Republic Airways AMTs have begun to receive notices as required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act of 1988 (WARN). The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988 is a US labor law which protects employees, their families and communities by requiring most employers with 100 or more employees to provide 60 calendar-days advance notification of plant closings and mass layoffs of employees, as defined in the Act.

Republic management is gearing up for layoffs beginning on October 1st, when the layoff protections provided under the CARES Act expire on September 30th.

It is important to note that not all AMTs who receive a WARN notification will be laid off. Read the WARN notification Q & A we posted last week.

However, we can expect that there will be layoffs unless there is an extension of the CARES Act protections. The IAM has called for a “clean extension” of the Payroll Support Program component of the CARES Act. Find out more here.

The fact is, without a union contract, layoffs and recall to employment will be decided wholly by Republic management. Without union representation, Republic management can disregard seniority in layoffs, bumping rights and recall to employment when the industry recovers. An example of this is Republic management’s plan to train unlicensed workers to perform our work. Read more about that here. Will these unlicensed workers be performing our work while many of us are on layoff? Without a union, we cannot stop their plan.

We are very close to filing for a union election with the IAM. If you haven’t requested that an election take place, you can get the process started today by requesting an a-card online. We will get your a-card mailed out to you asap. All you have to do is sign, date and drop in the mail.

Read the Day One Plan when we attain IAM representation.

If you have any questions, please call or email IAM Grand Lodge Representative and AMT, John Werkmeister at (412) 613-4300, jwerkmeister@iamaw.org.
 

Just days after WARN notices were sent to hundreds of dedicated Republic Airways AMTs, it has come to our attention that Republic management is finalizing plans to initiate OJT for unlicensed workers to perform aircraft maintenance work. Republic has even gone so far as to update its GMM to allow for this.
 
This is the ultimate slap in the face and it certainly sheds light on what Republic management is planning for come October 1st. It’s clear Republic management plans on taking advantage of the fact that we do not have a legally binding contract or a legally binding agreement regarding the scope of the work that we own and the rules and procedures on how a furlough and recall to employment are conducted.
 
It’s not too late to stop Republic management from taking advantage of the AMT group and treating us with the respect and dignity that we deserve.
 
We deserve, at the very least, the following:
 

1. To discuss options to mitigate furloughs come October 1st. This includes developing partial pay voluntary leaves of absence and incentivized early retirement options. The IAM has done this at every carrier in which IAM members are employed. These efforts will greatly reduce the amount of IAM-represented workers at other airlines who are furloughed.
2. We deserve to have the work we perform protected from outsourcing, especially during a furlough.
3. We deserve to have seniority rights that offer us options to remain employed during a furlough.
4. We deserve guaranteed recall to employment if we are furloughed.

 
We can achieve these things before we negotiate a contract, and before October 1st. Click here to read a previous post that addresses this. But, we need to act now and sign an a-card to obtain the right to vote in a representation election.
 
Click here to request an a-card online. We will send one out to you asap. All you have to do is sign, date and return in the postage paid business reply envelope.
 
We will inform you of further development regarding the training of unlicensed workers performing AMT work as it becomes available.

Over the last couple of weeks, many US airlines have issues WARN notifications. Many airline workers have questions regarding the WARN notice. Below is a Q & A that provides useful information regarding WARN notices. We will update this Q & A as different questions from the workforce are asked.

​What is a WARN notice?
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) is a federal statute that provides protection to workers and their families by requiring employers to provide 60 days’ notice in advance of certain involuntary actions, including potential plant closings and mass layoffs. Some states also have their own state specific WARN statutes. Generally, these statutes have specific thresholds that require companies, like Republic, to provide written notifications to employees if there exists a reasonable expectation that they may be affected by an employment loss in certain locations based on information available at the time.

The way potentially affected employees receive their message is different depending on where they work. Potentially impacted frontline employees based in California, Illinois, New Jersey and New York will receive written notification if the Company triggers WARN at their specific work location due to their state statutes. For frontline employees based in all other states, the unions representing each employee group will receive written notification on their behalf. All impacted management and administrative (M&A) employees will receive notification if the Company triggers WARN at their specific work location.

If I receive a WARN notice, does that mean I am furloughed?
No. Just because you receive a WARN notice does not mean your job is being eliminated. However, it is a sign that there is a reasonable expectation that your job may be affected by an involuntary furlough based on information available at the time.

In other words, it is possible that not all employees who receive a WARN notice will be furloughed.

How soon after WARN notices will I find out if my job is officially eliminated?
Because AMTs are unrepresented and do not have a collective bargaining agreement, Republic Airways dictates all the furlough and recall policies.

