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AMFA-SCA Negotiations Update #23
Jul 28, 2025

July 28, 2025

Participants for AMFA
Earl Clark – Region I Director
Will Abbott – Region II Director
Tony Christner – Airline Representative

Lucas Middlebrook – Legal Counsel (July 16-18)
Peter Manikowski – Economist

Participants for Sun Country Airlines
Brian Scudds – Sr. Manager Labor Relations
Jacki Thompson – Legal Counsel
Scott Bjergo – Director of Outstation Maintenance
Roy Fan – Director FP&A
Noah Smith – Sr. Financial Analyst

Stephen Coley – Sr. VP, Head of Operations (July 17 only)


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 by video conference on July 7 and in-person at the National Mediation Board (NMB) offices in Washington, D.C. on July 16-18 for mediated bargaining sessions.

July 7 Virtual Session

On July 7, the NMB Mediator arranged a virtual session for the Company to present its counter-proposal on all open items following the Parties’ last session in May. This was the only agenda item.

The July 7 virtual session was scheduled to begin at 10:00 CT; however, when the Parties were on the line, Sun Country requested an additional fifteen minutes to prepare. One hour later, the Company began its presentation. The Company made no movement on Article 2 – Scope. The Company, instead, reverted to its April proposal. The Company did the same for Article 3 - Status of Agreement.

On wages, the Committee was dismayed by the Company’s July 7 counterproposal, which added only 0.5% to its prior proposals on many wage tables. In real terms, for straight time, this amounts to only around $600 per year in new wages for a top-of-scale AMT. For Technical Trainers and Maintenance Planners, the Company substantially lowered its proposal, citing an error in its last proposal. It is your Committee’s position that pay should be higher for these important classifications, not lower. The only two areas of substantive movement on wages were for new hires or Step 0 AMTs for whom the Company added approximately 4%, and 8% for some (not all) Traveling Technicians. On retirement and healthcare, the Company made no further movement – and in fact has never moved from the current 401(k) matching and healthcare cost splits in these negotiations.

We understood that the July 7 virtual session was to be productive, and the Company’s pass would move the Parties closer to a full tentative agreement. Instead, we saw minimal movement, at best. Nevertheless, AMFA got to work internally reviewing and costing the Company’s counterproposal to be prepared to return its counterproposal on Day 1 of the in-person session at the NMB offices.

July 16-18 Session

The Committee traveled to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday (July 15) to work internally and finalize its counterproposal to maximize the scheduled in-person bargaining dates. Following conferral with the Mediator, AMFA developed a counterproposal that made substantial movement. The Chairperson of the NMB was scheduled to meet with both Parties on Day 2, and as such, it was important to demonstrate movement toward a full tentative agreement that rewards your hard work.

AMFA presented this counterproposal on the morning of Day 1. The Company had very little feedback and asked minimal questions. The Parties then caucused internally and met with the Mediator.

AMFA met with the NMB Chairperson on the morning of Day 2. Afterwards, she met with the Company. Sun Country Senior VP and Interim Head of Operations, Stephen Coley, arrived on Day 2 and attended the Company’s meeting with the NMB Chairperson. In addition, Mr. Coley sat at the table when the Company presented its term sheet counterproposal in the afternoon on Day 2.

The Company’s counterproposal on the afternoon of Day 2 was not only woefully underwhelming, but it was also disappointing in the extreme – especially considering it came on the heels of both Parties having met with the NMB Chairperson.

  • The Company, despite AMFA having made substantial movement, maintained its prior position on wages.
  • The Company continued to reject AMFA’s proposal to return you to the Blue Plan insurance like you used to have and the pilots, flight attendants, and dispatchers presently have.
  • The Company failed to return a retirement counterproposal that would bring you, at date of ratification, to the six percent (6%) match secured by the flight attendants in their most recent CBA.
  • The Company did not move on its vacation proposals for vacation accrual and a carry-over of forty-eight (48) hours – the current practice.

The Company did, however, make some movement on issues such as double-time for mandatory hours, double-time for all time worked and spent traveling on Field Trips, and slight movement on the afternoon shift premium. The Parties were able to reach a conditional tentative agreement (TA) on Article 5 – Hours of Service and a TA on Article 20 – Transportation and Moving Expenses. These areas of alignment did not outweigh the non-movement in the rest of the proposal. One of your Committee members commented that the Company’s proposal was “the worst proposal he had ever seen at this phase of negotiations” in all his years of bargaining.

AMFA immediately started preparing another term sheet counterproposal and delivered that proposal in the afternoon of Day 2. Unfortunately, Mr. Coley had already departed the NMB Offices to return to Minneapolis and was not present at the table for this counter. AMFA’s counterproposal maintained its prior position on wages, healthcare, and retirement matching contribution and made minor movement in other areas to tentatively agree to certain double-time and retirement administration provisions.

The Parties spent Day 3, at the Mediator’s direction, conceptually discussing Scope and related issues in an off-the-record format. The Company owes a complete counterproposal at the next session.

We share your frustration with the Company’s bargaining tactics. In addition, we are disappointed that Sun Country executives appear to be dictating the Company’s bargaining from Minneapolis but fail to show up at the table. This conduct is especially concerning, given that the Mediator had the Parties travel to the NMB offices and meet with the NMB Chairperson, a substantial effort by the NMB to move the process forward.

Accordingly, because of what is occurring, AMFA is considering every legal option under the Railway Labor Act, including, when appropriate, to request the NMB release the Parties from mediation, which, if granted, could begin a 30-day cooling-off period, and thereafter, per the RLA, a release to seek self-help and strike. Your Strike Preparation Committee continues its work to be prepared for a legal strike, if necessary, and more information will follow.

Your AMFA Committee greatly appreciates the continued messages in support of our work at the table on your behalf. If you have any questions related to negotiations, please reach out to your ALR, Tony Christner. No question is too small. Your ALR, your Committee, and AMFA are here for you. The next session is scheduled for August 19-21 in Chicago.

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


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AMFA
7853 E. Arapahoe Court, Suite 1100
Centennial, CO 80112
  303-752-2632

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