and passenger injuries during descent.

and let's not forget that there have been some spectacularly bad turbulence incidents of late - including SQ over SE Asia - that have hurt passengers. even at cruise, airlines take a risk by doing service if it isn't certain that such service can be given safely. I flew an airline over SE Asia shortly after the SQ in-flight incident and that non-E. Asian, non-European airline had the FAs not serve for a half hour with light turbulence

This is like the first time you’ve talked about OO ever. You clearly know what I am referring to and most others are about your commenting behavior. You’re insufferable

I had a recent flight on UA from SFO to LHR and the Captain put the seatbelt sign on for "likely turbulence" at least 4 different times. The plane literally didn't shudder once in 11 hours!