Dear Members:
The first week of February 2014 the Association held its Joint Advisory Council (JAC) meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada. The JAC is comprised of the National Executive Council, all Local Presidents, and one Airline Representative from each carrier. We met to discuss an array of issues important to our membership ranging from contract negotiations to leveraging new technology that may enhance participation at local membership meetings, and many other relevant topics. The latest edition of the National Brief provides a very informative update detailing the topics discussed. The next JAC meeting is scheduled to be held at the end of September 2014.
Negotiations for the Aircraft Maintenance Technicians at Southwest Airlines continued the second week of February. As noted in the Committee Update, I started this session with some opening remarks that included the following, “The Company’s proposals represent an aggressive monumental shift in the Southwest Culture and they disrupt years of successful established practice; as we have stated, and in light of the continued successes of the Company that our members contribute to daily, we will not agree to any concessions for our members.” We appreciated that this session was very focused and not subject to the distractions to the Company participants that occur when we are in Dallas; rest assured that your Committee is there, vigorously advocating for you, at every session. Please read and view the Committee’s posted updates.
At Alaska Airlines we are still waiting for the Company to confirm dates to hold discussions for possible clarifications to the Annual Wage Review process as outlined in Article 23, Wage Rules. Also, after long anticipation, our Anchorage technicians are in the final stages of preparing for performing the ground handling and limited line maintenance work on the Horizon Air Q400s that are starting intra-Alaska service on March 4, 2014. As union members we are glad to be doing this work and recognize that the more work we can bring under our responsibility, the better it is for our membership. This additional work creates more opportunity and job security and hopefully has potential to expand.
For more carrier specific updates and further information regarding AMFA and the airline industry, please visit the AMFA National Website at www.AMFANational.org. Our most determined efforts will only succeed with your continued support and participation – Please stay informed. Remember, “Safety in the air begins with quality maintenance on the ground.”