On Thursday morning, Willis Tower’s front plaza turned into a sea of navy uniforms and red union pins as hundreds of United Airlines flight attendants picketed outside the downtown Chicago skyscraper. The informational picket transformed the carrier's headquarters into a very public contract pressure campaign, with off-duty crew members and supporters chanting, circling the plaza and keeping a long-running dispute between the Chicago-based airline and its cabin crews squarely in the spotlight.
Union-organized informational picket
The Association of Flight Attendants organized the gathering as an "informational picket" scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon at Willis Tower, with AFA-provided buses shuttling participants from the Hyatt Centric Chicago O'Hare, according to the Association of Flight Attendants. The union urged attendants to show up in full uniform with a red AFA pin, while tucking away their crew badges, a small but telling detail that signaled the event was designed as a loud, visible and disciplined show of solidarity rather than a disruption of United’s operations.
Bargaining has stretched for years
Flight attendants say they have been working under an amended contract for more than four years. According to Reuters, members rejected a tentative agreement in July 2025 after filing for federal mediation in 2023, and they have not received a raise since 2020. Union leaders told reporters that the July vote was not a sign of backing away from a deal, but rather a mandate to return to the bargaining table and push harder for higher base pay, retroactive pay and stronger scheduling rules.
Executive pay and the union's case
To make their case that United can afford a better contract, union leaders pointed to the top of the corporate ladder. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that CEO Scott Kirby earned roughly $18.5 million in 2023. Flight attendants say that kind of executive compensation, contrasted with stagnant wages on the line, has sharpened tensions as they press for pay for all hours worked, compensation for on-the-ground duties and more flexibility in how their schedules are built.
Slogans and the 'PBS' fight
The messages on the picket signs pulled no punches. Attendants carried posters reading "Winter is here, our contract is not," "Our pay is frozen, our bills are hot!" and "Stop trying to make PBS happen," a jab at a proposed preferential bidding system the union opposes, according to CBS Chicago. The crowd also drew national union firepower: AFA International President Sara Nelson and United AFA President Ken Diaz joined the line, a clear signal that union leadership wants to keep public pressure high as the talks drag on.
What comes next
Union leaders say they are prepared to turn up the heat if negotiations keep stalling. In August 2024, United flight attendants voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, according to Reuters. The authorization, a move that increases the union's leverage, does not allow an immediate walkout; a strike can only happen if the National Mediation Board issues a formal release from mediation. For now, both sides remain in federally mediated talks, and Thursday's picket was framed as a way to ratchet up public scrutiny while flights continue to operate.
Organizers say this was not a one-off event. They describe the Willis Tower picket as one of several actions planned while negotiators try to close the gap on pay and scheduling. The union's calendar lists additional in-person events and virtual actions through the month, according to the Association of Flight Attendants. We will keep an eye on what unfolds both at Willis Tower and at the bargaining table as the standoff continues.
