MSP flight attendants from multiple carriers rally together on worldwide day of action

February 14, 2024 by

Flight attendants marched Feb. 13 during a solidarity action at MSP’s Terminal 1.

An estimated 100,000 U.S.-based flight attendants are working under expired union contracts, and their collective frustration boiled over yesterday at Minneapolis-St. Paul and dozens of other airports worldwide.

American Airlines, Southwest, United and Sun Country flight attendants – all working under expired contracts – marched outside Terminal 1 during the Flight Attendant Day of Action rally at MSP Airport. Employees of Delta Air Lines and its regional carrier Endeavor Air joined the rally too.

“The industry is hurting right now as far as flight attendants go and their wages,” American Airlines flight attendant Todd Smiertelmy said. “We’re all looking for our money. Give it to us.”

U.S. carriers have largely returned to profitability since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the airline industry anticipates serving a record number of travelers in 2024.

Flight attendants have seen the increased interest in travel firsthand, United flight attendant Brittany Kaiser said, but they also have seen “more issues that are arising constantly in flight or, mostly, during boarding, which is the time when we’re not getting paid.”

United expects its flight attendants at the gate well before a scheduled departure to prepare the cabin for flight. But like most other airlines, the carrier does not consider flight attendants to be on the clock until the cabin door closes.

“We’re helping get people to their seats, get the bags up and make sure the bags are correct; we’re prepping for the flight, counting meals, double checking to make sure we have all our supplies, setting up for the flight,” Kaiser said. “We’re not paid for any of it, but we’re required to do it.”

Getting paid for boarding the airplane is among the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA’s top priorities in bargaining a new contract covering 25,000 United flight attendants like Kaiser, who is based in Houston, but the process has been slow moving. Their last contract expired in 2021.

It’s been five years without a contract – or wage scale increase – for Smiertelmy and other members of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the union at American Airlines. And flight attendants at MSP-based Sun Country, members of Teamsters Local 120, saw their last union contract expire in 2014.

“It really hurts morale, I can tell you that,” Smiertelmy said, adding that talks with American have long since reached a “stalemate.”

The two sides are in federal mediation, but the union has a pending request before the National Mediation Board – its second in the last two years – to be released into a 30-day “cooling off period,” after which they could legally go on strike under the Railway Labor Act. Smiertelmy, who lives in Minneapolis but is based out of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, was among several flight attendants carrying “Ready to Strike” signs at the MSP rally.

“We don’t want to strike,” Smiertelmy said. “We want the company to sit down and have serious talks with us and just share a piece of the pie.”

Local 120 and Sun Country entered mediation in December and have a second session scheduled next week. In bargaining last year, the airline’s “final offer” was rejected by 96% of union members who participated in the vote.

Even flight attendants with a current union contract said their airlines aren’t doing enough to make the job sustainable, particularly for new hires. Endeavor’s Trina Johnson, a local executive council president of AFA-CWA, said her union is trying to bargain a letter of agreement with the Delta subsidiary that would improve working conditions for its 1,400 flight attendants.

“Regional flight attendants live at poverty level,” Johnson said. “Most of them have a very difficult time in the first five years that they fly trying to pay rent and buy food and even commute to their bases.”

Their unions may bring different issues and priorities to the bargaining table, Sun Country’s Tanya Devito said, but flight attendants share a common demand for more respect for the work that they do.

“It is invigorating to have all of these flight attendants coming together, but it’s also very sad because it says that (airlines) are not taking us seriously, that everybody is waiting for a contract,” she said. “It says they don’t value us.”

– Michael Moore, Union Advocate editor

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Sun Country flight attendants demand wages, work rules to match industry peers

January 17, 2024 by

Sun Country flight attendants, members of Teamsters Local 120, held informational picketing Jan. 10 at MSP Airport.

Nearly five years into their campaign for a new union contract, flight attendants at Minnesota-based Sun Country Airlines are still fighting for their fair share of the company’s growing profits.

Members of Teamsters Local 120, which represents about 600 flight attendants at Sun Country, held informational picketing Jan. 10 outside Terminal 2 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, showing support for their bargaining team just weeks after its first round of mediation with the airline.

