August 25, 2023
Participants for AMFA
Bret Oestreich – National President
Pat Amore – National Vice President
Will Abbott – Region II Director
Jason Salazar – Airline Representative
Ernest Harris – Member at Large
Lucas Middlebrook – Legal Counsel
Participants for Spirit Airlines
Robert Jones – Vice President, Labor Relations
Jackson Fowler – Corporate Counsel – Labor Relations
Barney Whaley – Regional Director Maintenance
Joe Harmon– Sr. Manager, Maintenance
Tabitha Rybacki – Paralegal, Labor Relations
The AMFA-Spirit Negotiating Committee (the “Committee”) is providing this update to the Membership at Spirit Airlines (Spirit). This is the only official authorized source of negotiating communications by the Committee.
The parties held a three-day bargaining session, August 22-24, in Fort Lauderdale to continue bargaining toward a first collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for the Spirit group. The parties, due to Company unavailability, had not met for two months since the last session in June. Given there were two months between bargaining sessions, we expected the Company to have worked diligently and arrive prepared with a comprehensive response to our cover-to-cover proposal. Unfortunately, the Company’s disrespect of your hard work and contributions to Spirit continued. The Company arrived unprepared to respond in a comprehensive fashion. Instead, the Company needed the morning of Day 1 within which to prepare counterproposals on only a few individual articles.
In the afternoon of Day 1, the Company presented counterproposals to Article 5 – Hours of Service and Article 11 – Filling of Vacancies. However, the Company failed to follow the agreed upon bargaining protocol of showing where the changes were in these articles, which made it more difficult to analyze each article and respond. We advised the Company we considered this to be the actions of an irresponsible bargaining partner. AMFA was prepared and presented counterproposals to Article 23 – Grievance Procedure; Article 10 – Seniority and Article 14 – Leaves of Absence. The parties spent the remainder of Day 1 in caucus.
At the outset of Day 2, AMFA presented counterproposals to Article 12 – Furlough and Recall. The Company was unprepared to pass any proposals or counterproposals on the morning of Day 2. Instead, late in the afternoon on Day 2, the Company passed counterproposals on Article 10 – Seniority and Article 23 – Grievance Procedure.
Again, on Day 3, the Company was not prepared to meet with your negotiating committee until late in the afternoon. When the Company was finally ready to convene, AMFA presented counterproposals on three separate articles: Article 23 – Grievance Procedure; Article 11 – Filling of Vacancies and Article 10 – Seniority. The Company presented counterproposals to Article 19 – Safety and Health and Article 12 – Furlough and Recall. AMFA was hopeful the Company would be able to reach tentative agreement on the Grievance Procedure article. Unfortunately, the Company will not agree to something as simple as providing your Airline Representative with written notice if you are asked to attend a fact-finding meeting for disciplinary purposes.
We would like to thank all of you that took time out of your schedules to travel to the hotel, meet with your negotiating committee and request to be observers. Numerous mechanics arrived and showed their support for the AMFA negotiating committee this week, and we cannot thank you enough. As the Company continues with its delay tactics and fails to work hard to deliver a comprehensive response, we are witnessing the solidarity of this group explode. We encourage each and every Spirit mechanic to travel to negotiations and show your support. You are more than welcome in our caucus room, and we will continue to request you be allowed in the negotiation room as observers. At a minimum, it is important for you to meet the Company negotiators and watch as their lead negotiator advises that you are not welcome in the negotiation room.
The next negotiation session is scheduled for September 12-14, 2023, in Dallas. We encourage you to reach out to your ALR, Jason Salazar, if you would like additional information or have further questions. Your elected negotiators have and continue to work diligently on your behalf at the table.
Remember - stay engaged, remain informed, and continue to support the Negotiating Committee as that support increases the ability to bargain a CBA your hard work deserves.
Fraternally,
AMFA-Spirit Negotiating Committee
