To Our Union Sisters and Brothers in AFA:
Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association Local 14 representing your fellow Alaska Airlines Technicians stand with you on your Day of Solidarity August 15th, 2023.
We see you. We feel your plight as you firmly negotiate with a company making billions of dollars in profit. The industry’s profits are climbing ever higher while millions of people travel each week. We feel the impact of these record-breaking increases in foot traffic. Our collective workloads increase without relent as a direct result. The money made by the company is on the backs of the work that we do together. We have watched as the highest echelons of the industry hierarchy gorge while we merely ask for our fair share. There is a day of industry reckoning in aviation coming. That day is today.
For the last 9 years, the company has benefited from the outdated terms of your former contract. We empathize as our contract was last negotiated in 2016. Fortunately, both the AFA and AMFA have incredible members who stand in solidarity when these defining moments arrive. There is an understanding among all of us that the old ways will no longer be tolerated.
Fair and just negotiating is our means for improving our circumstance. We pave the path toward industry betterment with negotiations. The industry is watching your strength. Though it seems you have reached an impasse with the company, I encourage you to hold firm and stand your ground. You have the power.
Thankfully negotiations came at a time when there is an industry sea change looming. People are valuing quality of life, and quality of workplace now more than ever. Members are understanding the power that they have with their collective Union voice. You have the power to push the tides of industry in your favor.
You should be paid for all your actions onboard the aircraft not just when the doors are closed, just as our skilled AMFA technicians are. Your work doesn’t start at push, it starts when you arrive on scene and help make the flights go as safely and smoothly as possible from the onset. You help move the machine safely with the actions you take. We are all employed by this company to implement safety and be first responders to the scene. We are trained to look at adverse scenarios and employ safe solutions while running towards the problem. Today I encourage you to employ the same mindset while negotiating and solve your workgroup’s difficulties.
Though we are represented by different Unions, AMFA and AFA, there is significant power in our Solidarity. We have the strength to leverage our collective power to achieve our goals of quality of life and benefits and wages that are more in touch with current economic landscapes. We are in a time unlike any other. There is a movement that is palpable and strong. We have each other’s backs and best interests in mind. Not long ago, we watched as the pilots negotiated one of the strongest contracts they have ever had. It changed their lives by orders of magnitude. They gained immense wage increases with provisions to keep up with future changes in industry, but also massive quality of life improvements that are worth far more than any dollar amount. We in AMFA and certainly AFA had their backs then too. The company must recognize we are merely asking for the same for our workgroups. I offer you strength as you hold your ground asking for fair treatment, wage increases that keep up with industry and economy, and quality of life improvements for your membership.
The contracts we negotiate far greater than ripples on a pond. They are tidal waves that rock the industry and show who’s really in charge. WE ARE!
In Solidarity,
Nic Kula
AMFA Local 14 President
