The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), representing approximately 28,000 American Airlines flight attendants, announced on Thursday that recent negotiations with the airline over a new contract did not result in an agreement, bringing the union closer to considering a strike.
However, the flight attendants cannot initiate a strike without authorization from the National Mediation Board (NMB), according to Reuters.
The NMB must first conclude that both parties have reached an impasse and that further negotiations would be futile. This process, known for its complexity and duration, is expected to cause challenges for airline workers seeking to strike.
Last year, the NMB rejected the union's request to exit federal mediation.
Following the breakdown in recent talks, the union told its members in an email: "We do not believe further negotiations will be scheduled prior to the National Mediation Board determining to release the parties into a thirty-day cooling-off period. All American Airlines Flight Attendants should prepare for an upcoming strike."
Flight attendants are pushing for an immediate 33% pay increase, citing the lack of a raise for over five years. Union officials claim that flight attendants have faced significant challenges since the pandemic, including dealing with unruly passengers who resisted mask mandates on planes.
Meanwhile, American Airlines expressed optimism that further negotiations with the APFA would soon be scheduled by the NMB, indicating that a deal is "within reach."
In a statement, the airline highlighted recent progress in the talks: "We made good progress in negotiations this week, adding even more to the industry-leading proposal we've had on the table for months.
"We look forward to continuing negotiations so our flight attendants can benefit from the contract they deserve."
The current round of negotiations between the union and American Airlines started in January 2020, but it was paused at the height of the pandemic. The talks resumed in June 2021, but the two parties failed to reach a consensus.
This isn't the first time the union indicated that the members would go on a strike. Following a round of negotiations last month, the union told members in a message on May 31 to start preparing for a strike.
Earlier this month, the airline had offered its flights attendants immediate wage increases of 17% in their new contract, which was later unanimously rejected by the APFA.
