IAM Reaches Tentative Agreement with ExpressJet Airlines

June 29, 2018

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), representing nearly 1,200 flight attendants, and ExpressJet Airlines today have reached a tentative labor agreement.

The overall value of the three-year accord maintains its status as the leading regional airline contract for flight attendants. The tentative agreement will be submitted to a membership ratification vote. Your negotiating committee unanimously recommends a YES vote on this contract.

“In a time when companies are demanding employees pay more and more for less and less, your negotiating committee has secured the best healthcare on the property, guaranteed it for the life of the agreement, and decreased costs to the employee,” said IAM General Vice President Sito Pantoja. “They did this while achieving increases in wages and other benefits.”

Negotiations were extremely difficult due to the carrier’s merger with Atlantic Southeast Airlines and the need to bring each airline’s flight attendant group under a single contract. Despite a significant wage disparity, this tentative agreement brings all ExpressJet Flight Attendants under a single pay scale for the first time.

“Your negotiating committee is confident that this is not only a true step forward for all ExpressJet flight attendants, but it is also a jumping off point,” said District 142 President Dave Supplee. “We believe ExpressJet will be in a much improved financial position in the next few years with the expectation of improved flying partnerships, which is why we have bargained a short three-year contract with a six-month early opener in order to take advantage of that possibility.”

Healthcare
• Maintained current plans at same or better costs
• Richer ERJ plans available to CRJ flight attendants
• Current ERJ health insurance plans at current premium share guaranteed for life of contract for all flight attendants

Wages
• All CRJ flight attendants receive significant increases
• All ERJ flight attendants receive DOS raise, bonus, or both
• One pay scale achieved by end of contract
• $40/hour top of scale by end of contract

Other
• Improved Holiday Pay (ERJ & CRJ)
• Improved Incentive Pay (ERJ & CRJ)
• Improved Deadhead Pay (ERJ)
• Improved 401(k) Contribution (ERJ)
• Higher Minimum Monthly Guarantee (CRJ)
• Improved Commuter Clause (CRJ)
• Higher Uniform Bank (CRJ)

See highlight sheets and the full-text tentative agreement at: http://www.iamdl142.org/expressjet/
Informational roadshows discussing the agreement are scheduled from June 30 – July 8. In addition to the roadshows, there will be grievance representatives present in crew rooms throughout the ratification process. Members will be able to vote at any base on July 9th, 11th and 13th from 9am-6pm local time. If you do choose to vote out of base, a challenged ballot will be used to be reconciled at the count. Results will be announced the week of July 16th.

Click here for roadshow and voting locations.

ExpressJet has rarely been a profitable carrier since the Atlantic Southeast Airlines merger. This made negotiations long and difficult. The carrier’s goals from the beginning of negotiations were to minimize cost increases by migrating all flight attendants into the inferior CRJ health insurance plans and maintaining separate wage scales. Meanwhile, the chief goals of your negotiating committee were to achieve parity in pay and health insurance for CRJ flight attendants, while also securing the health insurance and increasing overall compensation for ERJ flight attendants. We have succeeded in those goals and more. Your negotiating committee believes that this contract is proof that we are a force to be reckoned with and is an example of the true power we possess as a single, united work group. We can now move beyond this very difficult time since our merger and advance into a future of growth and stability.

In Solidarity,