AMFA National - Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association

Dear Members:

I hope you have had a wonderful holiday season and a have prosperous 2010.

This month started with a trip to Dallas, Texas where I attended all three of the Local 11 membership meetings. It was great to see the participation at the meetings and spending time with the members there.

I also attended the monthly membership meetings at Local 14 in Seattle on December 16th. The next day, I and several other AMFA officers attended the Alaska Airlines quarterly union leadership meeting in Seattle where Alaska Airlines management personnel gave the unions a synopsis of their business initiatives for the upcoming year.

On December 28th Local 14 President Jarod Mills, Local 14 Vice President Jim Rea, Local 14 Airline Representative Tim Cullen, and I presented a donation to the Lakewood Police Independent Guild on behalf of the Local 14 membership. The Guild’s charitable fund will help support the families and children of the four officers who were killed in the line of duty while preparing for their shift on November 29th. The Guild was very appreciative and informed us there has been outstanding community support for the fallen officers.

A few highlights from 2009 include the ratification of a new mechanic’s contract at Southwest Airlines, a successful Special Convention, ratification of a contract extension at Alaska Airlines, initiation of negotiations for the Appearance Technician’s contract at Southwest and a new Letter of Agreement at Mesaba Airlines. We also started our partnership with the new legislative firm Keys to the Capitol this past fall.

Over the course of this past year I was able to attend at least one membership meeting at each AMFA Local and look forward to the opportunities that 2010 brings. I believe that 2010 will be a good year for AMFA and hopefully I will see you at one of the local membership meetings as I travel the system.

For more carrier specific updates and in depth information regarding AMFA and the airline industry, please visit the AMFA National Web site at http://www.amfanational.org/and remember our most determined efforts will not succeed without your continued support and participation – Please stay informed. With your participation we will jointly craft our collective future. Work together, support one another, and be proud of your important profession.