December 3, 2023 -- Today, Alaska Airlines announced it had reached an agreement to purchase Hawaiian Airlines in a cash transaction valued at $1.9 billion. According to news reports, Alaska will continue to operate Hawaiian as an independent brand and airline within the Alaska Air Group. News reports further indicate current Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci will lead the combined carrier.
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November 30, 2023 -- The parties spent the morning of Day 1 clarifying a few issues from the September agreement in principle (AIP) related to Article 20 – Retirement and certain issues specific to the Maintenance Control appendix. The Company then provided a financial presentation on the state of the airline and its projections moving into 2024. Following the Company’s financial presentation, AMFA presented its proposal containing changes to the September AIP in specific response to feedback from you, the membership, during our roadshow.
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November 10, 2023 -- We regret to report that the negotiating sessions were disappointing both in tone and substance. WestJet negotiators frequently relied on “industry standards” to justify the carrier’s proposals; however, when AMFA negotiators cited WestJet contracts with other employee groups as the basis for our proposals, the response was frequently dismissive or even derisive.
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November 10, 2023 -- This week we reached out to Alaska Airlines to schedule dates to re-engage and continue negotiations. The scheduled locations are tentative due to having limited space for observers. We can only have ten observers in the Columbia Room at the McGee Building on the first day, and then twenty observers in the Bravo Room at the Hub Building on the second day.
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November 10, 2023 -- We recently celebrated the Labor Day (US) and Labour Day (CA) holidays to recognize and honor the labor movement and the work and contributions of laborers. As the labor movement grew in the late 19th century, trade unionists proposed a day dedicated to celebrating labor.
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October 3, 2023 -- The parties met in Minneapolis for a three-day session last week (September 26-28). As you will recall, AMFA presented a cover-to-cover comprehensive proposal to the Company in June. The Company, more than three months later, finally delivered a comprehensive counterproposal on Day 1 of last week’s session. However, the Company’s comprehensive response was, to say the least, underwhelming.
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September 26, 2023 -- The parties held a bargaining session, September 12–14, in Dallas , and unfortunately, the Company again arrived unprepared, providing only an initial response to one new article over the course of three days.
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August 30, 2023 -- We would like to congratulate you on the one-year mark of AMFA being your craft union representative. You have elected your Spirit Airlines (NKS) negotiation representatives to negotiate your first Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), and the Union and Company have held seven (7) Section 6 negotiation sessions during this one-year period.
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Download:
 AMFA_Spirit_AIR21_and_AMT.pdf
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July 31, 2023 --In accordance with Article XII, Section 1 of the AMFA Constitution, this letter shall serve as the official notice of the 2024 AMFA National Convention. The delegates to the 2020 National Convention (aka 2021) voted to convene the 2024 National Convention in Austin, TX.
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July 27, 2023 -- The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT) membership voted overwhelmingly to ratify their recently negotiated contract extension agreement at Southwest Airlines. The new industry-leading agreement provides top-of-scale wage increases of 20.5 percent over a three-year period.
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May 31, 2023 -- On May 29, 2023, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) denied AMFA’s application for certification at Air Canada. The Board found that the application was not filed during an open period specified under the Canada Labour Code—a technicality manufactured by Air Canada and the IAMAW.
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Download:
202305031_CIRB_Decision_Air_Canada_French.pdf
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May 1, 2023 -- On April 28, 2023, AMFA received notice that WestJet had filed a Notice of Application for Judicial Review with the Canada Federal Court of Appeal. The Company intends to challenge the Canada Industrial Relations Board’s (“CIRB”) certification decision on the grounds that the decision is “unreasonable” and contrary to “principles of natural justice.”
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April 10, 2023 -- Last week, AMFA completed legal briefing in connection with its Air Canada certification application. In its final reply, AMFA addressed the extensive legal and factual errors contained within the IAMAW’s sur-reply.
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March 31, 2023 -- The Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) officially announced yesterday that WestJet Airlines Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AMEs) and skilled trade groups chose the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) as their collective bargaining agent. And today, AMFA is proud to continue to lead a craft/trade-specific labor union movement in Canada, while also continuing to be a force at the negotiating table and the voice of our skilled professionals in the US.
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March 9, 2023 -- Your group agreed upon a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) prior to AMFA certification at L3. AMFA and L3 have finalized housekeeping items in the recently ratified CBA and have required signatures from both parties to reach a final resolution. Additionally, after much collaboration with both L3 Harris MAS (L3) management and Edward Jones Financial Group, we are finalizing the final step to complete the transition from the IAM Pension Plan to an L3-funded, individually directed Retirement Savings Plan. Thank you for your fortitude and perseverance throughout this process.
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November 21, 2022 -- Aviation Safety InfoShare is a semi-annual (Spring and Fall) conference where safety concerns and best practices are shared in a protected environment. The overall goal is to enhance safety through the sharing of experiences and resulting improvements. Participants include government agencies, labor groups (aviation maintenance, dispatch, cabin, ground operations, air traffic, and pilots), university aviation departments, trade associations, aircraft manufacturers, domestic airlines, international airlines, regional airlines, corporate operators, and rotorcraft operators.
