CHICAGO— United Airlines (UA) and its 26,000-plus flight attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA), are facing a prolonged contract deadlock after crew members overwhelmingly rejected a tentative labor deal last month.
The union confirmed that talks with the Chicago-based carrier at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) will not resume until December 9, 2025, at the earliest. The process is being handled through a federal mediator, with bargaining sessions already scheduled into March 2026
Photo: United AirlinesUnited Flight Attendant Contract
The current contract for United Airlines flight attendants became amendable in August 2021, leaving crew members without a pay increase for more than four years.
In June 2025, the union announced a tentative agreement offering an immediate average pay raise of 26.9%. New hires would have seen their hourly rate rise from $28.88 to $36.92, while the most senior attendants could have earned up to $84.78 per hour.
United allocated $561 million in Q2 to fund a one-time “retro bonus” averaging $21,500 per flight attendant, with senior members eligible for more than $50,000. The payment was designed to cover the years without raises but required ratification of the agreement.
When voting closed in July, 92% of eligible members participated, and 71% rejected the deal. The union has since launched a survey to identify key sticking points, but any new proposal must be scheduled through the federal mediator’s availability, slowing the process considerably.
Negotiations are set to resume December 9–12, 2025, in Chicago, followed by additional sessions in January, February, and March 2026.
The rejected deal, valued at $6 billion over five years, is unlikely to increase in total value. Instead, changes may involve shifting resources between different parts of the contract rather than adding new costs.
Photo: American AirlinesUnion Leverage
Contract rejections are not uncommon in airline labor negotiations. However, union officials have signaled they had hoped to finalize the first deal without a repeat round of talks.
With other major U.S. carriers, such as American Airlines (AA), having already secured agreements, the timing leaves United’s crew in a more challenging position.
Even during the Biden administration, strike threats were rarely acted upon in the airline industry. In the current environment, the likelihood of strike authorization has dropped further, limiting the bargaining power unions can exert in mediated talks.
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United Airlines Keeps $561 Million for Flight Attendants New Bonus
The post United Airlines Flight Attendant Contract Talks Stalled Until 2026 appeared first on Aviation A2Z.
