Alaska Airlines flight attendants reject union's agreement

SEATAC, Wash. - Alaska Airlines flight attendants have rejected a tentative agreement that was backed by their union, prompting the revision of proposals and new negotiations.

According to the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), 68% voted against the agreement, while 32% voted in favor of it. The vote took place on Wednesday at 12 p.m. with a 92.4% participation rate of eligible voters.

Because most did not approve of the agreement, the AFA Alaska Master Executive Council is now discussing next steps with the Negotiating Committee.

"This is our contract, and we will fight to address membership concerns as expeditiously as possible," said a release from the AFA Alaska Master Executive Council and Negotiating Committee.

The timeline of negotiations includes:

Creating and sending a survey to members
Analyzing survey results and drafting revised proposals
Presenting the revised proposals to the Master Executive Council for feedback and approval
Requesting additional mediation dates with management and the mediator from the National Mediation Board
Exchanging revised proposals with management
Engaging in negotiations/mediation with the intent of reaching a second TA
Scheduling additional mobilization efforts to put pressure on management, increase leverage, and get additional money into a new tentative agreement

It's unknown how long these negotiations will last, but the Negotiating Committee says it will share additional details in the coming weeks.

This comes a day before the Department of Justice will decide on the Hawaiian Airlines merger with Alaska Airlines.