Alaska Airlines, Flight Attendants Tentatively Agree On Five-Year Contract

(RTTNews) - Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (ALK), late Thursday announced that it has reached tentative agreement with the Association of Flight Attendants on a new five-year contract for the carrier's 3,300 flight attendants.

Once the tentative agreement is approved by the union's leadership, Alaska Airlines' flight attendants will conduct a ratification vote that is expected to be completed in December.

Under the Railway Labor Act, which governs collective bargaining agreements in the airline industry, contracts do not expire. Instead they become amendable. The prior contract was effective in 2010 and became amendable in May 2012.

Ben Minicucci, Alaska Airlines' executive vice president of operations and chief operating officer, said, "We are delighted to have reached a tentative agreement that recognizes the outstanding contributions of our flight attendants and will provide for enhanced productivity for the future. Our sincere thanks to the negotiating team from the Association of Flight Attendants for their patience and creativity as we worked to resolve issues raised in the prior agreement."

Jeffrey Peterson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants Master Executive Council at Alaska Airlines, added, "The Association's Negotiating Committee is pleased with the results of the parties' bargaining efforts and we are looking forward to presenting this tentative deal to leadership for approval. Then it will be up to the membership to determine the next steps in the process."

Alaska shares closed Thursday's trading at $42.68, down $0.18 or 0.42 percent.