June 13, 2025

Participants for AMFA
Bret Oestreich – National President
Lee Seham – Acting Committee Chair
Joel Moores – Airline Representative
Samuel Seham – Legal Counsel

Participants for JTS
Kirk Newhook – VP Employee Relations
Suzanne Asseff – Director Employee Relations
Kal Rebin – VP Maintenance
Steve Tully – Director MRO
Kris Langevin – Manager Labour Relations 

The AMFA-Jazz Technical Services Negotiating Committee (the “Committee”) is providing this update to the membership at Jazz Technical Services (JTS). This is the only official source of negotiating communications.

On June 10-12, 2025, JTS and AMFA representatives met in Toronto, ON, to initiate collective agreement negotiations. The negotiations were led by AMFA General Counsel Lee Seham and JTS VP Employee Relations Kirk Newhook.

On June 6, 2025, in an effort to enhance the productivity of the Toronto negotiations, AMFA transmitted formal proposals for eight (8) of the twenty-one (21) articles in the existing collective agreement. [1]   In view of the progress made during negotiations, AMFA submitted formal proposals for an additional two (2) articles.  The submitted proposals addressed:

Article 1 – Purpose of Agreement and Definitions
Article 3 – Management’s Rights
Article 8 – Relief and Special Assignments
Article 9 – Probation
Article 11 – Leaves of Absence and Sick Leave
Article 12 – Transfers and Filling of Vacancies
Article 16 -- Grievance Procedure, Arbitration, Discipline, Suspension, Discharge
Article 17 – Health and Safety
Article 18 – Union-Management Communications
Article 20 – Check-Off

Your Committee selected these articles because they represented what is commonly referred to as “low-hanging fruit,” i.e., articles with little or no economic impact that required only moderate changes to the existing contractual provisions.

On June 10, the negotiating participants introduced themselves. Your Committee explained AMFA’s history as a trade union dedicated to promoting the craft of skilled TechOp employees and addressing the complicity of predecessor trade unions in suppressing the wages of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AMEs) to below market levels.

Your Committee also emphasized that, as a craft trade union, a core objective of AMFA is to promote aviation safety.

AMFA advised that, since our members have been under the same agreement for over ten (10) years, it would be necessary to address a number of contract language issues.

During the June 10-12 bargaining session, the Parties reached tentative agreements on the seven (7) articles bolded above.  A tentative agreement, or “TA,” reflects the parties’ intention to incorporate the article agreed to into a comprehensive collective agreement absent unforeseen circumstances.

The articles TA’d, or partially agreed to, reflect the adoption of a number of proposals submitted by AMFA-JTS members, including:

• An increase from $3,000 to $4,000 per month in Company contributions to the paid education fund;
• An extension of the annual two percent increases in the footwear allowance;
• New language providing that, for all shifts, no employee will be required to work alone other than on low-risk tasks;
• New language that two bargaining unit employees will be required for any work that is dangerous or involves out-of-base assignments to non-Jazz maintenance bases;
• Compensation pre and post flight travel time to and from a relief or special assignments to be increased from one to four hours;
• Letters of Expectation will be removed from an employee’s personnel record after one (1) year;
• An employee will be given advance notice of the allegations against him/her prior to any disciplinary investigative hearing.

The tone of the negotiations was cordial and professional; however, we note that the Parties have yet to address core economic issues. The Company recognized that employee retention was an issue and that compensation must be enhanced but that, due to constraints arising from its Capacity Purchase Agreement, it may have to “justify” wage increases with commensurate increases in “efficiency.”

Stay engaged, remain informed, and continue to support the Negotiating Committee as that support increases the ability to bargain a collective agreement that your hard work deserves. Your AMFA representatives will provide regular updates throughout the negotiating process.  Thank you for your support.

Fraternally,

AMFA-JTS Negotiating Committee