March Contract Mediation Update.

It’s been a while since you’ve heard from us, and that’s because it has taken this long to get dates with mediator secured. Michael Kelliher, the mediator assigned to us by the NMB and the mediator on the Alaska TAs, is also mediating with several other carriers and came to us with a pretty full schedule. But, the good news is we finally have some dates on the calendar! Our first meeting with the mediator will be June 23-25. Since the NMB is still experiencing travel restrictions, we will be meeting in Chicago, where Mr. Kelliher lives. We also have two additional sessions on the calendar. 

In the meantime, at Mr. Kelliher’s urging, we will meet with just the management team in April. The plan is to discuss some of the non-economic, or lower cost, items with the goal of narrowing the issues for mediation. We want our time with the mediator to be as productive as possible. 

Over the next thirty to sixty days he Mobilization Committee Chairs will begin discussing their plans for once mediation begins.  

We will update you again after the April session, or sooner if the need arises. 

Additionally, we will begin sending out brief updates as we hear of any rumors that are picking up momentum. Please email [email protected] with what you would like us to address in our next communication. 
 

Q: Alaska FAs just ratified their TA, with significant pay increases and work provisions, including boarding pay. How does that impact us?

 A: We think it has a major impact. We believe the work we do is no different than that done by a mainline Flight Attendant and sometimes may be even more difficult/strenuous. We believe that we deserve the same pay and work rules as the Alaska Flight Attendants. And we all know management sees things very differently. You can be sure we will be discussing the Alaska TA at length in our next session.