July 30, 2026
AMFA and Alaska Airlines had a face-to-face meeting on July 29, 2026, in Seattle to discuss issues regarding a Merger Transition Protocol (MTP) Agreement. MTPs are a critical step towards beginning the Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement (JCBA) and Integrated Seniority List (ISL) negotiation process. These agreements establish rules, schedules, timelines, reimbursement of funds, and other guidelines the parties agree to as we negotiate a JCBA.
The MTP process began in May 2026, when AMFA sent the Company a first draft of an agreement. Alaska Airlines did not respond to that proposal until early June 2026. The Parties have exchanged proposals numerous times and had ceased progress exchanging proposals electronically. Therefore, AMFA requested an in-person meeting to move things forward. The meeting on July 29, 2026, was productive, and AMFA remains optimistic that the Parties can finalize an MTP with the Company and commence the ISL and JCBA process ASAP. We have a follow-up meeting with the Company scheduled for August 5, 2026, at which we are hopeful an agreement in principle on the MTP can be reached.
Your AMFA Committee is cognizant of the IAM-HA CBA amendable date of February 17, 2027. The delay in this negotiation process has been occasioned by the Company, as it has taken its time responding to our initial proposals. The CBA that legacy Hawaiian members are under trails the industry and does not meet AMFA’s standards for a CBA for our members.
The goal of your negotiating committee is to complete JCBA and bring the two work groups (Alaska & Hawaiian) together. AMFA will not enter any MTP that dilutes your current CBA. We anticipate the JCBA process to take roughly 8-12 months before a tentative agreement (TA) is reached and presented to the membership for ratification. Until JCBA, both legacy Alaska and Hawaiian members will remain under their current CBA, which both remain in full force. We will provide another update after the August 5th meeting.
Sincerely,
Brandon Statfield, AMFA Local 14 ALR
Jeff Heard, AMFA Local 32 ALR
Earl Clark, AMFA Region I Director
