UPDATE: The flight attendants who took part in this protest have been suspended, pending an investigation.

Jon NYC reported, then later confirmed, that the flight attendants who took participated in this action have been “removed from service pending investigations.”

Sara Nelson, president of the AFA-CWA and often called “world’s most powerful flight attendant,” has responded that, “This is union activity. Protected activity. Period.” The AFA-CWA had earlier confirmed to Live And Let’s Fly that this “This was a union activity” and referred me to a statement by Nelson claiming, “Scott Kirby has no business demanding concessions while stuffing his own pockets with gold and beating his chest about United being the best.”

Is United Airlines risking even more pronounced labor strife by puishing the flight attendants who participated in this disruptive protest?

The original story is below.

Flight attendants attempted to upstage a United Airlines media event yesterday that highlighted the carrier’s next-generation Polaris business class seat, in what really demonstrates a failure of both sides to work out a long-overdue deal.

Flight Attendants “Storm Stage” In Contract Protest At United Polaris Event In Brooklyn

I wasn’t going to cover this because I don’t appreciate these sorts of organized labor tricks, but since it has been widely covered by my colleagues, I’ll discuss it, especially because I was at the United event in Brooklyn yesterday and saw the flight attendants in action.

Minutes before the event kick-off, featuring Chief Executive Officer Scott Kirby and Andrew Nocella, United’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, flight attendants “stormed” in, took the stage, and loudly called for a new contract.

“If we don’t get it, shut it down! What do we want? A contract. When do we want it? Now!”

The event took place in the Duggal Greenhouse inside the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which has been convrted into a mixed-use development in what is now very prime real estate near the exclusive DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) area. Security quickly ushered them out and they continued their protest in the parking lot for an hour.

I’m not going to post more pictures and video, but I’m happy to share what JonNYC posted so you have an idea of what happened:

I reached out to the AFA-CWA union, which represents United flight attendants, and it confirmed, “This was a union activity.”

Interestingly, I ran into AFA-CWA President Sara Nelson at Washington Dulles Airport on my way to New York for this event…had I known something was planned, I would have asked her about it!

Nelson and United AFA President Ken Diaz issued the statement below in response to United’s new cabin investments on upcoming 787-9 aircraft:

“Service doesn’t happen without us. United has the money to invest in an industry-leading Flight Attendant contract with ‘premium’ compensation, work rules, and cabin interiors.

“CEO Scott Kirby can roll out all the new product announcements he wants — it means nothing without respect for the people who deliver it. New cabin interiors – if done with our involvement – can be helpful for doing our jobs and we want happy passengers. But a new aircraft cabin doesn’t pay rent, allow us to come to work without stress over paying our bills, attract new applicants, or give us the schedule control we need to have a life. Scott Kirby can’t promise a product without the people who deliver it.

“No other Flight Attendant contract across the industry in this round of bargaining included concessions. Not one. Today’s announcement adds insult to injury. Scott Kirby has no business demanding concessions while stuffing his own pockets with gold and beating his chest about United being the best. Right now, he’s just beating competitors by failing to pay us – the people who make United fly.”

“If Kirby wants to reach true #1 status, it starts with delivering the #1 contract for 28,000 Flight Attendants today.”

There’s a certain disconnect from reality here: there is no valid concern of failing to attract new applicants…United has far more applications for flight attendants than job positions…the ratios are similar to trying to get into Ivy League schools.

The idea that United has any trouble recruiting flight attendants is laughable and many (if not most) sign up knowing that pay starts very poorly, but there is a ladder to climb and a chance to see the world.

That said, there was a certain brilliance in this protest…an event that featured not only United C-Suite members, but all the media. What a perfect time to make a statement.

Can We Please Just Get The Contract Done?

Make no mistake: it’s time to put this contract to bed. United flight attendants have been working without a raise for four years during a time in which prices have steadily risen. The unique supply/demand issues of labor at play here theoretically should put no pressure on labor pricing, but as Delta has shown, emplyees are key to success and as Kirby has been hadnsomely paid for his work at the carrier, so should the front-line staff for thier efforts to come to work each day and do their job well, helping United to emerge (with Delta Air Lines) as a profit leader in the industry.

I hear a lot of mixed messaging about contract negotiations. Some say a deal is near, other says it is still far. I’m not privy to those discussions, but I do know that United is going to have to pay its flight attendants around what American and Delta pay their flight attendants…that’s the way this industry works.

The AFA made a strategic blunder in helping other airlines negotiate contracts first, thinking that it would then be able to get the best and final contract for United flight attendants. With economic headwinds and a new administration in town, that looks less certain. Even the prior administration was unwilling to let flight attendants strike, so there is no realistic mecahnism, beyond these somewhat pathetic protests, to truly tighten the screws on managment.

If flight attendants feel that management is acting very unfairly in dragging out negotiations, I wish they would pull back the curtain on what major points of disagreement still stand. That way, more public pressure could be added to get this deal done.

CONCLUSION

The United flight attendant protest yesterday worked as planned: I’m talking about it today, and I’m hardly alone. It’s time to sign a fair deal that will end these charades once and for all. If one side is truly being unreasonable, it’s time to go public with it…it is in everyone’s interest, including customers, that a new deal be concluded.