Representation Q & A

Yes. The Flight Attendant Policy Manual is the CBA for the SkyWest Flight Attendant workforce and this has been recognized by several courts of law. The SIA Bylaws allow the elected labor representatives (SIA Board) to modify this CBA without a referendum, with the exception to changes in rates of pay.

Per the Letter of Agreement (SP2303) found near the front of the Flight Attendant Policy Manual, SkyWest Airlines and SIA have a binding agreement to abide by the contents of the Flight Attendant Policy Manual. No part of the CBA may be revised unilaterally; both SkyWest management and SIA must agree to any revision before it becomes effective. Signatures of the Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of InFlight for SkyWest as well as the SIA President validate this binding contract.

SIA’s primary responsibility is to ensure the contents of our CBA, the Flight Attendant Policy Manual, are adhered to. SIA is also responsible for negotiating with SkyWest Airlines management regarding the terms and conditions of employment that are spelled out in our contract. This includes, but is not limited to the following: wages, work rules, benefits and other compensation for all SkyWest Flight Attendants. SIA has acted in this capacity as the Flight Attendants’ sole representative since 1994.

The SIA Board is comprised of SkyWest Flight Attendants who have been elected by the SIA General Membership or appointed in accordance with the SIA Bylaws. The SIA Bylaws outline the processes and procedures for the organization (election, terms, scope, etc.) and can be found on SIA’s website www.oursia.org > About SIA > Your SIA Board > SIA Bylaws.

No. Your SIA Representatives vote on policy improvements and certain organization related items on a monthly basis. While no change can be made to our CBA without both SIA and the Company’s approval, SIA maintains its sovereign position from the Company to act in the organization’s best interest.

The biggest difference is that SIA is acting specifically on behalf of the SkyWest Airlines Flight Attendants. Unlike a Union, SIA is not profiting from monthly dues paid by the membership nor is SIA driven by an outlying strategy or representing multiple workgroups or airlines.

Each SIA member has a unique opportunity to participate in any of SIA’s dealings, including open Board Meetings and policy proposals. SIA’s Bylaws offer protections to the organization’s mission and are a true product of a peer based labor group serving their fellow Flight Attendants.

The structure of the SIA Organization may seem unusual to anyone who is used to costly traditional labor representation, but our model promotes a committed focus on our Flight Attendants and this in turn helps promote a better working relationship between labor and management. It allows both groups to focus more fully on the improvement of the work environment for SkyWest Flight Attendants. We believe this has created better efficiency and momentum with the processes within our CBA. We do respect the right of all groups under the RLA to choose their form of representation, just as the SkyWest Flight Attendants have done for over 26 years.

SIA has a 26+ year history of working for the SkyWest Flight Attendants to ensure competitive rates of pay, flexible work rules, and improvements to our work environment.

• SkyWest Flight Attendants are not burdened with monthly dues to support their representation.
• SIA’s negotiation process for wages, work rules and quality of life improvements can occur at any time unlike a traditional union who only negotiates changes to a CBA when the CBA expires.
• Historically, the Company and SIA have never walked away from the negotiating table and both organizations maintain their commitment to a good working relationship for the benefit of the Flight Attendants.