Kaine Leads Colleagues in Calling for PSA Airlines Contract Agreement

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) led his colleagues in sending a letter to PSA Airlines, Inc. urging them to continue contract negotiations and reach a fair agreement with over 1,700 flight attendants. The flight attendants have been bargaining for a new contract with PSA Airlines for over two years.

"We write to express our concern regarding the prolonged contract negotiations impacting 1,700 flight attendants at PSA Airlines and urge you to negotiate a fair contract," wrote the senators. "It is disappointing to see that there has been little progress in finding an agreement after the flight attendants' collective bargaining agreement became amendable over two years ago. We encourage you to urgently reach an agreement that acknowledges the vital contributions of these workers to the American Airlines network and the broader public."

The senators continued, "PSA flight attendants have worked through operational dysfunctions, faced horrific tragedy, managed a surge of conflict and aggression by passengers, and carried the airline through all the good and bad times in between. They deserve your support, gratitude, and a fair return for their work, especially in light of their commitment in the wake of such a tragedy that occurred earlier this year. That is why we urge you to personally engage in negotiations and help find an agreement in a timely manner."

PSA Airlines is a subsidiary of American Airlines and is headquartered in Charlotte, NC. The airline has flight crew bases in Dayton, Ohio (DAY), Washington, D.C. (DCA), Charlotte, North Carolina (CLT), Dallas, Texas (DFW), and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PHL). They also have maintenance facilities in Akron-Canton Airport (CAK), Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT), Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP), McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), Norfolk International Airport (ORF), Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV), Pensacola International Airport (PNS) and Dayton International Airport (DAY).

In addition to Kaine, the letter was cosigned by U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear Mr. Flannery:

We write to express our concern regarding the prolonged contract negotiations impacting 1,700 flight attendants at PSA Airlines and urge you to negotiate a fair contract. It is disappointing to see that there has been little progress in finding an agreement after the flight attendants' collective bargaining agreement became amendable over two years ago. We encourage you to urgently reach an agreement that acknowledges the vital contributions of these workers to the American Airlines network and the broader public.

Under the Railway Labor Act, carriers and their employees are expected to make a reasonable effort to create and maintain collective bargaining agreements. Instead, the PSA flight attendants have been struggling to make ends meet under a current contract that is out of date, which includes pay and benefits well below the industry standard. Regional flight attendants perform more passenger boardings, but they work without boarding pay, which is also becoming a standard in the industry.

PSA flight attendants have worked through operational dysfunctions, faced horrific tragedy, managed a surge of conflict and aggression by passengers, and carried the airline through all the good and bad times in between. They deserve your support, gratitude, and a fair return for their work, especially in light of their commitment in the wake of such a tragedy that occurred earlier this year. That is why we urge you to personally engage in negotiations and help find an agreement in a timely manner.

We will be closely following the progress at the bargaining table and will be eager to see a fair agreement reached as soon as possible. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

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