Dear Sisters and Brothers:
As we bid farewell to 2023, we look back upon District 142’s journey through a year of challenges, hard work, and success. Our members demonstrated their commitment by standing strong together in solidarity every day. Here are some of the milestones and moments that defined our year and shaped the path to a promising future:
On January 3, District 142 held its first executive board meeting in many months at IAM Headquarters in Upper Marlboro, MD. At that pivotal meeting, Special Assistant to the International President Tony Blevins swore in all newly elected officers and District 142 officially exited Trusteeship, beginning a new era of service to our members.
Over the course of the year, we continued negotiations with many of our carriers/employers. Our members ratified new collective bargaining agreements at McGee Air Services, Swissport LAS, Menzies ORD 474, Swissport PHX, PSA Airlines, Signature Flight Support MDW, and National Airlines. In addition to these newly ratified agreements, we were able to reach successful pre-arbitration settlements with American Airlines for Aircraft Movement and Article 6, Immediate Return to Service. We were also successful in arbitration, securing wins for our members at American for Attendance Policy and Holiday Pay.
Our District 142 committees were hard at work all year. We introduced our brand-new Education Committee and they hit the ground running, scheduling steward training classes system-wide and holding steward conferences at the IAM’s William W. Winpisinger Center for Alaska and Southwest Airlines. The Flight Safety Committee held its annual conference this spring and our Occupational Safety and Health Committee traveled around the system holding safety fairs and listening to the concerns of our members. District 142’s EAP Committee continued to respond to events that impacted our members as well as training and adding new local reps in our cities and stations, and our Veterans Committee continued its push to identify all veterans in District 142 and register them with the IAM in order to help meet their unique needs.
Making improvements to how we service and communicate with our members was also a priority this past year. We introduced a single, streamlined membership application for all new members regardless of employer and launched the highly anticipated Grievance Manager Program. Our communications team started a video podcast series, added an online bulletin board for our CS&S/SOS members at Southwest Airlines, and we launched Zoom webinar informational sessions with President/Directing General Chair John Coveny to bring information and updates to our membership.
Amid these incredible successes, there was also sadness as we mourned the loss of our beloved brother, District 142 General Chair Dan Suafoa. Brother Suafoa left an incredible legacy and touched an immeasurable number of lives during his years of service to our members at Alaska Airlines.
As we look ahead to 2024, we know full well that our work is not done. The recent announcement of a merger between Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines looms large for our members. We have just reached a tentative agreement with Bahamasair, negotiations continue for Allied Aviation (five locations), Aer Lingus, Air Wisconsin, CommuteAir, Menzies ORD 403, Signature ORD, Jetstream PHX, and British Airways, and we have already begun preparations for the upcoming negotiations with American Airlines.
We could not have achieved any of this without the steadfast support of our members. You are the reason we do what we do, and our goal is always to continue to negotiate contracts and agreements that improve your wages, working conditions, safety, security, and quality of life.
On behalf of the officers and staff of District 142, we thank you for continuing on this journey with us and we look forward to another amazing and successful year in 2024.
Happy New Year!
John M. Coveny, Jr.
President/Directing General Chair
IAM District 142