The two sides, who began their most recent round of contract talks in 2019, filed jointly for assistance from a federal mediator after flight attendants voted overwhelmingly to reject a “best and final” offer from Sun Country last May, with 96% of participating union members voting “no.”

Union negotiator and veteran flight attendant Tanya Devito said her union introduced “realistic” proposals during the first mediated session that would establish pay and work rules on par with flight attendants at Frontier, Allegiant and other airlines comparable to Sun Country.

“They can do with it what they want, but this group is not going to accept anything less than that,” Devito said. “We would rather have shot for the moon, but we didn’t. We put in realistic expectations that we need in order to get a (tentative agreement) voted in.”

Specifically, Sun Country flight attendants are looking to advance through their wage scale faster in a new contract.

Devito, who has 32 years of experience with the airline, is still two years shy of Sun Country’s top wage rate. Meanwhile, flight attendants at Allegiant Air reach top scale in 12 years. At Spirit Airlines it takes 13.

“We’re losing good people,” said Elaine Rishovd, a flight attendant and chief steward for Local 120. “Many junior flight attendants, they maybe last a year or two before they’re gone. They can’t live on the salary they pay here. They could be three or four years into the scale here, and within a year or two they’re going to be beyond that someplace else.”

Additionally, Local 120 members want contract language that will lower the cap on “duty hours” they can be required to work during a shift. Currently, Sun Country can schedule flight attendants to travel up to 22 hours on a shift, but that doesn’t mean they’re earning wages the entire time.

“We check in one hour before flight to do our pre-checks while passengers get on, and we’re not getting paid,” Rishovd said. “Maybe there’s a weather or a mechanical delay. We do not get paid until that door closes. On the other end, when the door opens, we don’t get paid anymore. There are so many hours when we are on duty but we’re not getting paid.”

Sometimes Sun Country flight attendants will work four flights in shift that lasts 14 duty hours – and collect just six hours’ worth of wages, said 27-year-veteran flight attendant LaNeia Huberty.

“Those days are really hard, really rough,” Huberty said. “And technically, we’re there for safety. You don’t want your flight crew exhausted. We need to be sharp.”

The so-called “hometown airline” can afford to do better by its flight attendants, too, Huberty and other members of the bargaining team said.

Sun Country has grown steadily since emerging from the pandemic travel disruption and reported record profits in 2023 – thanks, in part, to sacrifices made by its flight attendants, who estimate that they saved the company $4 million by taking voluntary, unpaid leaves after the 2020 outbreak.

“We’ve always put ourselves last, always thought about the company and if it’s doing good or bad,” Huberty said. “We want Sun Country to be here and grow, but we want to be compensated. It’s time for us to get paid.”

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Pilots unfazed by Sun Country owner’s downsizing threat

May 8, 2015 by
Sun County pilots staged informational picketing last month at MSP's Terminal 2.

Sun County pilots staged informational picketing last month at MSP’s Terminal 2.

Sun Country pilots aren’t budging from the stance that they deserve better pay, not even after threats from their boss that the airline could be downsizing.

Pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, have been in negotiations with Sun Country since their contract became amendable in April 2010. The two sides have been in federal mediation since 2012, and they  recently exchanged initial proposals for wages and benefits.

But Sun Country owner Marty Davis stepped outside those sessions this week with an email to union leaders suggesting “he has begun the process of downsizing the airline,” Capt. Brian Roseen, Chairman of ALPA‘s Sun Country Master Executive Council, said in a media release.

Pilots have seen no evidence of the Minnesota-based airline’s operations winding down. “We are disappointed Mr. Davis has chosen to respond to us with the threat of a shutdown even as the Association is prepared to present its counter-proposal,” Roseen said.

According to ALPA, Davis’ email also made clear the airline’s initial economic offer, submitted last month, was its last, best and final offer. That proposal would keep Sun Country pilots’ wages, currently the lowest among 737 scheduled-service pilots in the U.S., near the bottom of the industry.

