Dear Members and Future Members,
At AMFA, our commitment is to transparency, honesty and the full truth—values that should matter most to Members during the upcoming representation election following the Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines merger.
Recently, the IAM distributed a mailer titled “Scope Matters,” which seeks to mislead Alaska technicians. This communication falsely implies that if the IAM were to win the representation election, additional stations within Alaska’s current operations would automatically open and be staffed with Alaska technicians under the IAM-Hawaiian scope clause.
This claim is simply not true and represents a misinterpretation of federal law.
Here are the facts:
Under federal labor law, the pre-merger collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) for both Alaska and Hawaiian remain in effect for their respective groups until a single, joint CBA is negotiated between the merged carrier and the elected union. In other words, existing agreements do not automatically extend to the entire merged workforce following a union election.
(For those who wish to explore this further, see: Association of Flight Attendants v. USAir, Inc., 24 F.3d 1432 (D.C. Cir. 1994)).
Let’s take a moment to consider the IAM’s logic. If its misinterpretation were somehow correct (it’s not), the results would be disastrous for Alaska technicians. Alaska AMTs—who currently earn industry-leading wages—would see their pay drop to Hawaiian’s lower wage scale, moving from the top of the industry to the bottom. Unsurprisingly, the IAM’s mailer left out that crucial detail.
At AMFA, we believe you deserve facts, transparency and authentic leadership—not misleading rhetoric. As you evaluate your choices, look for the union that consistently delivers results, honesty and respect for your intelligence and your craft.
AMFA delivers the truth.
In Solidarity,
National Executive Council
Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA)