PHOENIX — From UPS employees to United Autoworkers, and still no Hollywood ending for actors and writers, labor unions all over the country are demanding more.
We've seen it play out in the Valley at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport with both flight attendants and gate agents picketing with their respective unions.
Kristi Sherman is a gate agent for American Airlines and says, since the pandemic, the workload has gone up, but the wages have mostly stayed the same.
"It becomes really challenging," Sherman says. "We get people who throw stuff at us, they spit at us, we get all kinds of crazy stuff. We don't make that much and to be treated this way is really hard! We don't always get the support - that would be nice, it would be a lot better if we could."
We asked Arizona State University professor and expert on supply chain strategy Hitendra Chaturvedi about the number of strikes we've seen this summer. He says July has been the busiest month for strikes in decades.
"This is the formation of the perfect storm," explains Professor Chaturvedi. "And what I mean by that is three things have come together over the summer."
Those three factors include low unemployment, rising inflation, and record-high profits for many companies.
"It's a small window of opportunity. This time will pass. Unions are recognizing that they are in a position of negotiating and a position of strength and that's the reason we are seeing so many strikes."
The union that represents ticketing agents and gate agents will go back to the bargaining table with American Airlines leadership in the coming weeks. Back when ABC15 first covered this story in August, American sent us the following statement:
“We continue to have collaborative and productive discussions with the CWA-IBT and look forward to reaching an agreement that ensures our team members are paid well and competitively with quality-of-life provisions that are important to our team.”
