Mesa Airlines' flight attendants authorize a strike

Mesa Airlines flight attendants, including about 440 people in Houston who work aboard United Express flights, voted to authorize a strike with a 99.56% approval rate, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA announced Wednesday. The flight attendants are seeking better pay and benefits. The vote comes after five years of negotiations and two years in mediation. Negotiations are scheduled to continue April 5. Approving the strike will add extra pressure to these negotiations, but flight attendants can't walk off the job unless the National Mediation Board releases them.<br/>If released, there will be a 30-day cooling-off period in which the union and company can continue negotiations. Flight attendants can go on strike at the end of that period if no agreement is reached.<br/>