Breeze Airways Flight Attendants File For Union Election

WARWICK, RI — Flight attendants for Breeze Airways, with its home base at TF Green Airport, are attempting to unionize with the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), as the airline argues for its continuing ‘direct relationship’ with the employees.

Breeze Airways’ has committed to 12 years operating its home base at the Warwick airport, bringing hundreds of full-time jobs supporting 20 non-stop routes out of the city. Appleseed, a third-party economic impact analysis firm, estimated the project would increase in annual state GDP by $76.23 million in 2026, Gov. Dan McKee’s office said in a 2022 WarwickPost.com story. Airlines conduct regular maintenance checks and repairs at their bases,  which is also where flight crews reside.

Early this year, flight attendants at Breeze Airways  announced a campaign to form a union with the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO (AFA). On Monday, the attendants filed for an election to organize with the National Mediation Board (NMB), the federal agency that oversees union representation elections for air and rail workers.

In announcing the vote, Breeze Flight Attendants cited issues with constantly-changing work rules, drastically substandard pay for time on the job, hotel accommodations, insufficient work hours, and disrespectful treatment from management.

“Breeze Flight Attendants are proud of their work as aviation’s first responders and they are ready to lock in a real voice at their growing airline,” said AFA International President Sara Nelson. “Flight Attendants are not wasting any time organizing for legal rights on the job and a secure future at Breeze with a union contract. We’re with them all the way.”

“Breeze is aware of the petition filed by the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) seeking to represent its Flight Attendants,” the airline replied when asked about  the unionizing effort.

“Since our first flight in May 2021, Breeze’s Senior Leaders and its Flight Attendants have collaborated on a number of significant enhancements benefiting the Flight Attendant group, including several pay increases and other improvements to benefits.  These important advancements have been put in place in record time, underscoring the effectiveness of our direct relationship, which is only getting stronger by the day. We firmly believe that creating a legacy together is far more meaningful than becoming a part of someone else’s, which is why we are urging our Flight Attendants to educate themselves on what AFA representation could mean for them,” the airline stated.

Breeze Airways, founded by David Neeleman, a low-cost airline headquartered in Utah, launched in May 2021. The airline has nearly 600 Flight Attendants. Breeze pilots won an election for union representation with the Air Line Pilots Association in August 2022. Neeleman previously co-founded Morris Air, WestJet, JetBlue, and Azul Linhas Aereas.

The young company, having spent its initial years in the midst of the pandemic, was still working on a number of challenges this time last year, Aviation Week reported.