Pilots called the proposal unacceptable during informational picketing last month outside Terminal 2 at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, and they reiterated their commitment to achieving industry-average pay.

Here’s Capt. Roseen’s statement in full, released yesterday:

The Sun Country Master Executive Council (SCA MEC) of the Air Line Pilots Association, International, the collective bargaining representative of SCA pilots, has received media inquiries related to reports about a communication from SCA management threatening a wind down of Sun Country Airlines.

Yesterday, the SCA MEC received an e-mail from Mr. Marty Davis, Chairman and owner of Sun Country.  Mr. Davis’ e-mail asserts that after five years of negotiations, the first comprehensive economic proposal presented by the company is also its ‘last, best and final’ proposal.  In essence, it’s a take-it or leave-it offer. He claims that he has begun the process of downsizing the airline, although we have seen no evidence of this. In the interest of full disclosure to our members, we forwarded Mr. Davis’ communication to the pilot group last night.

Mediation required under the provisions of the Railway Labor Act is now being conducted by the National Mediation Board in Washington, DC. The Association has made clear its willingness to meet anytime and anywhere to continue mediation.  The NMB has tentatively set May 27-29 in Washington, DC as the scheduled next date for meetings.  ALPA believes the Company was unwilling to meet sooner.  At that meeting, ALPA will provide a counter-proposal to the Company’s offer that seeks to narrow the remaining gaps between the parties’ positions.

We are disappointed Mr. Davis has chosen to respond to us with the threat of a shutdown even as the Association is prepared to present its counter-proposal. We appreciate the NMB’s tireless efforts to conduct mediation, and reiterate that our pilots are determined to rise above their current status as the lowest-paid B-737 scheduled service pilots in the country.

Sun Country pilots intend to show up for work tomorrow and continue to do our jobs the way we always have — safely, professionally and courteously.  The Association looks forward to opportunities later this month to continue our good-faith efforts to reach a comprehensive agreement that reflects established pay and benefit patterns, and trusts that Company executives will participate with the same intention.

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Pilots picket at MSP, protest Sun Country’s ‘unacceptable’ offer

April 24, 2015 by

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In shifts of about 50, Sun Country pilots and their colleagues from other airlines marched silently in single file outside Terminal 2 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport this afternoon.

The informational picket, attended by virtually all of Sun Country’s 247 active pilots who were not flying or in training, put the Minnesota-based airline on notice that its pilots remain committed to changing their status as the lowest-paid 737 pilots in the nation.

That is, Sun Country pilots are 100 percent committed.

That’s the level of support they showed in a vote two months ago authorizing their union, the Air Line Pilots Association, to call a strike if necessary.

ALPA members stage informational picketing outside Terminal 2 at MSP.

ALPA members stage informational picketing outside Terminal 2 at MSP.

Pilots have been in negotiations with Sun Country since their contract became amendable in April 2010, and the two sides began sessions with the National Mediation Board two years later.

With their negotiations stuck in a holding pattern, Sun Country pilots have only fallen further behind their peers in the industry. Capt. Jake Yockers, spokesperson for the Sun Country ALPA unit, said Sun Country pilots now earn 30 percent below the average pay for 737 pilots.

In negotiations, ALPA has proposed raising pilots’ pay up to the industry average gradually over the course of a new five-year contract. But Sun Country answered with a proposal that would keep pilots’ wages near the bottom of the industry, Yockers said.

“It is unacceptable,” he said. “We’re not asking for Delta wages. We’re not asking for Southwest wages. We’re just asking for the average wage.”

The airline’s ownership group, Yockers noted, has turned a profit every year since purchasing Sun Country in July 2011. The airline has doubled in size, added more routes and strengthened its position in the market. But its pilots, so far, have been left out of the gains.

“The employees have been there for the company in the bad times,” Yockers said. “We think that loyalty needs to be rewarded in the good times.”

In a press release, Capt. Brian Roseen, chairman of Sun Country’s ALPA Master Executive Council, said pilots are hopeful of reaching an agreement with the airline, but prepared “to do everything the law allows to lift ourselves up from the bottom of the industry.”

