May 2, 2025

Participants for AMFA
Tony Christner – Airline Representative
Lucas Middlebrook – Legal Counsel
Peter Manikowski – Economist

Participants for Sun Country Airlines
Brian Scudds – Sr. Manager Labor Relations
Jacki Thompson – Legal Counsel
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 official source of negotiating communications by the Committee.

The parties met in Chicago (April 22-24) for a three-day mediated bargaining session. The Mediator, at the conclusion of the prior session, directed the Company to be prepared with a full comprehensive proposal. The Union, prior to mediation, presented the last comprehensive proposal on September 28, 2023. Following entry into mediation, the Mediator has assisted the parties to reach tentative agreement (TA) on certain articles (addressed in prior updates), which has limited the scope of open issues remaining to be addressed in a comprehensive response. Therefore, this proposal would be the Company’s response to all open items.

The Company presented its comprehensive response on Day 1. Unfortunately, despite making movement on some minor issues, the economics of the Company’s comprehensive response was, to say the least, disappointing. At this phase of negotiations and after waiting eighteen months to respond on economics, we expected the Company to make meaningful movement. This pass was not it.

Some of the economic lowlights from the Company’s 5-year comprehensive response were:

• Proposing a mere 1.6% over the all-in rate already planned for July 2025 for a top-of-scale AMT in MSP. This would be a total of 5.05% over the planned rates for the Company’s proposed term of the CBA and 8.6% over the current rates by the end of 2030;
• 1% base pay increases for the “out-years” following ratification;
• Proposing to continue the practice of excluding license and shift premiums, among other things, from the Overtime rate of pay; and
• Kept the entire AST workgroup on a single rate of pay (no scale).

Despite the inadequate nature of the Company’s response, as directed by the Mediator, AMFA went to work on developing a term sheet comprehensive counterproposal on all remaining items. A term sheet is a document to address the remaining open items, including economics, in a format that assists the parties in narrowing the areas of continuing disagreement. AMFA has used this before and was prepared, so we got to work without delay.

AMFA spent the afternoon of Day 1 and the entirety of Day 2 developing a full comprehensive response in term sheet format. AMFA presented its term sheet response to the Company after lunch on Day 3. We included industry comparators and the recently ratified CBAs for Sun Country Flight Attendants and Dispatchers in our analysis. Before presenting this term sheet response, AMFA expressed its disappointment in the woeful economics contained in the Company’s comprehensive proposal. Your Committee explained to the Company that its failure to make meaningful movement on economics after nearly three (3) years in bargaining exhibited a lack of respect for the importance of your hard work to the Company’s success. AMFA then spent multiple hours presenting its term sheet response.

AMFA’s comprehensive term sheet response for a three-year agreement contained some of the following economic items:

• Top-of-scale AMT all-in wage of $65.00 per hour, or 18% increase on the all-in rate of pay; and
• Defined the Straight Time Rate to include base pay, license(s), skill premiums, shift differential, and longevity; then used the Straight Time Rate to compute all overtime and straight time pay situations.

The lack of movement in the Company’s comprehensive, especially as related to economics, was frustrating. However, with the assistance of the Mediator, your Committee remains optimistic that we can continue to narrow the gaps and bring the magnets closer together to achieve a full TA. Your hard work has earned a respectable CBA, and the Company must recognize this and do so now.

The next mediated bargaining session is scheduled for May 20-22 in Chicago. In the meantime, AMFA is humbled by the many messages we have received from members offering support and willingness to work on behalf of the Strike Preparation Committee (SPC). If you have any questions related to negotiations or the SPC, please reach out to 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