Unite members celebrate six-figure pay deal with American Airlines

Unite members working as aircraft engineers for American Airlines at Heathrow airport are celebrating securing a pay deal, with annual salaries now breaking £100,000 for the first time.
 
The pay deal, negotiated by Unite, will see aircraft engineers get a new three year settlement with pay reaching £108,000 by 2027.

The agreement will immediately increase top of scale aircraft maintenance technician pay to over £100,000, entry level pay to £78,546 (including shift pay and London allowance), and top of the scale crew chief pay to over £113,000 (including shift pay and London allowance).
 
Sharon Graham, general secretary at Unite, said: “I am delighted for our members at American Airlines.

“This deal is amongst the most favourable for aircraft engineering anywhere in the UK. Unite makes no apology for driving a hard bargain with the airline.

“Our members’ skills, experience, and industrial strength, demand nothing less.”
 
Unite will now be organising to ensure that comparable rates of pay are achieved for other similar engineering roles at Heathrow and other airports.
 
Joe McGowan, regional officer at Unite, said: “This is one of the most highly skilled jobs in the aviation industry and the safety of airline passengers and crew depend on the expertise of our members.

“This is a landmark pay deal that means Unite members at American Airlines are some of the best paid in the business.

“We will now be turning our attention to other airlines in the sector and ensuring our members there get similar offers.”

Workplace Journal has reached out to American Airlines for a comment.