October Contract Negotiations not to be held - Management declines

The federal government is still shut down. This means that our federal mediator will not be able to meet with AFA and management next week as scheduled. We asked management if they would be willing to meet without the mediator to keep things moving. They prefer to wait until the mediator is available. And so, our time without a new contract grows ever longer—and not because of AFA.

We are disappointed in their decision. While the mediator is very helpful and will be critical when we get to the most significant issues (pay, scheduling, etc.), there are still several outstanding, smaller issues we believe we could have reached agreements on. Unfortunately, we will never know what we could have accomplished.

As a result of management’s decision not to meet next week, we will not be negotiating again until our November 4th, 5th, and 6th dates. Of course, the mediator’s presence on those dates will depend on whether the government has reopened. The company has told us that they may reconsider meeting without the mediator if the shutdown continues into November. We will update you as we hear from management. In the meantime, we will continue to work with our Mobilization Committee to develop future action plans and initiatives.

One Union, One Voice!

Lisa, Lexie, Heather and Kimberley

Horizon Air AFA MEC Negotiations Committee