Alaska Airlines technicians vote YES on new contract

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Mar 14, 2024, 13:18 ET

SEATTLE, March 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines' aircraft maintenance technicians, maintenance controllers and other employees who support aircraft maintenance and are represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) have ratified a new five-year contract.

The agreement, which was negotiated in 12 months, includes significant improvements such as increased pay, retirement contribution increases, and quality of life improvements. With this recently closed deal, Alaska Airlines has ratified seven contracts across six represented groups since 2022.

"The expertise, professionalism and dedication of our aircraft technicians is unmatched," said CEO Ben Minicucci. "I'm proud to have them working under a new contract just four months after their previous contract was amendable. This contract reflects the critical contributions of our technicians, improves their quality of life, and reinforces Alaska's foundation for long-term success."

"This agreement not only includes justifiable increases in pay, benefits, and quality of life, it gives our members a framework for fulfilling their careers with Alaska Airlines," said Bret Oestreich, AMFA National President. "Thanks to our negotiating committee, we were able to secure protections in headcount and work rules, as well as job security for work performed by our members for decades. AMFA prioritized the interests of all its members in various classifications when bargaining the deal, and this agreement shows the importance of our members remaining unified and AMFA's strength at the bargaining table," Oestreich continued. "Our focus now shifts to working with Alaska Airlines to attract and retain qualified, skilled professionals, and this industry-leading contract will make that job much easier."

Effective as of the previous contract's amendable date (October 17, 2023), the new contract contains:

Wage increases including a top-of-scale rate of $65.85 for technician classifications.
Quality of life improvements to schedules to reduce life disruptions and incorporates seniority for shift times to recognize length of service.
Retirement contribution increases and caps to health care costs.
Language changes that allow for increased productivity.

The previous contract with AMFA became amendable in October 2023. Contracts in the airline industry do not expire. Once they become amendable, the current contract remains in effect until a new agreement is ratified.

About Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines and our regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mexico. We offer our guests a premium flying experience with award-winning customer service and an industry-leading loyalty program, Mileage Plan. With our fellow oneworld Alliance members and additional global partners, our guests have more choices than ever to purchase, earn or redeem on alaskaair.com across 30 airlines and more than 1,000 worldwide destinations. Learn more about Alaska at news.alaskaair.com and follow @alaskaairnews for news and stories. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group.