Chicago, IL – On March 19, a crowd of more than 100 United Airlines flight attendants and supporters gathered between departure terminals 1 and 2 at O’Hare International Airport. They demanded a decent contract and made clear that they were ready to strike.

“Hey United, you can’t hide, we can see your greedy side!” they chanted, while picketing for about an hour. “What do we want? Contract! When do we want it? Now!”

Signs read “Contract now!” and “Ready to strike!”

The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA), the largest union of cabin crew in the U.S., has been bargaining with United since 2021. The company has yet to budge on important quality-of-life issues. These include brutal 24-hour reserve (on-call) shifts for more junior flight attendants. Other legacy carriers, including American and Alaska, have recently signed landmark contracts with double-digit pay raises and strong work rules.

“We’re going to take the template that we’ve built with flight attendants across the industry. We’re locking in at United,” said Sara Nelson, president of the AFA-CWA.

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