December 11, 2024

Participants for AMFA
Earl Clark – Region I Director
Tony Christner – Airline Representative
Lucas Middlebrook – Legal Counsel
Peter Manikowski – Economist

Participants for Sun Country Airlines
Kristen Peterson – Sr. Director, Labor & Employment
Bobby Purzitza – Director of Maintenance
Jacki Thompson – Legal Counsel
Roy Fan – Financial Planning & Analysis
Scott Bjergo – Director of Outstation Maintenance

The AMFA-SCA Negotiating Committee (“Committee”) is providing this update to the membership at Sun Country Airlines (“Sun Country”). This is the only officially authorized source of negotiating communications by the Committee.

The parties met at the National Mediation Board (NMB) offices in Washington, D.C., last week (Dec. 3-5) for a three-day mediated bargaining session. This was our seventh session in NMB mediation (2 virtual). On Day 1, the parties started with a discussion regarding the current landscape of negotiations, which included the Company explaining that Bobby Purzitza will be retiring and replaced at the bargaining table by Director of Outstation Maintenance, Scott Bjergo. AMFA would like to thank Bobby for his work at the negotiating table and wish him well in retirement. We also welcome Scott and his insights for future bargaining.

Shortly thereafter, the Company presented its first proposal for an Appendix that would address certain terms and conditions that would apply only to Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (AMTs) from the Traveling Technician bid location (“Traveling AMTs”). For any terms not specifically addressed in the Traveling AMT Appendix, the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) would control. If agreed upon, an Appendix of this nature would live in the back of the CBA. AMFA presented a counterproposal on Article 5 – Hours of Service, which involved open issues such as: the rotating 4-day workweek; Sun Country’s continued proposal regarding part-time Employees; shift start times; minimum amount of AMT positions on day shift in MSP; late meal periods; and cross utilization of certain Employees between bid locations and/or classifications. After a period of caucus time, the parties reconvened and the Company presented a counterproposal on Article 5 – Hours of Service, which provided alignment on the 4-day rotating workweek in certain stations; shift start times; minimum day shift positions for AMTs in MSP and late meal periods. The issues of part-time employees and cross utilization, however, remained open. 

At the outset of Day 2, AMFA presented another counterproposal to Article 5 – Hours of Service. AMFA continued to strike the Company’s proposal for use of part-time Employees and returned to our prior position on cross-utilization as related to Inspectors and AMTs. With this counterproposal, however, the parties were able to align on limited cross-utilization of Employees in Maintenance Control, but solely for the purpose of maintaining currency. The parties then engaged in productive off-the-record conversations on this article to find common ground on the outstanding issues. The Company presented a counterproposal on Article 24 – General & Miscellaneous, which sought to close out the non-economic issues remaining in that article. In the afternoon, the parties engaged in a productive discussion related to Traveling AMTs. Thereafter, the parties caucused and AMFA returned later in the afternoon with a counterproposal on Article 24 – General & Miscellaneous, which brought this article closer to tentative agreement (TA) on the remaining non-economic issues. The Company advised it was still developing a counterproposal to Article 5 and would be prepared with that response on the morning of Day 3.

Day 3 began with the Company presenting counterproposals on Article 5 – Hours of Service; Article 24 – General & Miscellaneous; and Article 14 – Sick Leave & On-the-Job Injuries. Each proposal focused on finding alignment between the parties on the remaining non-economic items in each article. AMFA asked clarifying questions on all three Company counters and spent time in caucus preparing counterproposals. AMFA returned from caucus in the afternoon and presented counterproposals to Article 24 – General & Miscellaneous and Article 14 – Sick Leave & On-the-Job Injuries. These counterproposals brought the parties close to a TA (pending resolution of remaining non-economic items) on these articles. The parties then caucused to continue preparation of their respective counterproposals.

The Company returned with counterproposals on Article 14 – Sick Leave & On-the-Job Injuries and Article 24 – General & Miscellaneous, and AMFA presented a counterproposal on Article 5 – Hours of Service. AMFA continued to strike the Company’s proposal for part-time Employees, but explained the parties would defer discussion on that item until economics and that, if considered at all, AMFA’s preference would be to discuss that issue in the context of a separate letter of agreement. In addition, AMFA proposed language on the issue of cross-utilization of Inspectors to AMT work, which would allow such practice only with strict adherence to the General Maintenance Manual (GMM) and Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs). With these respective counterproposals, the parties were able to reach TAs (pending resolution of economic items in each article) on Article 14 – Sick Leave & On-the-Job Injuries and Article 24 – General & Miscellaneous. In addition, the parties have agreed in concept to a TA on Article 5 – Hours of Service and will formalize that TA in advance or upon commencement of the next scheduled session.  

The next mediated bargaining session is scheduled for January 7-9 in Chicago. We hope the next session can continue what was a productive bargaining session in December, but there is still a lot of distance between the parties on many issues. AMFA continues to thank all the members for supporting your Negotiating Committee and for your continued interest in the Strike Preparation Committee (SPC). On that issue, you will be receiving notification and instructions from AMFA National shortly with directions and a timeline for the forthcoming strike authorization referendum vote.

If you have any questions related to negotiations or the strike authorization vote process, please reach out to AMFA National or your ALR, Tony Christner. Remember - stay engaged, remain informed, and continue to support the Negotiating Committee.

Our solidarity will produce a CBA that your hard work has earned.

Fraternally,

Your AMFA–SCA Negotiating Committee