Q: Would joining the IAM really get us a contract with better pay?
A: The IAM is the World’s Largest Airline Union. We have successfully negotiated many agreements that place our AMT’s total compensation packages among the best in the majors and regional airline industry.
Q: Does signing the authorization card (a-card) I received count as a vote for the Union to represent us?
A: No, signing the authorization card is the first step in the Nation Mediation Board process to enable you to request a representation election. This would only happen after at least 50 percent of your fellow mechanics sign the card too.
Q: Who would negotiate a contract for us?
A: Republic AMT’s will negotiate all contracts with the full support and assistance from the IAM. The IAM will train your negotiators and you will have professional negotiators, economists, and attorneys to assist throughout the whole process.
Q: Do we have to start paying Union dues once we sign the authorization card?
A: No, Union dues will not be collected until the AMT’s at Republic negotiate and ratify their first agreement.
Q: Are wages the only thing that will be negotiated in our first contract?
A: No. We negotiate a complete package, not just wages. Job security, insurance benefits, vacation, work rules, retirement, safety committees; these are just some of the things we negotiate and are all "mandatory subjects of bargaining," per the law.
Q: Is there any way to eliminate “favoritism” in the workplace with a contract?
A: Work rules, which are based on seniority, minimize favoritism. There will be set procedures for choosing shifts and days off, calling overtime, and bidding vacation/time off at a minimum that will help with current issues.
Q: We constantly work short staffed, if we join the Union, will we be able to fix the staffing?
A: No. The Company has a right to manage/mismanage their business. We can put protections in place for ratios for crew chiefs relative to AMTs, limit what the Company can have management work on through “scope” protections and even limit management working if they are short staffed on the hangar floor with “helping hands language.” Contracts are a two way agreement, defined rules for both members and management usually make for a better, more productive work environment with less confrontation from management.
Q: What is the dues rate for IAM members?
A: NO dues will be paid until Republic Airways Mechanics approve a first contract by majority vote. Thereafter, the monthly dues amount will be set by a vote of the membership at our IAM local lodge, in accordance with the IAM Constitution.
Paying union dues is a lot like buying insurance and the right to sit at the negotiating table with management to negotiate what our future will be. No insurance, no protection. No union, no voice. It’s really that simple. Union members pool their money and buy a level of service, support and protection that no individual worker could possibly afford alone.
Q: What about “initiation fees”?
A: Only Mechanics hired by Republic Airways AFTER we ratify a contract will pay initiation fees. Thereafter, initiation fees will be set by the local lodge, in accordance with the IAM Constitution.
Q: Can something be put into our contract to guarantee a recall overtime rate?
A: Yes. Overtime provisions are a mandatory subject of bargaining under the Railway Labor Act—the federal law under which both parties negotiate. During contract negotiations we have the right to negotiate fair rules regarding when we get paid overtime and what that payment will be.
Q: We have to use our personal cell phones to conduct company business. Is there a way we can get reimbursed for our personal cell phone use for work?
A: Yes. Like overtime, we will have the legal right to negotiate with Republic Airways management regarding compensation for the use of our personal mobile devices to conduct company business. The IAM has negotiated contracts in the airline industry in which the company must provide mobile devices to IAM members to conduct company business, and must pay for those devices and their maintenance and repair.
Q: A Mechanic at each location is forced to be on call during weekends and must report for duty within 30 minutes if directed by management. Can we get paid for this “on call” status?
A: Like other “pay” or “quality of life” issues, once we form a union with the IAM and begin negotiations with Republic Airways management, we will present what we think is fair regarding “on call” status. The IAM, for example, has negotiated Aircraft Mechanic and Flight Attendant contracts in which all “on call” or “reserve” status is paid. We will have the right to negotiate such language if we have a union.
Q: How will having union improve safety on the job?
A: The IAM is the leading union regarding flight and ground safety. The IAM’s Joint Aircraft Safety Committee (JATSC) is comprised of IAM members from the Transportation Department. The JATSC works with airline management, the FAA and other governmental agencies to ensure safe operations on the ground and in flight. The JATSC holds regular meetings to discuss various ground and flight safety issues and keeps abreast of all regulatory and industry changes.
Also, our contract will have specific language relating to our unique workplace safety issues and provisions for the creation of union safety committees that will work to make our workplaces safer. We will have access to the significant safety and health resources of the IAM and its leading training facility, the William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center.
