August 25, 2024
Participants for AMFA
Earl Clark – Region I Director
Will Abbott – Region II Director
Chuck Clum – Airline Representative
James Lambert – Negotiating Committee Member
Lucas Middlebrook – Legal Counsel
Peter Manikowski - Economist
Participants for Horizon Air
Cheri Ruger – MD, People & Labor Relations
Audrey Kahawai-Kekipi – Sr. Labor Relations BP
Baron Converse – MD, Maintenance Operations
Latrice Lee – Legal Counsel
Kyle Moline – Director, Financial Planning & Analysis
The AMFA-Horizon Negotiating Committee (the “Committee”) is providing this update to Horizon Air membership. This is the only officially authorized source of negotiating communications by your Committee.
The AMFA-Horizon Negotiating Committee (the “Committee”) is providing this update to the membership at Horizon Airlines. This is the only officially authorized source of negotiating communications by your Committee.
AMFA and Horizon met in Seattle August 19-21, 2024, to continue bargaining towards a successor collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The July session concluded with the parties discussing economic items, including benefits. The Company advised at the end of the last session that they were still deciding on their preferred approach on PTO and Extended Leave (Articles 13 and 14, respectively).
The parties started on Day 1 with the Company’s first formal pass on these articles. We were pleased to see the Company present full proposals on conversions from PTO to vacation and EL to Sick Leave. While we did not agree with every part of the Company’s proposals, there is some alignment on key issues and the parties are narrowing the open issues on these articles. For example, the accrual of sick leave per hour worked and the maximum sick leave bank are still open items. How “Protected sick leave,” as required now by Washington and Oregon state laws, will fit into our CBA is another important topic of bargaining.
AMFA caucused, worked up detailed counters on Articles 13 and 14, and responded late on Day 1 with these articles along with our proposed Letter of Agreement on the terms and mechanism of conversion from PTO and EL to vacation and sick leave. We also made a counterproposal on these articles that would secure benefits you could use or carry over into separate banks.
On Day 2, the Company asked for an off-the-record discussion regarding the large gap between each side’s economic positions. This was an open and frank discussion. We pushed back against the Company’s continued assertions that you should not be compensated fairly because Horizon is only a regional carrier; we refused to accept the unsupported contention that if you were paid higher wages, this would somehow bankrupt the carrier. At times, the conversation was contentious but was professional and productive. At the conclusion of this discussion, we implored the Company to make a significant economic move and advised we were amenable to such a move being in an off-the-record supposal format; therefore, for the remainder of Days 2 and 3, the parties exchanged hypothetical or “supposal” ideas on how to move to a final agreement.
While the parties remain apart and work is still to be done, your Committee was encouraged by these discussions and the economic movement we saw in these off-the-record exchanges. We are cautiously optimistic that the parties may find common ground with this approach, but we also know the importance of drafting detailed language to capture areas of alignment.
Our next session is October 7-9, 2024, in Seattle. However, we are in contact with the Company about possible earlier dates, either in Seattle or virtually. We continue to extend an invitation to all Horizon members to attend and watch the process of negotiation. Space will be limited to room capacity; please contact AMFA-Horizon Air Airline Representative (ALR) Chuck Clum if you are interested in attending.
Fraternally,
Your AMFA Negotiating Committee
