Alaska Air F/As Ratify Collective Agreement

Flight attendants at Alaska Airlines have voted to ratify a joint collective bargaining agreement covering Alaska Air and former Virgin America staff.

The agreement was approved by 75 percent of flight attendants who voted in the ballot. It covers over 5,700 staff at the combined carriers. Alaska Air took over Virgin America in 2016 and plans to retire the VA brand this year.

“In just twelve negotiating sessions and one year after the close of the merger transaction, flight attendants at the new Alaska Airlines have a joint contract that provides the roadmap to full integration,” Association of Flight Attendants president Sara Nelson said.

“This contract is significant because it's a first for the former Virgin America flight attendants and provides pay and work-life improvements for all Alaska Airlines cabin crew,” she added.

The agreement provides contractual improvements and pay increases for pre-merger Alaska flight attendants, and pay rate parity for pre-merger Virgin America F/As. It also provides “significant enhancements in maternity leave, schedule flexibility and work rules effective with full integration,” the AFA union said.