SALT LAKE CITY — Breeze Airways, a Utah low-cost airline launched in 2021, will now see its flight attendants unionized after more than three-quarters of them voted to join the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO in an election held Tuesday.
Despite this vote, Utah remains one of the least unionized states in the country, with just over four percent of workers joining a union, placing it fourth from the bottom.
“Breeze Flight Attendants filed for an election two weeks after taking their campaign public in January and kept organizing together to turn out a clear mandate for address their concerns at work.
"We are inspired by their solidarity and thrilled to welcome them to our AFA family,” said AFA International President Sara Nelson.
According to the AFA, Breeze Flight attendants sought to join the union because of substandard pay, inadequate hotel accommodations, insufficient work hours, and disrespectful treatment, among other issues.
AFA claims that Breeze Flight attendants faced an aggressive anti-union campaign from its management.
“Our work group spoke clearly. It’s time for Breeze to treat us with the dignity we earn every day on the line. We call on management to come to the table and negotiate a fair contract without delay,” said Robynne Martino, a member of the Breeze AFA Organizing Committee.
The union now represents over 50,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines.
Breeze Airways employs over 650 flight attendants.
