Sun Country Airlines fleet employees to begin voting on whether to unionize

Sun Country Airlines fleet employees soon will have the chance to vote on whether to unionize.

Ballots will be mailed on Wednesday, said Chris Moore, a Teamsters airline division representative. A simple majority of the yes or no ballots received by the National Mediation Board by early afternoon Jan. 4 would result in union approval or rejection. The results could be announced that same day.

Sun Country previously had received official notification that the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Airline Division, filed a petition with the National Mediation Board to represent the carrier's 270 fleet service workers, who include ramp agents and people who load and unload planes.

A Sun Country spokeswoman said Monday: "We fully respect the right of our employees to decide whether they want to be represented by a union. We hope that our employees will want to continue to work directly with Sun Country and vote no. Regardless, we are encouraging our eligible employees to vote in order to make their voice heard."

Those interested in unionizing want better pay, improved working conditions and recognition of seniority. "We anticipate the entire unit voting based on our feedback from the folks there," Moore said.

Fleet employees at most major airlines already are unionized, except for those at Delta Air Lines. Atlanta-based Delta is the dominant carrier at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport followed by Sun Country, which is headquartered at the airport.

This is the second group of Sun Country employees to seek to unionize this year.

Sun Country mechanics voted to unionize in June after frustrations with wages and work rules. The group elected the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association as their collective bargaining agent. The vote was 75-30 for union representation of 131 eligible employees.

In December, Sun Country pilots approved a new contract negotiated by their union. That pact gave them a significant pay increase and an improved scheduling model for the airline's future growth.