Stories

Two significant updates

Dear Frontier Flight Attendants:

We have two separate but significant updates for you on 1) our regular Section 6 negotiations for a new contract, and 2) our dispute with Frontier management over the impact of the new business model.

First, last night just after we finished a week of negotiating on our full contract we filed for federal mediation to get the assistance of the National Mediation Board. This is the next step under the Railway Labor Act as we fight forward to achieve a tentative agreement you can ratify. Typically, one or both parties file for mediation when the negotiations are either stalled or when one party is delaying the process to achieve an agreement. In reviewing with our International office it is our assessment that mediation will be useful here as progress has stalled.  Here are some examples of delay by management:

  • Management owes us a return proposal on nine sections of our contract. Of those nine sections, one they have refused to pass a return proposal and another section they have refused to even discuss.
  • In the last five months the company has failed to reach any tentative agreements with us on sections of the contract.
  • We do have ten  tentative agreements so far, but these were sections that contain either no change to the contract or very minimal change.
  • During September negotiations the company proposed changes to only four sentences. This pace would result in a tentative agreement sometime in 2028 or later.
  • Management is calling these negotiations “contract+,” saying they will agree to work to resolve issues we're addressing but they don’t believe solutions should go in the contract. It’s actually laughable. They just don’t want to respect the fact that we have a contract or rights as workers with a union. They want to act like Delta or SkyWest and have the ability to change anything at any time.
  • Our experience in the past is that assistance from the NMB with mediation helps the company focus and be more productive in negotiations.    

The NMB has our request for mediation. It is now the Boards responsibility to docket our case, assign a mediator, and move to schedule mediation dates soon. We will keep you informed on this process, but it’s good we’re already wearing red pins because it’s time to get aggressive in demanding management reach a new agreement with us in months, not years.

Secondly, a few minutes ago we sent a letter to Frontier management and copied the National Mediation Board. We advised them of our right to demand they set a meeting date for resolving our dispute over the change in business model that has dramatically harmed our ability to make a living. Management now has a deadline of November 12 to set a meeting date with us. This is a necessary step in the process to either get swift resolution, or move to exercise our rights under the RLA. So far management has refused to bargain over the impact of their decision to fundamentally change the conditions of our employment through their new business model. This is a serious dispute and we are taking the necessary steps to enforce our rights under the Railway Labor Act.

Plan to join us on our zoom All Calls scheduled for November 6th and December 4th. We will have important updates on these calls and instructions on how to prepare to defend our rights and fight to achieve an agreement that resolves the problem management created by unilaterally changing the conditions of our employment through their “turn” model.

Your participation in our Philadelphia Day of Action on November 1 is extremely important. Please also save the date for a system-wide Day of Action on December 11th. While we work through the RLA process we need to demonstrate that we are ready to do whatever it takes to enforce our rights.

Solidarity is the key. We have to demonstrate in every way that we are standing together and ready to fight for fairness on the job. Wear your red pins and make sure they are always visible. Show up for meetings and days of action. Our whole union is behind our fight.

In Solidarity,

Jen Sala, AFA Frontier MEC President

Sara Nelson, AFA International President