Dear Sisters and Brothers:
The National Mediation Board (NMB) has issued a letter dated November 19, 2025, providing an update on the ongoing representation case at Alaska Airlines/Hawaiian Airlines (NMB Case No. R-7669). This follows a series of filings by all parties in recent months, which District 142 previously reported as the case continues through the NMB’s investigation process.
As noted in our earlier bulletins, the IAM submitted status changes to the NMB on September 16, 2025. AMFA responded to those filings on October 15, 2025. On November 18, 2025, the IAM requested permission to submit a reply to AMFA’s response and proposed a deadline of December 2, 2025. AMFA, on the same day, asked the NMB to deny the IAM’s request or, alternatively, to limit the reply and impose an earlier deadline.
AMFA’s actions are the direct cause of this delay. Through its filings, AMFA is attempting to strip Cleaners and Line Service members at Hawaiian Airlines from the eligibility list for the Mechanics & Related craft or class. This tactic runs contrary to decades of National Mediation Board (NMB) precedent, which has consistently held that classifications performing aircraft servicing—such as cleaning and fueling—share a community of interest with Mechanics & Related employees.
By urging the NMB to deny or restrict the IAM’s right to respond, AMFA seeks to undermine the procedural fairness guaranteed under the Railway Labor Act and the NMB’s own Representation Manual, which provides for timely submissions and responses in representation disputes. The RLA imposes a duty on all parties to exert every reasonable effort to resolve disputes fairly and without interference in employees’ free choice of representation. AMFA’s attempt to curtail this process is not a mere procedural disagreement—it is a calculated effort to disenfranchise workers and obstruct due process.
In its November 19 letter, the NMB granted the IAM’s request in full, without adopting any of the limitations sought by AMFA. The Board has set 4:00 PM ET on December 2, 2025, as the deadline for the IAM’s reply. This filing will become part of the NMB’s official record as it continues its review of the representation dispute.
District 142 will continue to provide updates as the NMB releases additional information or issues further rulings in this case.
Sincerely and fraternally,
John M. Coveny, Jr.
President/Directing General Chair