Virgin America cabin crew gain union representation

Cabin crew at Virgin America have voted in favour of representation by the Transport Workers Union, making them the first employee group at the carrier to approve union representation.

Cabin crew members voted for the union by a 16% margin with 58% of the 828 votes cast in favour of the union, according to the TWU. The vote was held from 16th July to 13th August with the assistance of the US National Mediation Board (NMB).

In a statement, the airline said: "We respect the decision by our InFlight teammates to choose third-party representation, and we will continue to work to serve the best interests of all of our teammates and our airline as we move forward.”

Harry Lombardo, president of TWU International, said: “We want to see Virgin America prosper. As the airline grows and becomes an increasingly profitable and larger public company, we also want our members to be recognised for their contribution to the airline’s success. We will now focus on gaining a contract that’s fair for our new members.”

The union stated that contract negotiations are expected to begin in the late third-quarter or early fourth-quarter.