Mar 14, 2019 | Airlines, American, Departments, Featured, Hawaiian, Home, Philippine, Safety, Spirit, United
For most travelers, getting on a brand new plane is a treat. Besides that “new plane smell,” passengers expect that a new aircraft, like a new car or appliance, will offer the latest advances in technology, safety and comfort. When that aircraft is the newest version of the Boeing 737, a time-tested workhorse of commercial aviation, customers trust that any glitches have been discovered and corrected long ago.
After 2 deadly crashes in less than six months, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 is under fierce scrutiny from aviation experts around the world. Facing growing public pressure from labor unions and passengers choosing to fly other aircraft or not fly at all, President Trump issued an emergency declaration on March 13, 2019 to ground the entire fleet of 737 MAX 8 and 737 MAX 9 aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration issued the safety directive just hours after Canadian officials had grounded the fleet, which made the United States the outlier after officials from more than 40 countries had banned the planes from their airspace until investigations are complete.
The crash of Lion Air (JT) flight 610 just 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta (CGK) airport on October 29, 2018 became the first major incident involving the 737 MAX. The aircraft had been delivered to the airline just two months earlier, and while it was known that the pilot had requested permission to return, there were major disagreements between investigators and Lion Air’s executives as to the airworthiness of the plane. The investigation into that crash that claimed 189 lives was still ongoing when Ethiopian Airlines (ET) flight 302 crashed 6 minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa (ADD) airport on March 10, 2019, killing 149 passengers and 8 crewmembers on board. That aircraft had been in service for just 4 months, and similarly to the Lion Air incident, the pilot had made a distress call and was attempting to return to the airport.
The day after the Ethiopian crash, Boeing’s CEO and the FAA insisted that the planes were safe, but aviation experts and independent analysts questioned the design of the aircraft and the technology it employs to prevent stalling. A report stated that the recent federal government shutdown had delayed the rollout of software fixes for the aircraft for 5 weeks, but FAA officials approved the delay because they did not see an immediate safety threat. The Dallas Morning News found that several pilots had reported safety concerns about the 737 MAX 8 via the FAA’s Voluntary Disclosure Reporting Program, where pilots can report aviation incidents without fear of repercussions (similar to the DL141’s GSAP program). Ultimately, pressure from lawmakers, unions, safety experts and the flying public, and citing “new evidence” collected at the Ethiopian crash site, forced Boeing to agree to the FAA’s recommendation to suspend global operations of the entire 737 MAX fleet.
“We welcome the FAA directive to put the 737 MAX fleet out of service to give safety experts and the aircraft manufacturer time to evaluate the causes of these deadly crashes and determine what changes are needed to ensure this never happens again,” said Mike Klemm, IAM District 141 President and Directing General Chair. “There are no shortcuts to safety, so we must make sure that everything we learn from this investigation is thoroughly communicated to our members who proudly work as Maintenance Training Specialists, Maintenance and Related, Stores and Fleet Service so they can continue to preserve the safety of the customers we serve and of our brothers and sisters who fly for a living.” Klemm went on to voice confidence in the Boeing aircraft, and trusts that the investigation will calm the public’s fears and reinforce the high production standards of the Boeing assembly plants.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is the largest airline union in the world, and IAM District 141 represents workers at American, United, Hawaiian, Philippine and Spirit Airlines.
Boeing 787 MAX 8 (Boeing.com)
The original Boeing 737 was introduced in 1967, and the twin engine, narrow body design has undergone many upgrades since, becoming the best selling commercial airliner in history. The newest design, the 737 MAX, was introduced in 2016. There are currently 371 in service worldwide in the 2 main variants, the 737 MAX 8 and the 737 MAX 9, which has a longer body and holds more passengers. Boeing reports that there are over 4,600 on order. Southwest Airlines has the most 737 MAX 8 planes of any US carrier, operating 34 of them. American Airlines has 24 in service, and United Airlines has 14 of the 737 MAX 9 version which has not been involved in any incidents but is also grounded according to the FAA directive. Hawaiian Airlines, Philippine Airlines and Spirit Airlines do not have any 737 MAX aircraft currently in service or on order.
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Mar 5, 2019 | Airlines, American, Departments, Hawaiian, Home, Philippine, Safety, Spirit, United
A bolt of lightning struck a UPS ramp worker upside the head as he loaded a 757 freight plane at Clinton National Airport (LIT) this week.
52-year-old Darin Campbell is expected to make a full recovery after lightning struck him in the head while he was working a flight on the ramp at Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Surprisingly, the strike left him with relatively minor injuries, aside from burns on the top of his head. Campbell said in a statement to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazelle that he is still suffering from headaches and sore muscles, and will be taking a few day off from work.
He also told the paper that he was shopping for a shirt with a lightning bolt design on it.
The 35 year UPS veteran remembers hearing, “instant thunder” and seeing a blinding flash of light just as he stepped off of the 757 he was loading. “It felt just like getting hit in the head by a ball bat,” he told reporters.
The blast left severe burns on the top of his head, leading investigators to think that the bolt hit him directly. He was knocked unconscious for several minutes.
Campbell was transported by ambulance to nearby Baptist Medical Center. He has since been released and is recovering at home.
Although weather delays are a common headache for air travelers, few are aware of just how dangerous it is to work at an airport during an electrical storm. Airport workers face the perfect conditions for lightning injuries and are among the most likely to be injured by strikes. Lightning poses a real hazard to baggage handlers, fuelers, and anyone else on the tarmac.
