United Airlines flight attendants union votes to authorize strike; O'Hare Airport demonstration held

CHICAGO (WLS) -- United Airlines flight attendants announced the union approved to authorize a strike with a 99.99% vote on Wednesday.

This is the first time they've voted on such a proposal in nearly 20 years. The nearly unanimous results were announced simultaneously at nearly 20 picket lines nationwide, including at a demonstration at O'Hare Airport on Wednesday.

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United Airlines Flight Attendants are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, also known as AFA.

"We are the face of United Airlines and planes don't take off without us. As Labor Day travel begins, United management is reminded what's at stake if we don't get this done," said Ken Diaz, president of the United chapter of AFA.

It was just last month United Airlines announced its second quarter profits rose by 23% largely in part to a record number of people taking to the skies nationwide. On Wednesday, as the airline's flight attendants announced the results of its strike authorization vote, the workers demanded to be included in the company's gains.

"We have been in three years of negotiations with very minimal progress from a corporation that is making billions on the backs of its frontline worker," Diaz said.

United's 28,000 flight attendants have been in mediation talks with the company for over eight months. They are, among other things, calling for a double-digit pay increase.

"We have some people living in cars," said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants CWA. "It's time to fix that."

But what are the odds of an actual strike? Under federal law, airline employees must be released from mediation before a 30-day cooling off period is declared and a strike date set. Even then, they would not be allowed to walk out en masse.

"We can call a strike anywhere, anytime," Nelson said. "It could be a single strike in an outside city. It could be shutting down all of O'Hare."

Union officials however insisted a strike is not their goal. Rather, they hope the vote will move the company towards an agreement they can all agree on.

"Of course we don't want to strike. We want United Airlines to be successful," Diaz said. "If United is successful, we all share in that success."

In the worst-case scenario, with negotiations failing and a strike going forward, union officials told ABC7 the the earliest a strike could happen is towards the end of the year.

American Airlines flight attendants were also in attendance Wednesday in solidarity.

The AFA trademarked a strike strategy called CHAOS, which stands for "Create Havoc Around Our System."

United Airlines released the following statement:

"We continue to work toward an industry-leading agreement for our flight attendants, including negotiations this week and every month through November. Both sides have been actively engaged in these negotiations facilitated by the federal mediator requested by the union. We remain eager to reach an agreement. To be clear, there is no work stoppage or labor disruption. Instead, off-duty flight attendants are exercising their right to conduct an informational picket. Federal law bars a strike until after a lengthy process that includes a release from mediation, which can only be granted by the National Mediation Board."