August 31, 2015

Dear Members:

This month at Alaska Airlines the Contract Proposal Prioritization Survey closed on August 17, 2015, and the results have been delivered to our Negotiation Committee. Additionally, the Company presented the Airline Representatives with a formal notice that they would like to, “…consider the possibility of opening discussions of an extension of the current agreement.” I will keep you updated on developments in this regard. The contract becomes amendable on October 17, 2016, and contains provisions for initiating negotiations one-year prior to the amendable date. Therefore, currently we still plan to declare our intention for presenting openers in October.

At Southwest Airlines (SWA) the Facility Maintenance Technician negotiations continued with a one-day session on August 12, 2015. The Company presented their opening economic proposal and reviewed the components of the proposal with our Committee. Our Committee is working on a counter proposal which we anticipate presenting in September. The Negotiations Update is posted on the National and Local websites.

In the SWA Aircraft Maintenance Technician negotiations, which are now under the purview of the National Mediation Board, our Committee has scheduled a meeting with our Senior Mediator, Patricia Sims and Mediator, Cathy McCann on September 10, 2015. This meeting is with the Mediators only, the Company’s Committee will not be there. We will be informing the Mediators of our perspective of the current status of the negotiations, items that have been negotiated to an impasse, and how we would like to see negotiations proceed.

At the end of July, the Transportation Security Administration issued several new Security Directives that will impact all airport workers. These changes will affect the processes for gaining and renewing your Security Identification Display Area (SIDA) Badge. Most noteworthy is that you may no longer renew your badge after the expiration date printed on the badge. If you wait until your badge has expired, you have to completely restart the badging process from scratch, including background checks. This could delay the process and you will lose airport access until you are re-badged. Also, you may have your personal items searched if you move between public and restricted areas without being screened. These “random” mandatory searches may result in potential conflicts with other work demands, so if you find yourself in a conflict please let your supervisor know of the situation to help mitigate any workplace disturbances.

Next month AMFA is hosting the Aircraft Engineers International Annual Congress in Seattle, Washington. Delegates from across the world have registered to attend and will be presenting information on how they are working to uphold safety and protect the licensed aircraft maintenance technicians’ interests as global regulators are being influenced by airlines to discount the functional requirements for licensed individuals and lower regulatory oversight within maintenance organizations.

For more carrier specific updates and further information regarding AMFA and the airline industry, please visit the AMFA National Website at www.AMFANational.org and download the AMFA App to your smartphone. Our most determined efforts will only succeed with your continued support and participation – please stay informed.

Sincerely,

Louie Key
National Director