Teamsters Win Representation of Mesa Flight Attendants
The National Mediation Board certified the Teamsters to represent flight attendants at Mesa Air and Republic Airways as the carriers merge operations.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Unions
The National Mediation Board certified the Teamsters as representative of Mesa and Republic flight attendants, and the Association of Flight Attendants stopped representing Mesa's crew. The merger combines the two groups into one workforce under a single collective bargaining agreement.
Why it matters
The certification settles which union will bargain for the combined crew workforce as Mesa and Republic merge operations. Mesa flight attendants on United Express currently earn an average 45% less than United-employed attendants, making the contract outcome significant for the group.
The National Mediation Board's certification is a formal representation ruling covering both carriers' flight attendants, compared with the prior split between the Association of Flight Attendants and the Teamsters. The joint contract's pay and work terms have not been announced.
The players
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a large North American labor union that now represents flight attendants at both Mesa Air and Republic Airways.
Association of Flight Attendants
The Association of Flight Attendants, affiliated with the CWA, is a union that previously represented Mesa flight attendants before stopping that representation.
National Mediation Board
The National Mediation Board is a federal agency that oversees labor representation elections and certifications for airline and railroad workers.
The details
The Teamsters were already the representative for Republic flight attendants, and the board's certification extends that representation to Mesa crews during the operational merger. In August 2025, the Association of Flight Attendants and Mesa agreed to raise Mesa pay to Republic levels while a joint contract is negotiated.
Timeline
August 2025: AFA and Mesa agreed to raise Mesa pay to Republic levels while a joint contract is negotiated.
November 2, 2026: Teamsters take over representation of Mesa flight attendants.
Big Picture
The certification follows the Railway Labor Act's framework, under which the National Mediation Board determines which union represents airline workers during carrier mergers. It shows how regional carrier consolidation under United Express is reshaping which unions represent flight crews.
Mesa flight attendants will have their pay and working conditions set under a joint contract negotiated by the Teamsters once representation transfers. Pay raises to Republic levels are already agreed for the interim period, which may affect crew compensation in the meantime.
The takeaway
Labor representation changes during airline mergers can determine pay and contract terms for thousands of crew members, making union certifications consequential beyond the carriers involved.
What happens next
Teamsters take over representation of Mesa flight attendants on November 2, 2026.
Further reading
Explore more on Unions to see how labor representation disputes are shaping the airline industry.
Source note: This article includes information reported by InsideFlyer.
