Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendant Unions Push Ahead on Merging Two Very Different Contracts

The joint negotiating committee representing flight attendants at Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, both organized under the Association of Flight Attendants, met with management for four days of bargaining in Seattle from September 8 to September 10, continuing the slow process of merging the two carriers' separate labor contracts into a single agreement. This round focused on grievance procedures, Section 19 of the Alaska contract and Section 23 of the Hawaiian contract, along with training provisions found in Section 30 of the Alaska agreement and Section 26 of the Hawaiian one. Other major areas, including vacations, sick leave, leaves of absence, insurance benefits, domiciles and commuter policies, remain under discussion and were not resolved in this session. The committee described the underlying challenge plainly, noting that "both contracts are very different, well-established and cover different operations and work rules," which is adding complexity to combining them into one document acceptable to both pre-merger workforces. Negotiators plan to undergo interest-based bargaining training in mid-October with a National Mediation Board mediator, a collaborative approach intended to help both sides identify shared problems and work toward solutions rather than negotiating from fixed positions. The next formal negotiating session is scheduled for late October, with a reserve staffing survey also due to be finalized that same month.