| AMFA - Alaska Airlines Negotiations Update #11 |
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| Written by Louie Key | |
| Wednesday, 25 May 2005 | |
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On Tuesday May 24, 2005 open contract negotiations between the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association and Alaska Airlines continued at the Gold Coast Center in SeaTac. May 24 and 25, 2005 Participants for AMFA: Participants for Alaska Airlines:
This week we started off with discussions on employee benefits. Alaska’s Director of Employee Benefits, Tom Richards, provided information to our committee on the Company’s proposal. He explained how the Company is striving to move all employees into a common health care plan with similar co-pays. He also indicated that the Company, philosophically believes, that all employees should have comparable health care and retirement benefits. On that point, it is noteworthy that our current defined benefit retirement plan is behind other employee groups at Alaska Airlines. Other employee groups have final average earnings (or similar variation), higher multipliers, and the ability to retire earlier with no benefit reduction. On Wednesday the Company provided a "Comprehensive Proposal" which included detailed language on all remaining open issues, as well as a counter on wage rates that would place our technicians at a number 7 ranking (including base pay and license premium) among the thirteen carriers used in their analysis Please recall that our methodology includes the components of Line pay and Longevity Allowance (based on a ten year employee) to calculate an "all in rate.". If you included these components, their proposal would move us from number 9 from the top (where we are currently) to number 8. Concerning Article 2, Scope, the Company presented a no layoff Letter of Agreement that would job protect all active employees on date of signing through the duration of their proposed four year agreement (expiring one day prior to the amendable date to prevent the LOA from being considered covered by the status quo provisions of the Railway Labor Act). However, their proposal did not address our concerns of defining what work actually belongs to our members, as well as our concern of protecting all currently staffed maintenance stations. Our committee will be reviewing this proposal and preparing a counter to present to the Company during our next scheduled round of negotiations in June. The next round of AMFA – ASA negotiations in Seattle; will take place at the Gold Coast Center, dates listed below. Please watch the Local 14 website for any updated information. For additional negotiation information and other AMFA carrier updates, please call the AMFA National Hotline at (800)-520-AMFA (2632). |
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