It has been an absolute honor to serve as an elected AMFA officer for the past six years. I have dedicated myself to aggressively enforcing our contracts, processing and settling grievances, and working diligently with the other Southwest ALRs and NEC members to negotiate industry-leading agreements to protect and advance the careers and well-being of the members. As an elected AMFA representative, your interests, both individually and collectively, are what drive me day in and day out. By dedicating myself to the issues that are important to you, the members, I approach each day with the goal of making our work lives better than they were the day before. I am committed to you and our Union, and this commitment to something larger than myself is what drives me to fight every day on your behalf. And, because of this commitment, I have not and will not, walk away or voluntarily relinquish the great honor of representation you have trusted me with. I am humbled by your support. 

Unlike others, I do not aspire to serve in a management position or supervisory role. As your elected representative, I also understand the importance of establishing relationships with management and have used those relationships to successfully settle several discipline and contract grievances, which saved our resources for when we need to aggressively push a matter to arbitration. 

During my years as your elected representative, I have spent many days at the negotiating table. At those tables, I pride myself on forcefully advancing the interests of my members and holding firm to protect those interests. I have also learned the importance of keeping an open mind at the table and learning from other representatives and professionals around me. I have learned how important it is for a negotiating committee to work as a team, spend hours preparing and to formulate a strategy to successfully negotiate a tentative agreement for your consideration. And, what matters to me most is your voice in that process. Your voice, is what drives my negotiating approach, and our collective voice, as union siblings, is what determines whether we proceed forward with any given deal. We are all the Union. Our solidarity is what defines us, and that is why I dedicate myself to frequent station visits, remaining engaged as fellow AMFA members and never losing sight of our collective path forward.

Louis Upchurch

Amfa Local 4 ALR