Know Your Contract

A plain-language quick reference to the 2026 Future Flight Services Program agreement between Leidos and the IAM.

This page is a summary. Where it differs from the signed agreement, the agreement governs. Ask a steward before you act on anything here.

If something happens at work:

Called into a meeting that could lead to discipline? Ask for a steward before you answer any questions. This is your Weingarten right. Say it out loud: "If this discussion could lead to discipline, I request that a union representative be present." Then stop and wait.

Think the contract was violated? Tell a steward right away. They have five working days from the moment you tell them to bring you an answer about it. That clock is short and it is strict.

Grievance procedure (Article III)

• Step One - Shift supervisor.
• Step Two - Operations Manager.
• Step Three - Human Resources and a District Representative.
• Arbitration - If it is still unresolved, through an FMCS panel.

Discharge and layoff grievances skip ahead and start at Step Three.

Discipline (Article IX)

Discipline requires just cause and normally follows a progressive ladder. The time in parentheses is how long that step stays active on your record.

• Verbal counseling (6 months)
• Verbal warning with written confirmation (12 months)
• Written warning (18 months) - grievable starting at Step Two
• Suspension or last-and-final warning (24 months) - grievable starting at Step Two
• Termination

The company may skip steps when the conduct is serious enough. You may request steward representation at any step.

Seniority and layoff (Article IV)

• Probationary period is 120 days.
• Seniority keeps accruing during active service, approved leave, and up to 24 months of layoff.
• Layoff order: probationary employees first, then lowest seniority in the classification. Stewards and chief stewards are laid off last.
• The company must give 30 working days notice before a layoff.

Pay and premiums (Article VIII)

• Overtime: 1.5x after 40 hours in a week, on scheduled days off (4 hour minimum), and for call-in or holdover (2 hour minimum).
• Mandatory overtime requires 21 days notice.
• Shift premium: 10% for hours worked between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., and for Sunday hours. Check Article VIII for how the Sunday premium applies to your schedule.
• Holiday premium: 25% extra for working Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas.
• Designated Lead Specialist (DLS): 5-7% premium for time worked in that capacity.
• On-the-Job Training Instructor (OJTI): 5% premium.
• Lunch and breaks: 30-minute unpaid lunch, not in the first or last hour of your shift, plus two paid 15-minute breaks. You may take the unpaid lunch at the end of your shift.

Time off

• Vacation accrual: 80 hours at 0-5 years, 120 hours at 5-15 years, 160 hours at 15 or more years. You can carry up to 320 hours; anything above that is paid out annually.
• Paid sick leave and personal business: 56 hours a year under the federal contractor rule. You can carry over up to 56 hours, to a 112-hour maximum balance. It is not paid out when you leave, but it is restored if you are rehired within 12 months.
• Floating holidays: 10 a year, rising to 11 a year in January 2027. Use them within the fiscal year - unused hours are not paid out.

Health and retirement

• Medical: the company pays 75% of the premium and you pay 25%. Your share cost cannot rise more than 10% in a year even if the actual cost rises more.
• Dental and vision: the company pays 50% of each if you elect them.
• Opt-out: $75 a week added to your gross pay if you decline medical coverage.
• 401(k): company contribution rises to 6% effective January 2027. You are fully vested immediately, and you can elect cash instead of the contribution.
• Also available: short and long term disability, life insurance, jury duty and bereavement pay, military pay, tuition reimbursement, the EAP, adoption assistance, backup childcare, paid parental leave, wage deduction for Guide Dogs of America/Tender Loving Canines, and wage deduction for the Machinists Non-partisan Political League.

Wage scale - Fort Worth (Appendix A)

Hourly rates across the three years of the agreement. Appendix A has the exact effective date of each step (usually October 1), plus the Ashburn rates.

• Flight Service Specialist I: $52.95 current, then $55.60, $57.55, $59.42
• Flight Service Specialist II: $68.70 current, then $72.14, $74.66, $77.09
• Flight Data Coordination Specialist: $32.50 current, then $34.13, $35.32, $36.47

Union representation (Article II)

• Up to three stewards per hub, plus one Chief Steward per site.
• Stewards and Chief Stewards are paid for up to 5 hours a week of union business at the hub.
• Local Lodge Presidents are paid for up to 4 hours a month.
• Dues are collected by payroll check-off. You have a 31-day window to sign up, and the company remits to the union by the 20th of the following month.

Read the whole thing

This page covers what members ask about most. The full agreement runs to eleven articles plus two appendices, and the exact wording matters in a grievance.

Need a copy of the full contract, or want to know how a specific article applies to your situation? Ask a steward, or email the lodge at iamlocallodge2011@gmail.com.

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