In order to go on strike, the NMB would have to declare that additional mediation efforts would not be productive and extend an offer to arbitrate the dispute. If either side declines arbitration, the parties enter a 30-day “cooling off” period, after which they are free to exercise “self-help” – in the pilots’ case, a strike.

A strike is not in either side’s best interest, pilots say.

“We don’t want a strike; we want a deal,” Yockers said. “We want to negotiate, and we’ll be ready with a response to the company’s proposal.”

Pilots from United, Delta, FedEx Express, Compass, Endeavor Air and other ALPA pilot groups joined the informational picket in solidarity with Sun Country pilots.

Said Capt. Paul Jackson, president of the Southwest Air Line Pilots Association: “Low fares do not have to equal low wages in our industry, and we fully support our friends at Sun Country in seeking a fair agreement.”

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Sun Country pilots unanimously back strike if mediation fails

February 26, 2015 by

imagesWith their contract negotiations stuck in a holding pattern, Sun Country Airlines pilots have voted unanimously in favor of authorizing union representatives to call a strike.

The Air Line Pilots Association announced the voting results yesterday, noting that 209 of the 216 eligible Sun Country pilots participated in balloting.

Pilots have been in negotiations with the Mendota Heights-based airline since April 2010, and the two sides began working with a mediator from the National Mediation Board two years later. The pilots’ vote authorizes their leadership to call a strike if a mutually agreeable contract cannot be reached by the completion of the federal mediation process.

In order to go on strike, the NMB would have to declare that additional mediation efforts would not be productive and extend an offer to arbitrate the dispute. If either side declines arbitration, the parties enter a 30-day “cooling off” period, after which they are free to exercise “self-help” – in the pilots’ case, a strike.

In a press release announcing the vote, Sun Country pilots said a strike was the last outcome they want to see.

“We do not want a strike – we want a contract,” Capt. Dennis Vanatta said. “But Sun Country’s new owners have profited and doubled the size of the airline since negotiations began. The airline industry is enjoying its most prolonged period of success in years, and the time has long passed for management to get this done.”

Vanatta, who is chair of the airline’s ALPA Master Executive Council, said Sun Country pilots are the lowest-paid Boeing 737 pilots in the U.S. The longer contract negotiations drag on, the further behind they fall.

“This vote demonstrates with unmistakable clarity the unity and resolve of this pilot group,” Vanatta said. “We hope that Sun Country management does not underestimate the pilots’ determination to achieve a new labor agreement that recognizes this pilot group deserves to be treated on a par with other airline pilots.”

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Sun Country pilots protest low wages, pace of negotiations

September 19, 2012 by

Sun Country pilots march in line during informational picketing outside Terminal 2 at MSP Airport.

Sun Country pilots recognize the importance of staying on schedule. They want management to bring that same sense of urgency to negotiations on a new contract with their union, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).

Pilots picketed today outside Terminal 2 at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport, raising awareness about the slow pace of negotiations with Sun Country – and signaling their frustration to the company about being among the nation’s lowest-paid pilots of Boeing 737 aircraft.

“Compensation is a major issue for us,” said Jake Yockers, a spokesperson for Sun Country’s ALPA bargaining unit.

The pilots have not seen their wage rates increase since 2005, when they agreed to a five-year contract that provided Sun Country, which entered bankruptcy in 2008, with the stability the company said it needed.

The 2005 contract remains in place today, as negotiations on a new contract, which began before the last one became amendable in March 2010, have been slow going.

Pilots say the airline is making money now, and they are looking to bring their compensation back in line with industry standards. Their wages, Yockers said, are roughly half of those earned by pilots at Southwest Airlines, the highest-paid 737 pilots in the country.

“We’ve always helped the company out,” said Yockers, a 22-year veteran pilot at Sun Country. “We love what we do. We love our company. We’re members of the community.

“We’ve had our tough times here, and pilots have always been there for the company. We’re not looking for top-tier pay. We just want a fair wage for what we do.”

ALPA represents more than 160 Sun Country pilots.

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