Union Facts
Unions thrive on creating an adversarial relationship with management and with colleagues or peers who disagree with them. Our industry is full of countless examples of how unions create hostile work environments, stalling progress and even pay increases for years.
History also has taught us that powerful unions, particularly in our industry, will not hesitate to place their companies in financial peril, ultimately costing thousands of hardworking men and women their jobs.
No one, not a union or SkyWest, could tell you what would be agreed to within a contract. In fact, a union can guarantee just one thing: the payment of union dues and assessments.
Voting in a union means all aspects of a flight attendant's pay and benefits package are up for negotiation. There is no guarantee that pay, work rules, or benefits will improve with a union contract.
Unions job protections only apply to non-probationary flight attendants. In fact, union contracts typically have no sway over flight attendant discipline or termination hearings until after you complete probation. And here's a nice bonus they don't want you to know: unions can require the company to terminate your employment if you fail to pay your dues.
While union organizers want you to believe they have your best interests at heart, they have no responsibility to listen to you or any of your peers. While they may act like your “friends,” they will represent your priorities and decisions in a way that best suits the national union.
Know Your Rights
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You may have been told that signing a union authorization card (A-card) is risk-free.
Unfortunately, this is simply not true.
Unfortunately, this is simply not true.
When you sign a union A-card, you are providing your confidential information to a union with no restrictions on how it is used, sold, or transferred.
Signing a union A-card = authorizing a union vote. There are no returns.
Your signed union A-card will be used to schedule an election; it is not a request for information.
Your signed union A-card will remain valid for one year, and there is no obligation to give the card back. A union has zero obligation to discard a signed union A-card, even if you ask. Once signed, the union can use it to schedule an election against your wishes.
If a union is voted in and you realize it is less than what you hoped for and are paying for, it will be nearly impossible to restore our current, working relationship.
If you feel that you are being harassed, bullied, intimidated, or pressured into providing your information, report it immediately by calling 888.273.9994.
Bottom line: If you don't want a union, don't sign a union A-card.
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Labor Representation
MYTHs and FACTS
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is SkyWest union-free?
SkyWest employees have chosen to remain union free for more than 50 years. SkyWest people have repeatedly chosen our current structure because they have experienced firsthand the benefits of working together for success, without the outside interference of a national union agenda. The existence of a union would undoubtedly compromise the culture we have worked together to create, including our unparalleled open-door policy that allows any employee access to anyone in management, from supervisor to CEO.
What is a union A-card?
Union authorization cards (A-cards) are the tool unions use to schedule an election. Union A-cards are not simply requests for more information. If you don't want a union, don't sign a card. When you sign a union A-card you authorize a union to speak on your behalf and to schedule an election. The union will submit your signed card to the National Mediation Board (NMB) as proof that you want a union to represent you.
What happens if I accidentally sign a union A-card?
Signing the card = authorizing a union vote. Your signed union A-card will remain valid for one year, and there is no obligation to give the card back. If you don't want a union, don't sign a union A-card. If you sign and change your mind, then you will have to actively vote against the union later if an election takes place.
Will a union bring better pay, benefits and working conditions for SkyWest flight attendants?
No one, not a union or SkyWest, could tell you what kind of contract you may end up with. The proof is in your existing contract: no union has secured better pay and work rules in the regional industry. And no union can guarantee you anything that must be won at a bargaining table. In negotiations, wages, benefits and work rules can go up, down, or remain the same. In fact, the only thing a union can guarantee is that you pay union dues and assessments.
If not a union, who is advocating for SkyWest employees?
SkyWest's Employee Councils, like SIA, were created by employees to help advocate and negotiate for the top-tier pay, work rules, and benefits that are part of our legally recognized collective bargaining agreements. The representative groups that make our SkyWest Employee Council were created decades ago – by frontline employees, for frontline employees.
SkyWest's unmatched culture and open-door policy also allows for all employees to have a voice, from the frontline to the CEO. Conversely, employees under union representation cannot speak for themselves or work flexibly and collaboratively with management on their own to solve problems.
How long would the negotiations last if a union were to win an election?
There is no set timeline for contract negotiations and history has shown they often take years. Once ratified, the extended contract limits employees' flexibility to seek changes until it becomes amendable in four to six years. By contrast, SIA routinely negotiates with the company on a regular basis.
Is it possible to have an enforceable contract without being in a union?
Absolutely. Under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), an employee representative can be a committee, an organization, and even an individual who bargains with the Company to create a legally enforceable contract.
