September 16, 2019
September 2019 Update
Dear Crewmembers,
I’m reaching out to share an update regarding our efforts to deliver the competitive contract that you deserve.
As you are aware, we recently received each of the long-awaited Atlas and Southern arbitration decisions on our bargaining path forward. Both arbitrators ruled that the merger provisions of the respective collective bargaining agreements apply and the union was directed to follow these merger provisions. Importantly, both decisions included a requirement that the union is to provide an integrated seniority list to the company within 45 days, setting in motion the maximum nine months of arbitration, which we believe can happen even sooner given all of the work already achieved on tentative agreements. With these decisions issued there is now a defined and timely path forward for a new joint collective bargaining agreement (JCBA).
However last week, the union took the extraordinary step of filing lawsuits against Atlas and Southern seeking to vacate each of the arbitrators’ decisions. It is important to note that both arbitrators are highly respected in their fields and were jointly selected by the union and the company. Their decisions were thoughtfully rendered, and are final and binding. We therefore believe the union’s lawsuits to be without merit and yet another attempt to delay the contractually mandated merger procedures.
We remain committed to coming to the negotiations table ready to make real progress, and have repeatedly asked that the union leaders provide us a comprehensive economic proposal, as well as the seniority list required by the CBAs and affirmed by the arbitrators.
This negotiation process has been difficult and frustrating for all. We assure you we are working hard to move the bargaining process forward as quickly as possible, so that we can obtain a new contract with competitive pay rates and benefits. We are focused on that goal every day and have again asked union leaders to do the same. The issuance of the seniority list and economic proposal gets us closer to a result.
As always, AtlasAir5YPilots.com is your go-to source of fact-based information on the status of the contract negotiations. We invite you to visit the site and follow us on Twitter at @AtlasAir5Y for updates.
Thank you for your ongoing dedication to our customers, and to our company.
Regards,
Jeff Carlson
Senior Vice President Flight Operations