The National Mediation Board (NMB) officially announced that Spirit Airlines Aircraft Maintenance Technicians and Maintenance Controllers voted overwhelmingly to elect the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) as their collective bargaining agent.
In early May, Mechanics and Related at Spirit Airlines submitted signed authorization for representation cards from nearly 82% of its workgroup to AMFA, requesting that they file for a representation election with the NMB on behalf of their workgroup.
"This is a critical time for these talented professionals to be represented by a trade/craft specific union that has extensive success and proven experience related to merger protections and provisions for securing work rules through collective bargaining for seniority integration, transition agreement, and single carrier status," said Bret Oestreich, AMFA national president. "We are honored to give these professionals a voice as stakeholders and to help them take control of their own destiny through democratic representation."
"AMFA is the first and only craft-specific union to represent this skilled workgroup. The grassroots organizing committee started this union campaign, and today's outcome was the culmination and affirmation of their hard work," said Oestreich.
Prior to today's announcement, Spirit Airlines technicians had been non-union since the airline service was founded in 1983 as Charter One Airlines, a Detroit-based charter tour operator providing travel packages to entertainment destinations such as Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and the Bahamas.
Spirit Airlines Inc. is a major American ultra-low-cost carrier headquartered in Miramar, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. Spirit operates scheduled flights throughout the United States and in the Caribbean and Latin America. Spirit was the eighth largest passenger carrier in North America as of 2020, as well as the largest ultra-low-cost carrier in North America.
As of July 2022, JetBlue has made an offer to acquire Spirit for US$3.8 billion. The deal must still be approved by the airline's shareholders and by government regulators.
