Dallas, TX —This Wednesday, starting at12:00PM CT, Envoy-American Eagle passenger service agents will protest outside of DFW against poverty level wages. Envoy agents are calling on management to negotiate a fair contract, including wages that reflect the critical work they do supporting passengers and safe flights for parent company American Airlines.
Earlier this year, Envoy-American Eagle agents rejected a tentative proposed contract. While the tentative agreement included a pay increase, it fell short of providing family-supporting wages for all agents and did not allow agents to reach top pay until after their 14th year with the company. The rally on Wednesday will mark the first day of renewed bargaining for the agents.
WHAT: Envoy-American Eagle Agents Rally for Fair Pay
WHERE: DFW International Airport, Terminal D. Upper Level Sidewalk. Will Gather at Door Near Gate 34.
WHEN: Wednesday, April 17, 12:00PM to 1:00PM CT.
Starting pay at Envoy is $9.48 an hour, and more than half of the agents make less than $11 an hour. Many qualify for food stamps and other forms of public assistance.
“Together with my coworkers, I’m taking a stand for a better future for ourselves and for our families,” said Takisha Gower, an Envoy agent at DFW. “Envoy agents work 60-hour plus weeks at the frontlines of American Airlines to ensure that passengers safely reach their destinations each and every day. Like all American Airlines workers, we deserve nothing less than a livable wage and good benefits.”
“A fair wage is not the reality for thousands of Envoy-American Eagle workers struggling to make ends meet,” said Toby Lane,an Envoy agent at Springfield–Branson National Airport. “Enough is enough. Envoy-American Eagle must provide a living wage to the workers who have contributed greatly to the company’s success.”
A survey last year of 900 Envoy agents showed that 27% must rely on public assistance to make ends meet, and many are forced to go to extreme measures to cover basic living expenses, including selling plasma, buying out-of-date food and borrowing against retirement accounts. An additional 60% of agents rely on family and friends to get by, and only 13% say their wages are enough to support them.
American Airlines relies increasingly on its regional carriers, with 54% of domestic departures operated by regionals in 2018. Over 160 of the airports American serves—or 73%—are staffed fully or partially by employees of Envoy or Piedmont Airlines, also a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines.
