It has come to our attention that Republic management has begun to hire students fresh out of high school who have expressed an interest in the Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT) field to perform AMT work in IND. Management has directed Republic AMTs to work with these young adults and sign off on their work. This is troubling for many different reasons.

Our work is vital for the safety and security of the flying public. While we encourage young adults to enter the AMT craft and attain their required A & P licenses and become highly skilled AMTs, we should not have people working on aircraft that do not have the requisite experience and knowledge, even if it’s under our supervision. This practice is dangerous and misguided, and quite frankly we are not compensated enough to take on this risk.

Republic management needs to simply address its main problem: Attracting and retaining highly skilled AMTs to ensure that Republic Airways remains a safe, reliable and successful airline. This is not done by hiring unlicensed vendors, like in CMH, or others who may be interested in the Aircraft Maintenance profession. Management should increase wage rates and benefit levels and improve working conditions to attract and retain the highly skilled AMTs that we need.

These practices are also extremely dangerous because they dilute our craft. Having unlicensed workers performing aircraft maintenance work while only a few licensed AMTs sign off on their work is the model employed at foreign repair stations and even at some facilities here in the United States. By allowing this to happen, we are jeopardizing all of our careers and the Aircraft Maintenance Technician profession.

But, without a union contract, which would clearly define and protect our work, Republic management has all the power and will continue to make decisions that are not in our best interest, nor in the best interest of our profession.

The IAM has negotiated the best AMT work (scope) protections in the airline industry, whether it is in the regional or mainline sectors of the airline industry. It’s time that we all take the step to attain IAM representation and have a real, legal voice in the future of our careers at Republic, but also in the preservation and protection of our profession.

It is often said, “if you’re not at the table, then you’re on the menu.” 
 
Please take a couple of minutes of your time and fill out election authorization card (a-card) if you haven't already. The a-card only requests that a union representation election be conducted by the National Mediation Board (NMB), a federal agency. Your right to sign an a-card is protected under federal law and Republic Airways management is prohibited from ever knowing who signed an a-card.

You can request an a-card online and it will be mailed to you.

If you have any questions, please email jwerkemeister@iamaw.org