Alaska Airlines flight attendants file for mediation

Alaska Airlines’ flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), have filed for mediation with the National Mediation Board, AFA said in a statement.
Negotiations on the contract began in November 2011, but stalled over compensation for the 3,100-plus flight attendants at the airline.
“Management’s failure to effectively address past employee sacrifices and essential compensation items that are at the heart of our contract demands became roadblocks to progress,” AFA president-Alaska Airlines Jeffrey Peterson said. “For the last three contracts, flight attendants responded to management’s plea to keep costs low while the airline created a winning strategy. We partnered with them in good faith. As a result, we have fallen far behind our airline peers in compensation in most pay steps and pay rules.”