United flight-attendant top pay to rise as much as 31%

Top pay rates for United Airlines flight attendants would rise as much as 31%, a union spokeswoman said, under a proposal to bring the 25,000 members under a single labour contract for the first time. The maximum pay for veterans with at least 13 years of experience would be set at $62 an hour, the Association of Flight Attendants said Tuesday. That figure would rise to $67.11 by the end of the contract’s five-year term. The agreement with United Continental would raise pay by double-digit percentages at all seniority levels and by 18 to 31% at the top, depending on extra compensation such as for working on international flights, union spokeswoman Taylor Garland said in an interview Wednesday. The deal also would provide flight attendants with profit sharing. A unified labour contract with flight attendants would address one of the most glaring failures since the 2010 merger of United’s parent company with Continental Airlines. Attendants from the two airlines had separate contracts and couldn’t work on the same aircraft, which created problems in scheduling flight crews. Flight attendants from a United camp, a Continental contingent and a unit for Continental Micronesia workers also have clashed with management and other employee groups. The union’s leadership Tuesday approved the proposal, which was reached last week between its negotiating committee and the airline, and said it would send the contract to members for ratification. Details on the deadline for balloting weren’t available.<br/>