The three major unions at American Airlines Inc. said Friday they’ll join efforts to push American management to negotiate better contracts.

Leaders of the Allied Pilots Association, Association of Professional Flight Attendants and Transport Workers Union said the employees deserve to get better pay, benefits and working conditions.

The company said its employees were “among the best compensated” in the industry, but said it was working to get contracts that protected jobs by strengthening the airline.

All three unions are in negotiations for new contracts, five years after making huge concessions to keep the Fort Worth-based airline out of bankruptcy court.

“On this Labor Day, we are sending a loud wake-up call to management, TWU president James C. Little said. “American’s managers need to learn what business they’re in. This is a service industry. American is reliant on its workforce. You don’t have to work at this airline to see how deeply morale has suffered in recent years.”

“Airline executives have used the soaring cost of jet fuel as an excuse not to negotiate a deal we can live with,” APA president Lloyd Hill said. “But they wouldn’t bargain with any of us when oil was $70 a barrel. The problem isn’t high oil prices, the problem is our executives’ lack of integrity. American Airlines employees deserve better, and our unions will demand it.”

“Flight attendants are earning 30 percent less than they did five years ago, and many are struggling,” APFA president Laura Glading said. “Meanwhile, top executives are patting themselves on the back and padding their bank accounts.”

In the joint announcement, the unions did not outline how they will work together to get better contracts, other than “developing joint plans for public activities and communication to demonstrate their resolve to restore their salaries and working conditions, as well as to improve American Airlines service to air passengers.”

American spokeswoman Tami McLallen noted that American employees, in addition to having among the best pay, “continue to maintain their pensions and retiree medical benefits.”

"The contract negotiations process is complex, but our goal is simple: We want to strengthen our airline so that we can provide security and opportunity to the thousands of men and women that work hard to serve our customers everyday,” she said.

"Forging an agreement that meets their needs and keeps American competitive is in the long-term best interests of American and all of its employees, and we look forward to working with all of our unions to meet that goal," she said.

The pilots’ union in September marks the second anniversary of its contract talks with American. TWU negotiators began discussions last November, while the flight attendants began initial talks in June.