August 18th, 2020

ELECTION FILING UPDATE AND OTHER INFO

As you are likely aware, the IAM filed last Thursday an application for the National Mediation Board (NMB), a federal agency based in Washington DC, to conduct a union representation election for Republic Airways AMTs. This morning the NMB  “docketed” our application. The NMB this morning further directed Republic Airways management to provide the list of eligible voters to the NMB by September 1, 2020. The company can submit the eligibility list sooner.

​The next step after the eligibility list is submitted is for the NMB to count the a-cards submitted and to determine if 50 percent of Republic Airways AMTs have, indeed, requested a representation election take place. If the 50 percent threshold has been reached, a voting period will be scheduled and all voters will be mailed voting instructions. It is important that the company has your current address, so you receive your voting instructions in a timely manner.

PLEASE READ THE ELECTION Q & A THAT WE POSTED LAST WEEK FOR MORE INFO ON THE ELECTION PROCESS.

Now that we have filed for an election, we may see Republic management behave differently. The may do the following:

• Plead with AMTs to “give them another chance” to fix what we believe needs to be fixed.
  • Management has had their chance to treat us with respect and has failed. There is no reason to think this will change, especially in the current financial situation.

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• To criticize the IAM as an “outsider” or third party that cannot guarantee that we achieve improvements.
  • ​WE will be the IAM. It will be Republic Airways AMTs in negotiations with company management and Republic AMTs who will elected by their co-workers to be trained union representatives. Don’t fall for this lie. While we will have total support—attorneys, negotiators to help us, economists, etc.—from the IAM, it will be us that Republic management deals with across the table and on the floor.
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• Republic management may even try to fix issues that are important to us.
  • Remember, the only reason this would happen is because of our union organizing drive and that management wants to discourage us from joining the IAM and gaining a legal right to negotiate with them and vote on a contract. They don’t want workplace democracy for AMTs.
    
    
• The company may say that all the IAM wants is our “dues” money.
  • This is false. The IAM will not collect any money in dues until Republic AMTs negotiate and ratify (vote in) a contract. The IAM also does not collect initiation fees for newly organized groups. So, Republic AMTs pay nothing until we decide we have a contract that is worth paying dues for.
    
    
• Republic management may even attack the IAM and claim it’s a corrupt organization.
  • Nothing could be further from the truth. While no organization or company is perfect, the IAM is one of the most ethical organizations in North America. The IAM leads the way in giving back to the community and engaging in charitable causes. The IAM’s largest charity is Guide Dogs of America, which provides guides dogs for the visually impaired. Click here to find out more.
  • The IAM also provides a free college program for IAM members and their family members. Click here to find out more.
    
    
• Republic may even hire “anti-workplace democracy” consultants whose only job is to dissuade us from joining a union.
  • If that happens, we will call upon Republic to save the money they’ll spend on these high priced consultants and include it in our first contract.

 
These are just some of the things that Republic management may do, and please know that any move management takes to dissuade us from joining the IAM is a move to prevent us from having the legal right to negotiate a contract and enforce such a contract. 
 
As always, we will update you with any developments at the NMB.
 
If you have any specific questions, you can submit them here and we will get back to you.
 

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