Ladies and Gentlemen,
As we near the end of 2019 I would like to acknowledge each and every one of you for your endurance through the many challenges we have faced together throughout this merger. We are now ONE United Airlines Flight Attendant family. During the past 8 months your Negotiating Committee has been preparing for our upcoming negotiations. We now have an opportunity to collectively speak with One Voice to represent the interests of our 25000+ Flight Attendants.
Recognizing the realities of the Railway Labor Act, we have started our preparations for negotiations earlier than ever before; and with our early-opener provisions in our current JCBA, we can actually begin negotiations this summer, August of 2020.
We are excited by the opportunity to negotiate the first contract following our Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement. Our Negotiating Committee is steeped in experience and with the support of our MEC Committees, we have been preparing for negotiations since April 2019.
We recognize that the most important part of being prepared for negotiations is YOU. Our focus is to ensure that every voice is heard- not only today, but throughout the entire negotiations process.
Beginning January 20th our Negotiating Committee will be traveling to twenty-three different cities in five different countries to hear directly from you. The Listening Tour was conceived and designed with one main purpose in mind- to put YOU, United AFA Flight Attendants, in the forefront. Our Negotiating Committee will be LISTENING, face to face, to our Members’ aspirations and priorities for the upcoming negotiations.
Additionally, to ensure the opportunity for every Member’s voice to be heard, the Contract 2021 Membership Survey opens January 20, 2020 and closes March 6, 2020. The survey is critical to our success at the bargaining table. The survey provides all Members an equal opportunity to communicate their priorities and needs regarding our 2021 Contract. The Negotiations Membership Survey was developed with the assistance of outside professionals to ensure a statistically valid result. We have also retained professional pollsters and the services of The University of New Hampshire Survey Center who will administer the survey and assist in analyzing the results. Everyone will receive a Contract 2021 Negotiations Membership Survey to their mailing address on record. Once you have received the survey, you will have the opportunity to participate electronically through our new negotiations website.
To help keep you informed and updated on our negotiations, we have launched a new website dedicated 100% to our United AFA Flight Attendant negotiations.
Contract2021.org is where to visit to learn about:
Please visit our website today for Listening Tour schedules.
You will have the opportunity to sign up to receive all the latest information from Negotiations News Updates. Be sure to bookmark Contract2021.org on your smartphone/ computer for quick access and visit often to stay informed.
I cannot overstate how valuable your participation and opinions are to us, nor how powerful we will be at the bargaining table if we stand united together, with one voice- over 25,000 strong! The power of Unity is where all Union strength comes from. Your Negotiating Committee must have the backing of the collective membership to engage the full strength potential of United AFA Flight Attendants at the bargaining table with management.
More than ever before, education and mobilization of our Flight Attendant community are key components to the success of our negotiations. You will have the opportunity to become even more involved as a Negotiations Support InfoRep, to play a critical role in our negotiations and support achievement of our goals every day you go to work.
This is the beginning of many opportunities to provide your feedback. We will continue to seek your input through the entire negotiations process. Armed with the knowledge of the process and the role you play in negotiations, we will be successful in achieving our collective priorities.
In closing I wish each of you and your loved ones a very Happy Holiday season and look forward to the New Year to stand with you in solidarity to achieve our collective goals in these upcoming Negotiations.
In Solidarity,
Ken Diaz, President
United Master Executive Council