An Immediate Benefit to Unionizing: Negotiating a Legally Binding Contract
Organizing
9 August 2022
One of the many benefits of unionizing is that GO Crewmembers will gain the right to negotiate a legally binding contract. Under the law, wages, benefits, and working conditions are all “mandatory subjects of bargaining” and JetBlue management MUST bargain in “good faith” with us. That means JetBlue management must negotiate in a way that will bring about an agreement. That’s the law.
That’s important because it gives GO Crewmembers the right and opportunity to lock in what we like about our current job, negotiate improvements to the things that need to be fixed, AND negotiate protections during the merger with Spirit.

JetBlue executives are trying to talk Crewmembers out of negotiating a legally-binding union contract. Yet, none of them would dream of working without a contract in a million years.
For example, currently in FLL, approximately half of the part-time bid lines are now relief lines in which GO Crewmembers have to bid every two weeks. That’s right EVERY TWO WEEKS! With a contract, we can fix that. What about the locations where JetBlue management just involuntarily cut full-time hours from 40 to 32? With a contract, we can fix that too.
What about pay? Once we unionize, we have the right to negotiate higher wages. Without a contract, we have no guarantees of any wage increases. The announced wage increases in 2023 are not guaranteed. We already experienced not receiving scheduled wage increases in 2021, due to the pandemic (NOTE: all UNION airlines received their pay increases in 2021 because of their contracts). And, the 2023 pay scale, even with the raise, is the lowest among the major US airlines.
By unionizing, we will take control over our destiny. We will have a strong voice to protect OUR interests.
Remember, if we don’t have a seat at the table, we are likely on the menu.
Guam Delegate Challenges United’s ‘Absurd’ Prices
Guam Del. James Moylan is seeking more information on flights into and out of Guam, including the reasons behind "absurd" prices for United Airlines tickets in the aftermath of Typhoon Mawar. He has written two letters, one to United Airlines CEO and President John...
Standing Strong: Guam’s Resilience in the Aftermath of Super Typhoon Mawar
Amid the extensive damage caused by Super Typhoon Mawar, the District Vice President of the Machinists Union in Guam, is encouraging residents to seek help from the Machinists Union Disaster Relief Fund. Vice President Sharon Sugiyama said the fund offers immediate...
Dragonomics: Unmasking the Dragon of Inequality
When a provocative question posed in a viral social media post recently caught the public's attention, it sparked a broader conversation on wealth distribution. The question was simple yet powerful: "What does it mean when real people are wealthier than a notorious,...
Machinists Union Local 1725 Swings into Action for Guide Dogs of America
Machinists Union Local 1725 hosted a Golf Outing Charity Fundraiser at the Harry Jones Golf Course in Charlotte, NC on Wednesday, May 17. The event was buzzing with activity as golfers came together in support of Guide Dogs of America.Machinists Union Local 1725...
Related News
Have Your Say: IAM Committee Wants to Hear from You at Upcoming Listening Sessions
The Future of the IAM is in the hands of its members. That was the message from Machinists Union leadership's first in-person listening session to the union's front-line membership. The meeting, held on May 2 at Local 1297 in Ashland, Ohio, marked the first of many...
Millionaire CEO Calls Workers “Arrogant,” Calls for Higher Unemployment to Teach Them a Lesson
Tim Gurner, the millionaire CEO of the real estate company Gurner Group, said at a property summit on Tuesday that unemployment needs to increase dramatically in order to remind workers they are not in charge. Millionaire Real Estate CEO thinks that workers need to be...
Airline Worker Injuries on Rise
As heatwaves plague the country, few places are hotter than Phoenix. Workers and city officials gathered at Phoenix Sky Harbor on Wednesday to share heat-related health and safety concerns. Sky Harbor Local Lodge 2559, which represents several hundred Machinists Union...