October 9, 2024 at 11:54 AM
Dear Jazz Line Maintenance Members,
Some members of JTS and Line are once again having a conversation about leaving Unifor to then try to join the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA). I understand this is spurred by a valid frustration about the 10-year deal signed in 2015.
Today, the industry is flying high, and we have a chance to bargain a collective agreement for the future, one that represents the value of the work you do.
But only Unifor can deliver both a stronger contract and defend your work for the next generation.
Unifor is the powerful union for aircraft mechanics
Since our inception over a decade ago, Unifor has bargained hundreds of contracts, many with historic gains, including with
Air Canada,
WestJet,
Perimeter Aviation,
Canadian Aviation Electronics,
NAV Canada and the Greater Toronto Airport Authority.
By staying with Unifor, you’re staying with the strongest union in Canada’s airlines sector — one that has the resources to defend members at the bargaining table and on the picket line.
MYTH: AMFA quickly resolves bargaining issues
FACT: AMFA takes up to seven years to secure a first contract.
It took almost seven years of negotiations before AMFA and Southwest Airlines announced a tentative agreement for the airline’s aircraft maintenance technicians in 2019. Then, even after the contract was finally signed, the employer and the union remained at odds in the courts and AMFA is facing a $20 million price tag for the lawsuit.
Your union is ready to gear up for negotiations, the quickest path to improvements is via early bargaining which Unifor has secured with Jazz.
MYTH: AMFA can provide Canadian aircraft mechanics with more clout from down south
FACT: AMFA is a floundering Colorado-based union with a shrinking, 4,460-person membership and no Canadian expertise. AMFA has lost 10,000 members since 2007 and is financially unstable.
AMFA currently represents mostly airline carriers in the U.S. and only two in Canada. Three new units, certified as long ago as 2022, are still waiting for their first contracts. A new unit in Canada simply will not be a priority. The union doesn’t even have a single staff person in the Canadian region.
Unifor has built a strong infrastructure to represent our members from coast-to-coast-to-coast. We have a robust staff team with specialists working in the skilled trades, legal, research, and much more, and locals across Canada share information with and learn from one another.
Unifor has the experience, expertise, and resources to best lead you to achieve the wage increases and gains that you deserve.
No other union can match our strength and influence, both at the bargaining table and when talking to all levels of government about the policies that affect your job.
And when you need it most – Unifor supports families on the picket line. Your union’s $150 million strike fund has supported 97 strikes in the past year and is still strong. Meanwhile, AMFA’s strike fund is capped at $1 million. AMFA strikes are paid for by requiring locals with non-striking members to contribute more during strikes. Unifor’s strike fund, on the other hand, always has your back.
With Unifor, you the members set your unit’s priorities then tap into the strength of 320,000 members to get it done, including more than 16,000 in air transport and another 11,000 in aerospace.
Looking ahead to bargaining
Canada’s air transportation industry looks a lot different now than it did the last time your union and Jazz went to the table. In 2015, workers across the sector including pilots and flight attendants were taking decade-long deals to lock in certainty.
Jazz workers were under attack with the company threatening outsourcing and massive layoffs which resulted in Jazz workers also agreeing to a 10-year deal with concessions on future new hires.
Unifor and your bargaining committees are fully committed to eliminating any disparities with post-DOR and pre-DOR members while also securing the wage increases that reflect the value and important work you do, which is long overdue.
Earlier this year, Jazz finally responded to the shortage of AMEs and offered some money to try and solve their retention issues. The message from the membership was loud and clear:
NOT NEARLY ENOUGH!
It’s time to bargain a better deal with Unifor, not jump on board AMFA’s sinking ship with no contract in sight.
Check out
Join Unifor online for more information.
Contact:
- DON ROSS Local 2002, Jazz Maintenance Vice-President (778) 227-0093 Cell [email protected]
- JOHN MURAWESKY Local 2002, Jazz Line Maintenance Chairperson (778) 896-7737 Cell [email protected]
In Solidarity,
Tammy Moore, President, Unifor Local 2002
Josée Genois, Assistant to the Local President
Don Ross, Local 2002, Jazz Maintenance Vice-President
John Murawesky, Local 2002, Jazz Line Maintenance Bargaining Chairperson