March 31, 2016
Dear Members:
This month we made additional progress with our legislative efforts on the FAA Reauthorization Bill. The U.S. Senate included our language for greater oversight and accountability for foreign repair station employees. We have been advocating for equal standards for mandatory pre-employment criminal background investigations and a standardized drug and alcohol testing protocol for many years to help close this glaring safety gap with our foreign counterparts. Other aspects of the Bill are still being worked through in committee, but we fully anticipate that our proposed language will be included in the final version.
On March 8, we conducted Convention Delegate Training near our national office in Aurora, Colorado. All of the delegates and alternate delegates were invited to participate in a full day training session that served to prepare them for the upcoming AMFA National Convention in May. The delegates will be addressing member submitted proposals to amend the AMFA Constitution.
This month saw the continuation of our mediated contract negotiations for the Southwest Airlines (SWA) Aircraft Maintenance Technician’s contract in Kansas City, Missouri. Our Committee made progress on several issues including language for “New Line Stations,” enhanced provisions when taking bereavement leave, and changes in the “Temporary Supervisor” language that requires 100% backfill when members work out of their covered position. The Committee’s full update has been posted on the AMFA National website. Our next sessions are scheduled for April 14 – 15 and April 18 – 20, 2016, in Chicago, Illinois.
At Alaska Airlines our negotiations also continued this month with two sessions. The first session was in Seattle, Washington and the second one was in Portland, Oregon. We focused discussions on Article 2, Scope of Agreement and our job security Letter of Agreement #9 which will be carried forward to future sessions. We also discussed Article 15, Transportation and increasing the moving allowance for involuntary moves and increases in the Severance Allowance schedule in Article 19. The negotiation update for the first session has been posted to the AMFA National website, and the update for the second session, which concludes today, will be posted soon. Be sure to check with your Local Airline Representative for observer opportunities.
For more carrier-specific updates and further information regarding AMFA and the airline industry, please visit the AMFA National Website at www.AMFANational.org and download the AMFA App to your smartphone or tablet. Our most determined efforts will only succeed with your continued support and participation – please stay informed.
Sincerely,
Louie Key
National Director