AFA and United File Joint Application for Mediation
Greg Davidowitch
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Our Contract becomes amendable five months from today and our negotiations are moving to the next step in securing a new Contract. Today we are filing a joint petition with the Company to the National Mediation Board (NMB) to gain the assistance of a federal mediator in our discussions with management. Our Contract requires this joint filing as part of an agreement to begin negotiations nine months early and continue to progress in support of reaching a new agreement as soon as possible. We are focused on achieving an On-Time Agreement with the pay, healthcare, work rules and retirement security you determined was necessary when we created our Opening Proposal.
While we are making every effort to negotiate a fair and equitable Contract, the pace of negotiations has been slow. As you have seen in the Negotiation Updates, 28 of the 35 Sections of our Collective Bargaining Agreement have been discussed at the negotiating table. However, we have reached only 5 tentative agreements. We are now at the point where we can seek the assistance of a mediator for productive dialog on negotiations issues. Read more about federal mediation and the mediation process in the Negotiations Section of unitedafa.org.
In the last 25 years we have only had the opportunity to negotiate for improvements twice. Under the Railway Labor Act airline contracts do not expire; they remain in place throughout the negotiations process. Typically the process is long because management has no incentive to agree to improvements in a new Contract. The joint petition for federal mediation filed today keeps the process moving and puts us a step closer to securing a new Contract. Until a mediator is appointed we will continue our Direct Negotiations with management. The NMB takes over jurisdiction of the negotiations when the Board appoints a mediator to our case. At that point the mediator will determine where and when we will meet and generally how the negotiations will proceed. Even so, it is you and all of our flying partners who truly control the timing and tenor of these negotiations.
Your involvement in negotiations becomes even more important at this point. It is not only management who must recognize our Solidarity and collective commitment to achieve our goals, the mediator must also recognize that United Airlines Flight Attendants stand 100% behind our negotiators. Together, we bring power to the table when we display our Solidarity and make it clear that our Negotiating Committee speaks for us to achieve the improvements contained in our Opening Proposal.
We must continue to build our Flight Attendant Negotiations Network (FANN) for face-to-face communications that keep the lines of communication open between every Member and our Negotiating Committee. This structure will keep us focused and allow us to take collective action at the right time in support of our Contract goals. If you have not yet signed up to be a part of FANN do so now to get the most information about negotiations first and to take a leading role in improving your future. Ask yourself: what are you worth and what are you willing to do to make sure you get it?
It’s a fact: to get the best you must pay the best. We will do Whatever It Takes and work with the mediator to achieve an on-time agreement that meets the needs of United Flight Attendants and returns our airline to its preeminent status in the industry.
In Solidarity,
Greg Davidowitch, President
United Master Executive Council
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