When the furlough process begins, do AMTs have the right to “bump” to other locations by seniority to maintain employment?
No. Because Republic AMTs are unrepresented and do not have the protections and assurances provided by a legally binding contract, Republic AMTs do not have the right to exercise his/her seniority to maintain employment in other locations.
 
If I am furloughed, do I have the right to be recalled to my AMT position if/when the demand for air travel improves?

No. Because Republic AMTs are unrepresented and do not have the protections and assurances provided by a legally binding contract, Republic AMTs do not have the right to be recalled to employment if/when industry conditions improve.

​What if Republic management creates a furlough and recall policy/procedure, would that be legally binding?
No. While Republic management can create any policy it wants, it also retains the right to change that policy at any time it wants. So, as a matter of fact, Republic management can tell you one thing today and it could change the next day.
 

​We have received many questions about the immediate plan once we vote in the IAM as our certified collective bargaining agent and what will we gain by having legal union representation.
 
Once we vote the IAM in, the first order of business would be to officially contact Republic Airways management representatives and schedule an meeting. At this meeting, which will be attended by IAM representatives and Republic Airways AMT representatives, we will present the company with concrete proposals for agreement that would accomplish the following:

1. Allow IAM representatives access to the property to directly communicate with Republic Airways AMTs.
2. Gain official bulletin boards in the workplace to disseminate union communications.
3. Offer furlough mitigation programs.
4. Construct a Reduction in Force agreement that would ensure that Republic Airways AMTs have full seniority rights during a reduction in force and a guaranteed right to recall from layoff.
5. Construct a grievance procedure and “just cause” to legally address employee complaints and unjust terminations.

 
The above are the immediate, very short term issues we would need to address before October 1, 2020 when the CARES Act protections expire and airlines would be free to furlough employees.
 
After we accomplish the above goals, we would then gear up for contract negotiations and build an internal representational structure. The following are components of this part of the plan:

1. Solicit contract proposals from Republic Airways AMTs and survey the workgroup to understand what exactly Republic Airways AMTs want in a contract.
2. Conduct nominations and elections for Republic Airways AMT union representatives in each location.
3. Form a contract negotiations committee of Republic Airways AMTs.
   
   1. Part of this committee would be IAM representatives, including attorneys, economists and expert contract negotiations reps.
4. Set a negotiations schedule with Republic Airways management.

 
It is important to know that under the federal law that governs labor relations in the airline industry, the Railway Labor Act, Republic management must negotiate with the union and its employee representatives in “good faith.” This means that they cannot disregard our proposals our efforts to meet and confer. Moreover, Republic Airways management has experience working with unions, and they are currently working with Teamster and TWU representatives to mitigate layoffs. We would be no different.

It’s vital that we have a legal voice at the table in the decisions about our careers in the very near term. When we are not at the table, you can be sure that we will be on the menu.
 
However, to achieve all the good things listed above, we need to first get the right to vote. To get that right, we need at least 50 percent of all Republic AMTs to sign an Election Authorization Card (a-card). We are VERY close, but we need more a-cards. More cards equals a bigger mandate and more POWER.
 
If you haven’t signed an a-card and need one, you can request one online by clicking here. We will mail an a-card out to you asap. Just sign, date and mail it in.
 
Have a GREAT weekend. 

With Republic management prepared to furlough 40 percent of its workforce, the establishment of a legally enforceable seniority system is of critical importance. Seniority is the cornerstone of all IAM contracts. It will provide us with job protections, the right to bid to work in other locations, the right to work the shift and days off that we are entitled, gives us preference for selecting vacation and the legal right to be recalled after a layoff.

These rights can only be guaranteed by a legally binding IAM contract. As we know, without a contract Republic Airways management can changes the rules at any time for any reason and choose “favorites.” 

An IAM contract will ensure our seniority rights with agreed upon procedures to resolve any disputes.
 
If you haven’t signed an election authorization card (a-card) yet, please click the following link and request one online. We will mail an a-card out to you asap.
 
http://www.iam4republicairways.com/request-a-card.html
​

Seniority is the cornerstone of all IAM contracts. It would provide us with job protections, the right to bid to work in other locations, the right to work the shift and days off that we are entitled, and gives us preference for selecting vacation.

These rights are only guaranteed with a legally binding IAM contract. As we know, without a contract Republic Airways management can changes the rules at any time for any reason and choose “favorites.” 

An IAM contract will ensure our seniority rights with agreed upon procedures to resolve any disputes.
 
If you haven’t signed an election authorization card (a-card) yet, please click the following link and request one online. We will mail an a-card out to you asap.
​
REQUEST A CARD

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers wishes you and your family a happy and safe Independence Day. 

​As we commemorate our independence we must always honor the brave women and men in our armed forces who fought, and continue to fight, to keep us safe.