The IAM has been receiving many questions from United Flight Attendants. Below we answer some of the most frequently asked questions. 1. What type of insurance options will be available if the IAM is elected? Your medical options would not change as a result of the IAM being elected. The IAM will represent over 55,000 [...]

MYTH: The IAM will not fight for retroactive pay for all Flight Attendants BUSTED: The IAM is the only union with the proven ability to negotiate retro pay. The IAM will demand full back-pay for every Flight Attendant whose contract has passed its amendable date when a new, combined agreement is reached. The current union [...]

Myth: The IAM is absent from Flight Attendant fights on Capitol Hill.

Busted: The IAM has an 11-person Legislative Department with offices in Washington, D.C and at IAM Headquarters in Maryland to fight for Flight Attendants.

The IAM’s team of full-time lobbyists works closely with other airline union legislative representatives to protect Flight Attendants and all airline personnel. Unions representing Pilots, Flight Attendants, Mechanics, Customer Service Agents, Ramp Workers and other groups come together each week with the AFL-CIO’s Transportation Trades Department to coordinate legislative strategy.

For any single union to claim credit for a coordinated, multi-union legislative agenda is intentionally deceptive.

Myth: The AFA-CWA is responsible for Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) coverage applying to Flight Attendants.

Busted: The AFA-CWA is trying to re-write history, hoping nobody would notice.

The IAM began negotiating language into our Flight Attendant Agreements that exceeded FMLA coverage 15 years before the law became applicable to Flight Attendants. And much of the language used in 2009 to extend FMLA coverage to all Flight Attendants (and Pilots) was lifted directly from what the IAM negotiated in 1994.

As soon as it was clear the original FMLA would not apply to Flight Attendants, the IAM began negotiating FMLA guarantees in our contracts. Although the 1993 law did not apply to Flight Attendants, nothing prevented the AFA from immediately negotiating similar benefits.

Myth: Non-exclusive Flight Attendant Unions ride on the AFA’s coattails.

Busted: AFA is no longer an exclusive Flight Attendant union, and they have failed to produce for their members.

AFA started out as a division of ALPA and is now is a very small division of the Communication Workers of America.

It is misleading for the AFA-CWA to profess they are an independent union. The truth is, AFA was too weak to survive as a stand-alone union.

Myth: The IAM will impose the Continental Flight Attendant contract on the combined United/Continental group.

Busted: Not true.

The IAM-Continental contract has industry-leading compensation and flexibility, providing a better quality of life for Flight Attendants. However, the IAM knows that there are portions of the United Airlines contract that are beneficial to Flight Attendants. The best of both contracts will be present in the first combined agreement negotiated by the IAM for Flight Attendants at the merged United.

The IAM will conduct surveys and solicit contract proposals from the combined Flight Attendant group before engaging in transition negotiations. Each pre-merger Continental and United domestic and international base will be represented on the IAM’s bargaining team.

Myth: The IAM does not want United’s international-based Flight Attendants to vote in the representation election.
Busted: Not true.
The IAM has no intention of challenging the eligibility of United's international based Flight Attendants and fully expects and hopes that they will be eligible to vote in a representation election. The IAM will do everything possible to ensure that all eligible voters will have an opportunity to vote.