Day Nine of the AFS Negotiations

Day Nine Of The AFS Negotiations

As we’ve told you the last several days, we have been working primarily on the problems and possible changes to Article 35 and 11.

Earlier this week, AFS challenged us to work with them to find new, alternative ways to fix AFS’s problems with overtime, in exchange for displacement rights in Article 35. We proposed several realistic possible changes that would have dealt with AFS’s issues, while protecting your rights as employees. We worked hard, professionally and in good faith while attempting to meet AFS somewhere in the middle and find a win-win solution benefiting everyone, and would, of course, ultimately benefit the Military Aviators we diligently serve every day.

But the bottom line is, this afternoon discussions broke down and AFS rejected your Negotiating Team’s hard work, work which AFS asked them to do! AFS gave your Negotiating Team an ultimatum, to accept their changes in both Article 35 and 11. We felt AFS’s proposed changes, taking away negotiated rights you now have, were completely unacceptable.

Our Negotiating Team spent long hours the last few days trying to find a middle ground that would address AFS’s concerns, and protect the rights of our members. We did this in good faith, believing that AFS, too, was truly interested in finding workable solutions that would be good for everyone. Sadly, it turns out that wasn’t true, and ultimately, we feel AFS wasn’t really interested in fixing theirs, ours, or the customers problems, AFS just wanted to have the ability to operate unimpeded, with no interest in how their actions affect you, our members, who keep Fort Rucker humming and the Military flying.

However, aside from Article 35, we’ve made progress in other non-economic issues, with tentative agreements such as Military Leave, absence reporting, union shop, and bereavement leave, to name a few. 

Tomorrow is a new day, and we are optimistically looking forward to opening our economic discussions with AFS at 9:00 AM. WE WILL continue to fight for a good contract.

Addendum: Brian Buchanan (BB4848) visited the committee today, in support of our union and our negotiations.  Keep wearing the black wristbands in support of him and our other members who have been wrongfully affected by AFS.