CWA Piedmont Airlines Members Vote To Ratify New Contract

After three years of negotiations, CWA passenger service and ramp workers at Piedmont Airlines—a subsidiary of American Airlines—overwhelmingly voted to ratify a new contract. Highlights of the five-year contract include improved wages, with a 6 percent bonus upon ratification; expanded vacation and sick accrual time; improvements to overtime accrual; and more.

Bargaining for a new contract began in late 2023 and continued until negotiations deadlocked due to the company's miserly position​. The National Mediation Board assigned a federal mediator in early 2026 in response to the company’s failure to negotiate in good faith over wages. Under the Railway Labor Act, which governs labor contracts in the transportation industry, contracts do not expire but rather become “amendable,” and the process to strike is complicated.

“CWA members at Piedmont Airlines perform essential and often overlooked labor for one of the country’s most profitable airlines,” said CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. “This strong agreement is a reflection of our union’s commitment to fight for the indispensable workers that keep our nation’s flying public safe. I thank the members of our bargaining committee for their tremendous work and dedication on behalf of their fellow union members.”

“Throughout this lengthy process, in the face of the company penny-pinching at the bargaining table, CWA members at Piedmont Airlines understood that solidarity is our strongest tool at the table,” said CWA Chief of Staff Sylvia J. Ramos. “They remained united for a strong contract that delivers better wages and working conditions.”

Congratulations to our Piedmont CWA members!

Click here to read the full press release.

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This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.