On behalf of your Negotiating Committee, we are happy to announce that we have officially begun bargaining under Section 6 of the Railway Labour Act. Both the Association and Company are planning to meet in person for a minimum of three days a week on alternating weeks to facilitate an efficient process.

We said farewell to some of our pilots as they did their last flights after the furlough notice in January. It is a very sad and unfortunate reality of the aviation business that this does happen from time to time, and it has happened to everyone on the MEC at least once during our careers.

As we discussed in last week's update, your AJT MEC is coordinating with the ALPA Furloughed Pilot Support Network team to meet with our pilots. This team can provide clear next steps, including financial guidance and career support. We encourage you to attend and get answers to your questions.

Your AJT MEC wants to ensure that everyone has access to the most current information available. To that end, it is vitally important that your contact information, email address and phone number, is up to date. As a home-based airline, this is our primary means of communication.

Furloughs are a difficult time, and we all want to support those who are affected. It is natural to offer advice, sympathy, and encouragement, often based on our own past experiences. However, ours is a dynamic industry, and policies, agreements, and circumstances change over time.