If the union wins, will I still be able to negotiate for myself or represent myself if I have a grievance?
No. By law, the union becomes the exclusive representative for all of the employees in the bargaining unit, including those who did not want it.
You would be restricted from pursuing a grievance or complaint on your own – contractually the union representative usually has the right to be present even if the employee does not want them there.
If a union is voted in, are they required to keep the promises they made to us?
No. The union is not contractually liable. Its promises are not legally enforceable.
What should I do if I don't want any labor union controlling my job rights?
First, don't sign any cards circulated by a union. They are not harmless. These cards are used to schedule an election.
Second, let your co-workers know that this is how you feel. You have just as much right to express your opinions as the union supporters have to try and sell their union. It is important that your co-workers understand that it is just not SkyWest management but the majority of our employees that don't want a union to represent them.
What could happen during a strike?
During a strike, the Company has the absolute right to continue its operations. It can do this by using management people to perform the work, subcontracting the work, or hiring replacements for economic strikers. (Alaska Airlines continued to operate during its last mechanics strike). What “permanent replacement” means is that after the strike is finally over, the Company is not required to take back striking employees and displace the replacement employees. Strikers must wait until there are openings.
Could the union strike to try and force the Company to give higher wages and benefits?
Yes, but this is not a quick or easy process. Under the RLA, the union is prohibited from striking during the bargaining process. Once a deadlock is reached during negotiations, the union or Company can apply for the services of a mediator. Once the mediator is appointed, the bargaining process continues with the mediator present. Still, under the RLA, the union is not allowed to strike. Only when the mediator determines that the parties are deadlocked and arbitration is rejected, can a thirty-day cooling off period run, at the end of which the union is finally free to strike. This is typically years from the time of the original election.
Does an employee have a right to talk against the union if he or she does not want it to represent them?
Yes. Employees have the same rights as the union pushers have. Whether they exercise their rights is strictly up to them but employees do have every right to do so.
What do unions do with my dues?
Every union in this country is required to file an annual financial report with the federal government. This report details the assets and liabilities at the beginning and end of the fiscal year. This report shows the salary of each officer and employee, and other expenditures, such as country club memberships for union leaders. Union financial reports are public records and maintained by the U.S. Department of Labor.
If a union were voted in, what happens if I don't pay my dues?
One of the biggest priorities for any union is negotiating what is known as a "union security clause." A union security clause requires that all employees in the group must pay dues or what are known as "agency fees" to the union even if they choose not to belong to the union. In many cases it also requires the employer to fire any employee who refuses to pay. In such cases, if the individual refused to pay, the union could demand that the employee be fired and the employer would be required to oblige.
Could the union set the job standards and rate for each employee?
No. A union can only ask that SkyWest consider its proposals. The Company does not have to change any job standards or rates just because a union asks.
What would happen to my pay and benefits during the many months and even years that it might take to negotiate a first contract with a union?
If a union was voted in, the pay and benefits in your current SkyWest contract would become frozen until a new contract can be negotiated. From there, everything we currently enjoy would be on the table. In negotiations, wages, benefits and work rules can go up, down, or remain the same. In fact, the only thing a union can guarantee is that you pay union dues and assessments.
How long would the negotiations last if a union were to win an election?
There is no set timeline for contract negotiations, and history has shown they often take years. Once ratified, the extended contract limits employees' flexibility to seek changes until it becomes amendable in four to six years. By contrast, SIA routinely negotiates with the company on a regular basis.
If we decided to bring in a union, and after a year we see that they haven't done anything for us, can we get rid of them?
If a union is voted in, it is very difficult to get rid of it. Plus, under NMB voting rules, the minority could vote in a union that would be virtually impossible to eliminate.
How do I know what I would get in a union contract?
You don't. In negotiations, wages, benefits and working conditions can go up, down, or remain the same. No one, not the union and not the Company, can tell you in advance what kind of contract you could end up with.
If a union was voted in, would we automatically get what the union promised us?
No. No union can guarantee you anything. If the union won an election, the only thing they would win is the right to bargain with management and the right to collect union dues - nothing more. There are no other guarantees. No one knows what will happen in the give and take process of collective bargaining. You could end up with more, you could end up with the same thing you started with, or you could end up with less.
If the union won an election and I did not support the union, would I be fired?
No. It is your right to vote against the union. No one can be fired because of his or her support, either for, or against union representation.