"Piedmont Airlines flight attendants at PHL unanimously vote to authorize a strike", 21 October 2021

Around 350 Piedmont Airlines flight attendants, the majority of them based at Philadelphia International Airport, voted unanimously to authorize a strike on Thursday...

The decision by flight attendants comes three years into negotiations, and during the tail of a pandemic recession...

The main sticking point for negotiations with Piedmont Airlines, said flight attendants, is wages. The group is represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-Communications Workers of America.

...Flight attendants at Piedmont make $19.06 per flight hour, according to Piedmont’s website, but workers said that wage only covers when they are in the air, not all of the hours they are on duty. Averaged out over an entire shift, a day’s pay can be less than the federal minimum wage, which mirrors Pennsylvania’s, said Robinson [, flight attendant and negotiating committee chairman].

“We have flight attendants who can’t afford to commute into work, to eat while they’re at work, or to be in position for work,” said Keturah Johnson, president of AFA-CWA Local 61...

Regional flight attendants are also at a disadvantage compared to those at mainline carriers, who make on average 45% more, according to the AFA-CWA.

The company has proposed “minimal pay increases that do not provide a living wage” for flight attendants as well as increases in healthcare costs which would effectively lower the overall compensation for flight attendants, according to a statement from the union.

We are dedicated to getting a competitive contract negotiated for our more than 350 Piedmont Flight Attendants,” wrote a Piedmont spokesperson...“...We are in agreement our team members deserve the best contract and we are committed to delivering that to them.”...