May 17, 2022 -- We are happy to report an agreement with Frontier Holdings for a Merger Transition Agreement with job, seniority, and contract protections affirmed for Spirit and Frontier Flight Attendants. The agreement was unanimously approved by the directly elected AFA-CWA Flight Attendant leaders at each respective airline.
“We are thrilled to announce our support for the merger of Spirit and Frontier Airlines after reaching a transition agreement that protects Flight Attendant jobs, assists with the AFA-CWA seniority integration that protects the bidding seniority each Flight Attendant has accrued prior to the merger, and paves the way for efficient contract bargaining that allows Flight Attendants to experience the benefits of the merger as soon as possible,” stated Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. “We support the necessary regulatory approvals that will improve competition, increase consumer options and experience, and maintain and grow good union jobs.”
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In Summary, the agreement includes:
- No merger of operations until a joint collective bargaining agreement (JCBA) is negotiated and ratified by the combined Frontier and Spirit AFA Flight Attendant members.
- Separate operations with Flight Attendant staffing tied to respective aircraft designated at the time of the merger as Frontier or Spirit respective operations. This protects current jobs and maintains interest for management to reach a joint agreement.
- Affirmation that each respective Flight Attendant contract and Railway Labor Act collective bargaining rights remain in effect until a JCBA is ratified by the combine Flight Attendant group and the agreement becomes effective with a merged operation.
- JCBA negotiations will utilize “adopt and go” and “modify and adopt,” in order to expedite negotiations and preserve bargaining history.
- The parties will meet “as frequently as necessary to negotiate a JCBA in an expedited fashion, but in no event less than once a month without agreement between both parties.”
- New hire Flight Attendants obtain all of the contractual and seniority rights afforded under the contract designated for their hiring by Spirit or Frontier prior to operational integration, and the JCBA thereafter.
- No Flight Attendant may be furloughed as a result of route changes during the merger process.
- The company will provide all information necessary for the seniority integration process and cover the costs of seniority integration, contract negotiations, and any related merger expenses.
- There will be no “system flush” as a result of implementing the combined seniority list.
- AFA Safety will work with the company to help achieve a single operating certificate from the FAA.
This agreement includes significant protections for Flight Attendants in the merger and affirms the merger will benefit Flight Attendants. We appreciate the work of the holding company to secure our support for the merger by negotiating the terms of this transition agreement.
This agreement does not change current and on-going efforts to resolve grievances and significant operational concerns at each airline. Those efforts continue while we affirm our support for regulatory approval of the merger. We believe this should also enhance the urgency for Spirit and Frontier management to resolve current operational issues and resolve contract disputes.