A: The IAM is the World’s Largest Airline Union. We have successfully negotiated many agreements that place our AMT’s total compensation packages among the best in the majors and regional airline industry.
Q: Does signing the authorization card (a-card) I received count as a vote for the Union to represent us?
A: No, signing the authorization card is the first step in the Nation Mediation Board process to enable you to request a representation election. This would only happen after at least 50 percent of your fellow mechanics sign the card too.
Q: Who would negotiate a contract for us?
A: Republic AMT’s will negotiate all contracts with the full support and assistance from the IAM. The IAM will train your negotiators and you will have professional negotiators, economists, and attorneys to assist throughout the whole process.
Q: Do we have to start paying Union dues once we sign the authorization card?
A: No, Union dues will not be collected until the AMT’s at Republic negotiate and ratify their first agreement.
Q: Are wages the only thing that will be negotiated in our first contract?
A: No. We negotiate a complete package, not just wages. Job security, insurance benefits, vacation, work rules, retirement, safety committees; these are just some of the things we negotiate and are all "mandatory subjects of bargaining," per the law.
Q: Is there any way to eliminate “favoritism” in the workplace with a contract?
A: Work rules, which are based on seniority, minimize favoritism. There will be set procedures for choosing shifts and days off, calling overtime, and bidding vacation/time off at a minimum that will help with current issues.
Q: We constantly work short staffed, if we join the Union, will we be able to fix the staffing?
A: No. The Company has a right to manage/mismanage their business. We can put protections in place for ratios for crew chiefs relative to AMTs, limit what the Company can have management work on through “scope” protections and even limit management working if they are short staffed on the hangar floor with “helping hands language.” Contracts are a two way agreement, defined rules for both members and management usually make for a better, more productive work environment with less confrontation from management.
Q: What is the dues rate for IAM members?
A: NO dues will be paid until Republic Airways Mechanics approve a first contract by majority vote. Thereafter, the monthly dues amount will be set by a vote of the membership at our IAM local lodge, in accordance with the IAM Constitution.
Paying union dues is a lot like buying insurance and the right to sit at the negotiating table with management to negotiate what our future will be. No insurance, no protection. No union, no voice. It’s really that simple. Union members pool their money and buy a level of service, support and protection that no individual worker could possibly afford alone.
Q: What about “initiation fees”?
A: Only Mechanics hired by Republic Airways AFTER we ratify a contract will pay initiation fees. Thereafter, initiation fees will be set by the local lodge, in accordance with the IAM Constitution.
Q: Can something be put into our contract to guarantee a recall overtime rate?
A: Yes. Overtime provisions are a mandatory subject of bargaining under the Railway Labor Act—the federal law under which both parties negotiate. During contract negotiations we have the right to negotiate fair rules regarding when we get paid overtime and what that payment will be.
Q: We have to use our personal cell phones to conduct company business. Is there a way we can get reimbursed for our personal cell phone use for work?
A: Yes. Like overtime, we will have the legal right to negotiate with Republic Airways management regarding compensation for the use of our personal mobile devices to conduct company business. The IAM has negotiated contracts in the airline industry in which the company must provide mobile devices to IAM members to conduct company business, and must pay for those devices and their maintenance and repair.
Q: A Mechanic at each location is forced to be on call during weekends and must report for duty within 30 minutes if directed by management. Can we get paid for this “on call” status?
A: Like other “pay” or “quality of life” issues, once we form a union with the IAM and begin negotiations with Republic Airways management, we will present what we think is fair regarding “on call” status. The IAM, for example, has negotiated Aircraft Mechanic and Flight Attendant contracts in which all “on call” or “reserve” status is paid. We will have the right to negotiate such language if we have a union.
Q: How will having union improve safety on the job?
A: The IAM is the leading union regarding flight and ground safety. The IAM’s Joint Aircraft Safety Committee (JATSC) is comprised of IAM members from the Transportation Department. The JATSC works with airline management, the FAA and other governmental agencies to ensure safe operations on the ground and in flight. The JATSC holds regular meetings to discuss various ground and flight safety issues and keeps abreast of all regulatory and industry changes.
Also, our contract will have specific language relating to our unique workplace safety issues and provisions for the creation of union safety committees that will work to make our workplaces safer. We will have access to the significant safety and health resources of the IAM and its leading training facility, the William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center.