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October 17, 2022 -- AMFA and Alaska Airlines met to discuss the annual pay scale wage review on October 3, 2022 outlined in Article 23, Wage Rules for wage increase. The AMFA-Alaska AMTs and Related new all-in rate — which includes base pay, license premiums, line premium, and longevity at the top of each of scale — was set to $57.44. This equates to an 11.5% increase for each step in the Alaska wage scale.
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October 4, 2022 -- The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) is extremely elated and honored to announce the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) certified AMFA as the trade union representative, followed by an overwhelming majority representation vote of the Canadian aircraft maintenance engineers (AMEs and Leads), aircraft technicians and apprentices (maintenance group), and occupational support services (OSS) employees from L3 Technologies MAS at CFB Trenton. The group was previously represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM).
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September 12, 2022 -- The AMFA – Southwest Airlines (SWA) Negotiating Committee has requested a system-wide referendum regarding an Aircraft Appearance Technician (AAT) 2nd Contract Extension Tentative Agreement (TA). The complete text of the agreement was posted to the AMFA National website for your review and consideration.
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September 8, 2022 -- The Parties held a three-day bargaining session, August 30 – September 1 in Denver to continue Section 6 bargaining toward a successor collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for the FMT group. The first day began with AMFA delivering counterproposals on Article 14 – Wage Rules, Article 15 – Wage Rates, and Article 24 – General and Miscellaneous. The sole issue remaining in Article 24 was new language requiring the Parties to meet and discuss reimbursement for the cost of training, tuition, and required books/materials if additional training is necessary in the future to obtain a required license or certification. The Parties were, after a short caucus on Day 1, able to tentatively agree (TA) to Article 24. However, despite productive discussion and exchange of proposals, the Parties were unable to tentatively agree upon either Article 14 or Article 15.
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September 8, 2022 -- AMFA and Southwest Airlines have been engaged in bargaining exchanges, held virtually and in person, regarding an extension letter of agreement to the Appearance Technician (AAT) collective bargaining agreement (CBA). These discussions commenced not long after the first tentative agreement (TA) was overwhelmingly rejected on July 1, 2022, and the subsequent membership survey determined what needed to be improved.
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Download:
20220907_AMFA-SWA_2nd_AAT_TA.pdf
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August 26, 2022 -- CENTENNIAL, CO – The National Mediation Board (NMB) officially announced today that Spirit Airlines Aircraft Maintenance Technicians and Maintenance Controllers voted overwhelmingly to elect the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) as their collective bargaining agent.
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August 25, 2022 -- You should be extremely proud of your accomplishments thus far in becoming unionized. AMFA National officers will assist the aviation maintenance technicians and maintenance controllers at Spirit Airlines (NK) as we negotiate your first Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). In addition to AMFA-NK Airline Representative(s) (ALRs), your Negotiating Committee will consist of National officers, legal counsel, an economist, a pension actuary, and a health and welfare actuary, when needed.
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May 24, 2022 -- Today is Aviation Maintenance Technician Day. AMT Day recognizes the contributions of Charles E. Taylor to the first powered flight in 1903. Working with the Wright Brothers, Taylor added insight that still impacts the aviation industry today and earned him the title of “Father of Aviation Maintenance."
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May 4, 2022 -- Many have you have received, or will receive, a mailer from the TWU, seeking your support in a card drive for a representation vote. This effort to solicit your favor has nothing to do with righting wrongs or representing you more faithfully; it is merely a desperate attempt at revenge.
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March 31, 2022 – House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Peter DeFazio introduced The Safe Aircraft Maintenance Standards Act today, calling for unannounced FAA inspections of foreign repair stations, minimum qualifications for mechanics and others working on U.S.-registered aircraft at foreign repair stations, data gathering and analysis, and a conditional moratorium on FAA certification of new foreign repair stations among other essential safety reforms.
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March 18, 2022 -- It is well known that the “TWU-IAM Association” has failed to deliver on its promises to the American Airlines mechanics and related workers since its inception when U.S. Airways and American Airlines merged. This failure is not an isolated event, but rather a pattern that has unfolded over American labor history. The core problem, demonstrated time and time again, is that these unfocused industrial unions have put their own power and financial interests ahead of the workers’ interests they were obligated to protect. One compelling example of this dark history was the 2005 Northwest Airlines (NWA) labor dispute. Decades later, the International Association of Machinists (IAM), Transport Workers Union (TWU), and International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) continue to lie and twist the facts to rewrite history about the NWA strike of 2005.
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February 9, 2023 -- Happy New Year. Last year we had a substantial positive impact on the aviation industry across North America. With the successful ratification of the two collective bargaining agreements, successful representation elections at Sun Country and Spirit Airlines, and the Association’s first certification in Canada at L3 Harris MAS, AMFA is continually increasing the recognition and value of our craft/trade. We continue to set high goals for 2023.
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