Flight attendants for two of the city’s largest airlines protested at Midway and O’Hare airports on Tuesday, demanding new contracts that would provide better economic and working conditions.
Those changes are important for a work force that, union leaders said, is suffering from burnout due to the pandemic.
Local 556 has over 18,000 members nationwide with about 2,500 of them based in Chicago. Those participating in Tuesday’s protest were off duty. Her union’s demands include being paid for all the time they put in on a flight. Currently, attendants are not on the clock until the door of the plane is closed. They then go off the clock when the door opens after landing.
"It’s very important to remember we’re safety professionals," King said. "The changes we are asking for are as much about safety to make sure our passengers are getting to where they’re supposed to go in a timely manner, and safely, but because they worked us 14 — or sometimes 16 hours — the night before, we aren’t getting the rest we need, or don’t even have a hotel room sometimes.
Chris Perry, a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines, said it will continue to negotiate with Local 556 in the mediation process and encourages its employees to "express their opinions." Scott Pejas, a United flight attendant and president of his AFA’s Chicago chapter, said United has operational issues that aren’t being addressed and are causing flight attendants to be on hold up to five hours awaiting an assignment — or a hotel room.
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