TAMPA, Fla. — United Airlines flight attendants took to the picket lines Thursday at airports across the nation, including Tampa International Airport.
Participants spoke about the frustration of working the past two years without a contract, and why the friendly skies of United Airlines haven't always been all that friendly to them.
Erin Dougherty – a United Airlines flight attendant traveling the world for more than a quarter century now – calls the Tampa Bay area home.
“Every airport is great. Of course, I'm partial to Tampa,” Dougherty said. “We have great crew members out of here, but we have great crew members everywhere.”
Flight attendants, like Dougherty, have been working without a labor contract for more than two years now.
They want higher pay, but also improved work conditions as standby, overtime and on-call issues take their toll and passengers become increasingly unruly.
“We are trained for this. This is what we do. We're here to save lives and make sure that everyone is safe on our plane,” Dougherty said.
Flight attendants were also joined by pilots, who could sympathize, having just reached a new contract agreement with United Airlines after three years without one.
“Flight attendants deserve a contract,” pilot Eric Johnson said. “And I’m here to support them.”
Although the demonstration was limited to an outside curb area, passengers who saw it blew car horns and cheered them on.
“I mean, I definitely think things need to change with the airlines and their employees,” passenger Sylke Cook said.
“They are the ones that are taking care of us up there when nobody is taking care of us down here. They deserve whatever they need,” passenger Luis Cirilo added.
The picket was specifically designed not to disrupt holiday travel. Those participating say they were between flights or even came in on their day off.
“Our goal is never to disrupt anything,” Dougherty said. “Our goal is always the passengers.”
In a statement from United, the airline said, “We continue to make progress with the AFA. We look forward to scheduling additional negotiations with the AFA and the federal mediator to reach an industry-leading agreement for our flight attendants.”
The flight attendants vow they'll be back again in February if that hasn’t happened.
“To be able to stay at a job we love,” Dougherty said. “But we have to be able to maintain a decent income and a work-life balance in order to stay employed at the job that we love so much.”