Sun Country flight attendants vote to reject contract offer

Sun Country Airlines flight attendants have overwhelmingly voted to reject a contract offer, according to the union representing more than 600 flight attendants.

Voting ended Monday with 96% of those casting votes opposing the contract deal.

"The flight attendants did this to make a point: This contract is not good enough," the union's negotiating committee said in a statement Tuesday. "We stand together to work toward an agreement that will be acceptable for everyone."

Flight attendants at the Minneapolis-based carrier have been working under a 2014 contract, amended in 2016, after negotiations paused during the pandemic.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 120 and Sun Country reached a tentative agreement this March following an informational picket at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Flight attendants want Sun Country to bump up wages and reward staffers for the voluntary furloughs many took during the pandemic.

Sun Country said in a statement Monday the company is "disappointed by the vote outcome."

"Sun Country flight attendants are the face of our airline, and we appreciate everything they do for our passengers and our company every day," the airline said. "The proposed contract was endorsed by the IBT Negotiating Committee and contained important pay and quality of life improvements. We will work to understand the issues that prevented ratification and determine next steps."

The carrier previously said its contract offer "significantly improves members' wages and working conditions."

Entry-level flight attendants now start at $21.53 an hour and can reach $53.56, union officials have said. That scale spreads across 34 years, however, and the union would like to see it closer to the industry standard of 12 to 20 years.

Flight attendants are paid for flight time, and full time is about 85 hours a month. That doesn't include time spent waiting for an aircraft or boarding passengers, though.

"Aviation can be a volatile industry, and these workers have stuck with the company through thick and thin," Tom Erickson, Teamsters Central Region International Vice President and President of Local 120, said in a statement. "Now that the company is doing well, it's time for them to share the wealth."

Sun Country reported a profit of $38 million for the first three months of the year after earning just $3.6 million in the first quarter of 2022. Revenue for the quarter rose nearly 30% to $294 million.

Sun Country's pilots approved a new contract in December 2021 that gives them a significant pay increase. The airline's fleet employees and mechanics have also voted to unionize in the past year.