Sun Country flight attendants strike authorized by union workers

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - Saying they haven’t received a new contract since 2014, flight attendants for Sun Country Airlines represented by 558 Teamsters Local 120 have voted to authorize a strike.

What we know

Negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement between the Teamsters members and Sun Country Airlines first began in November 2014.

Teamsters representatives say workers are "demanding that the company give them a collective bargaining agreement with a compensation package consistent with what attendants at other airlines already receive."

"The people who run this company want to sit back and do nothing but collect a fat check while everyone else at Sun Country works hard for peanuts," said Tom Erickson, President of Local 120 and Teamsters Central Region International Vice President in a statement following the vote. "They're in for a rude awakening. Our members are furious, and they will do whatever it takes to get what they deserve."

Negotiations between the airline and union workers paused for 19 months during the COVID-19 pandemic, but resumed again in October 2021.

Founded in Minnesota, Sun Country is headquartered in Terminal 2 of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Looking ahead

In a statement to FOX 9, Sun Country Airlines representatives said, "We appreciate our flight attendants and everything they do for Sun Country’s customers and our airline."

It should be noted that just because the strike was authorized, there isn't a guarantee a strike will happen. The company says there will be no disruption to flight schedules in the foreseeable future.

Sun Country and Teamsters Local 120, representing Sun Country’s flight attendants, continue to negotiate a new contract with the assistance of a mediator from the National Mediation Board (NMB), a spokesperson for the airline says.