CLOSE CALL United Airlines flight attendants agree on new contract

Posted on 08/15/2016 | About Chicago, Illinois

United Airlines won a much-needed labour victory Friday when its 25,000 flight attendants voted to approve a new contract. Since its 2010 merger with Continental, the Chicago-based airline has had to operate jets with cabin crews made up entirely from one of the predecessor airlines.

Nearly six years later this is the first contract to cover flight attendants from both carriers. Now United is free to mix staff, making scheduling easier and bringing down costs.The vote was close with only 53 percent of the flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, supporting the new five-year contract. More than 90 percent of the eligible workers voted.