Greetings,

The AMW Negotiating Team Updates the NMB on Section 6 Talks

On Tuesday, October 6, the AFA Negotiations Team (NT) met with two of the three presidentially appointed members of the National Mediation Board (NMB). The third member was not able to make the meeting due to a family emergency.   The purpose of the meeting, which was at the request of the NMB, was to update the NMB on the status of our Section 6 negotiations.

At the meeting, your NT presented members of the NMB with a history of the pre-merger America West Section 6 negotiations. AFA-CWA Staff Negotiator Joe Burns provided the NMB with an update on the status of single contract talks.  AFA also detailed the disparities in pay between east and west, as well as the effect of the seven-year wage freeze on flight attendants.  Additionally, by presenting comparison data compiled by the AFA research department, AFA demonstrated how this freeze is causing AMW flight attendant wage rates to fall behind other carriers, including regional carriers such as Mesa.

Former MEC president Bill McGlashen highlighted the role that America West flight attendants played in securing the ATSB loan guarantees in 2001 which helped save America West at a crucial period and how the Company “paid” us back by making the flight attendants the only group to suffer under a seven year wage freeze.

The NMB, as expected, did not take any action at the meeting.  However, after the meeting, the NMB offered the services of NMB senior mediator Zachary Jones to help bring the merged contract talks to a conclusion.  The AFA merged contract Joint Negotiations Committee (JNC) will consider that offer during next week’s negotiations sessions.

The Negotiating Team will be holding a series of meetings this month to update flight attendants on Section 6 AMW negotiations.  For additional information regarding the NMB meeting and other Section 6 information, please attend one of the meetings on Tuesday, October 20th and Wednesday, October 21st at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm each day at the AFA Union office.