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United Airlines Flight Attendants Are Prepared to Strike. Here's Why It's Still Unlikely.

United Airlines and the union representing its flight attendants failed to reach a short-term contract extension by the imposed deadline.

The current contract expired on June 30th, but the airline and the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) agreed to a one-month extension to continue negotiations.

The two sides have been negotiating for months, but remain far apart on issues related to pay, benefits, and schedule flexibility.

The AFA says its members are prepared to strike if a deal is not reached by July 19th.

However, a strike is still unlikely, as the AFA would face significant legal and financial hurdles in order to carry one out.

• The AFA would need to give the airline 30 days’ notice before walking out.
• The National Mediation Board would have to determine that all other avenues for resolving the dispute have failed.
• The AFA would need to secure a majority vote from its members in favor of a strike.

Even if the AFA were to overcome these hurdles, a strike would still be a costly and disruptive event for both the airline and its passengers.

United has said it is prepared to hire replacement workers in the event of a strike.

The AFA has said it is confident that its members will remain united and that a strike can be avoided.

The negotiations are being closely watched by other unions representing airline workers, as well as by the industry as a whole.