Federal mediators have rejected a union’s request that could have cleared the way for a year-end strike by flight attendants at American Airlines, according to the Associated Press. The National Mediation Board instead directed the airline and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants to keep negotiating over a new contract.
Flight attendants voted to authorize a strike and picketed outside American’s headquarters, saying that they have not received raises since 2019. The two sides remain far apart in negotiations.
Under a federal law that covers the airline and railroad industries, there are several obstacles that make it very hard for union workers in those industries to go on strike. One of those hurdles is getting federal mediators to declare an impasse in negotiations, which starts a 30-day “cooling-off” period after which a strike is possible.
The mediators rarely declare an impasse. Even if they do, the law allows the president to delay a strike and Congress to impose settlement terms on both sides.
