Philadelphia Death And Slow Talks Boost Tension For American Flight Attendants

American Airlines flight attendants show increasing discontent, a product of the airline’s perceived unsympathetic reaction to a mysterious death, increased disciplinary actions and mounting tension in contract talks.

This week, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents American’s 26,000 flight attendants, issued a vote of no confidence in Brady Byrnes, the carrier’s senior vice president for inflight, terming him “dismissive” and indifferent. On Wednesday, a delegation of APFA leaders led by President Julie Hedrick presented a letter to Byrnes at his Fort Worth office.

The next day, the carrier’s contracted security office in Fort Worth issued a bulletin instructing officers to “Be on the lookout for flight attendants in red APFA shirts and/or red lanyards.” The notice was rescinded a few hours later, after a series of angry posts on social media.

Meanwhile, flight attendants have worked for nearly four years under a contract that became amendable in December 2019. “Patience with negotiations has definitely run out,” Hedrick said in an interview on Friday. Critical negotiations are scheduled for next week in Dallas, she said.

In general, Hedrick said, “We have a management team only focused on discipline and reliability at all costs. Flight attendants are human and have real life situations and none of that matters. I have tried my hardest to talk to this company, to get them to understand the lack of support, and they haven’t listened.” She is a 41-year flight attendant.

The body of Los Angeles-based flight attendant Diana Ramos, 66, was found “unresponsive with a cloth in her mouth” by a Philadelphia Airport Marriott cleaning crew son Sept. 25, Philadelphia police said. The incident was widely reported. Police said Ramos used various medications and there was no sign of forced entry. The investigation continues, a police spokesperson said Saturday.

Ramos did not show up for a Philadelphia-Los Angeles flight, and a crew member apparently called the hotel to inquire. But Byrnes and American did little to address flight attendant concerns, Hedrick said.

“The company didn’t say anything,” she said. “A big part of this is that there are procedures when a flight attendant does not report, and the company failed to follow the procedures.” The airline should have asked the hotel to check Ramos’ room, she said. Instead, no one checked until cleaners arrived, she said.

Later, she said, “The union requested to be moved out of the hotel until we felt safe; we were told no. Our next request was for a flight service manager to meet flight attendants who were laying over and talk to them, help them, make sure they got to their rooms safely. We were told no.”

On Wednesday, the APFA board wrote to CEO Robert Isom to “express profound dissatisfaction” with Byrnes. Besides being dismissive following Ramos’ death, he has been quick to assign disciplinary coding when flight attendants arrive late for flights and for late notification of sick leave and has “erased the personal relationship between flight attendants and their managers,” said the letter, which Hedrick later presented in person to Byrnes.

An American spokesman declined to comment on the letter. In a statement following Ramos’ death, American said, “Our thoughts are with the family and colleagues, and we’re doing everything we can to ensure all affected have the support they need during this difficult time.”

As for the lanyard incident, Hedrick said, last week the airline notified flight attendants they could not wear APFA shirts to training or while deadheading. Contract language forbids t-shirts with slogans, but the APFA logo is not a slogan. The union filed a grievance. The notice regarding lanyards followed.

“With the approach American Airlines is taking, more grievances are being filed, with no signs of letting up,” said APFA spokesman Paul Hartshorn. Charlotte base president Scott Hazlewood the number of notices of contract disputes in Charlotte has doubled from last year, which he called “unprecedented.” So far this year, he said, 170 grievances have been filed in Charlotte. Last year, grievances totaled 170, triple the 2021 total.

In contract talks, a strike authorization vote in August received 99% backing. Hedrick said negotiators have tentative approvals on 19 of 40 sections in the contract. AFA’s most recent proposal sought to narrow the gaps in the other 21 sections: the airline is expected to respond this week. Proposals include a 50% wage increase over four years. An American spokesman said Friday, “We continue to make progress in negotiations and remain focused on the shared goal of reaching a deal our flight attendants have earned.”