One horrifying incident happened on camera at Fort Myers, Florida in 2017. A Southwest Airlines ramp worker was injured when a bolt of lightning struck the tail of the 737 that he was pushing away from the gate. The electric current traveled down the body of the plane and electrocuted him just as he was disconnecting the aircraft from the pushback tractor. (See Video)
21-year-old Austin Dunn was hospitalized for two weeks and suffered 3rd-degree burns as a result of a lightning strike that hit the Southwest Airlines plane he was wingwalking in 2017.
Because the potential for a severe injury is so high, safety advocates within IAM141 have worked with airlines and city officials to install early warning systems at many airports around the nation. These lights, sirens, and specific work rules help ramp workers know when lightning is striking nearby so that they can seek cover.
The IAM141.org Safety Department can help your local lodge develop and implement a safety program at your station. Contact a representative today by visiting the IAM141 Safety Department Page.
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Feb 21, 2019 | Airlines, American, Departments, Featured, Hawaiian, Home, MNPL, Organizing, Philippine, Spirit, United
Right to Work is coming to our nation’s airlines. When it arrives, the wages of all airline workers could be slashed within just a few years. Overall compensation could be cut by more than half. The good news: Missouri unions know how to stop it.
There’s a looming crisis about to hit the nation’s airline workers. It’s called “Right to Work,” and its goal is simple. Cut wages. Kill the enforcement of union contracts. And eliminate anything that remotely resembles job security for those working at an airline.
Powerful Right to Work backers will stop at nothing to bring mass layoffs, at-will terminations, and low wage contractors back to airlines. But first, they will need to cut off the funds that unions need to negotiate and enforce strong, pro-worker contracts.
So far, airline workers have been protected from Right to Work, thanks to a handful of laws that have prevented most of the attacks. Because of a few legacies in labor laws, and a recent spate of outstanding union contracts, airline workers are well paid and hard to fire or lay off. But any agreement, no matter how brilliantly negotiated, will take money to enforce – which is money that Right to Work effectively takes away. Current laws that protect airline workers can be written away with a single hostile legislation or Supreme Court ruling.
The good news is that the main Right to Work battleground hasn’t yet reached airlines. And fortunately, pro-fair wage union activists are fighting like hell to stop it and are racking up some significant victories.
Notable in this effort is what happened in the State of Missouri. Corporate lobbyists there demanded, and got the legislature to pass Right to Work rules that allowed them to gut paychecks and sell off pensions for thousands of Missourians. It seemed like the corporate interests had won. They intended the law to bankrupt unions by forcing them to provide services, for free, to anti-union forces. Outraged, unions and voters demanded the law’s repeal and filed for a public referendum.
The fight was catastrophic for the Right to Work side.
Kelly Street, Local Chairman at TCU/IAM Lodge 6762, Unit 320, has been on the front lines in the effort to protect the intended targets of Right to Work for years. He works in Kansas City, MO and represents members in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Thanks to the fierce activism of unionists like Kelly Street from TCU/IAM Lodge 6762, and Brian Simmons from IAM Local Lodge 778, Right to Work failed miserably in Missouri. Empowered in part by a RTW field training module offered at the IAMAW Winpisinger Center as part of the Train the Trainer programs, activists mobilized and educated voters in every corner of the state. Not falling for the nonsense spewed by Right to Work lobbyists, 67% of voters in the Show Me State threw out the Right to Work legislation in a hard-fought statewide referendum.
Kelly Street (Left) with IAMAW International President Robert Martinez, Jr (Right)
Unfortunately, powerful business interests are not used to losing. They are launching a new effort to gut wages and pensions in Missouri. In 10 states, Right to Work lobbyists have succeeded in cutting workers’ rights out of entire state constitutions. Elsewhere, legislation is being moved that will make Right to Work Federal Law.
If these efforts are successful, the Right to Work side will never lose again. They will have the power to cut paychecks and pensions at will.
Members of IAM Local 778 in Kansas City, MO mobilized to educate voters all over Missouri on the value of organized labor and democracy at work.
That’s why it’s so crucial for airline workers to get in the fight now – while the anti-wage lobbyists are still outside the airport gates. They already have the power of billions of dollars of corporate money and the best marketing available. This is enough to win them a place on the ballot no matter how many voters and workers oppose them. If they also win power in state constitutions and the federal government, they will be unstoppable.
IAM Local 778 Trustee Brian Simmons spent months working with the We Are Missouri campaign as Regional Petition Director and organizer.
Airline workers who want to protect their pensions, and who want better than just $15/hour top pay, should contact their local lodge MNPL, or the IAM141 MNPL at IAM141.org, and find out how to get involved.
The IAM141 Machinists Non-Partisan League is funded entirely through voluntary donations from members like you. To become a supporting member of the IAM141 MNPL, please complete an MNPL Automatic Payroll Deduction Card for any amount today. Find a card by visiting the MNPL page at IAM141.org.
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Feb 18, 2019 | Airlines, Departments, Education, Featured, Hawaiian, Home, Video
Local 1979 in Hawaii hosted Educators from DL 141 for a series of Shop Steward training sessions in Honolulu and Maui. Besides a review of the basics regarding contract enforcement, the training included information about resources available to members such as the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and the Machinists Non-Partisan Political League (MNPL).
DL141 AGC Sandy Olmos, Special Representative Shannon Robello, and VP At-Large Warren Glenn joined EAP Director Brian Hutchinson, Legislative Director Dave Roderick, and Education Director Mac McGovern in the training sessions for members working at United and Hawaiian Airlines.
Watch the video to learn more about the DL141 Education Programs and hear the participants’ impressions. Stay in touch to find out about DL141 Education Programs happening at your local.
Feb 15, 2019 | Airlines, American, Departments, Featured, Hawaiian, Home, Philippine, Safety, Spirit, United
Safety Advocates combine communication, partnerships and grassroots action to improve airline safety.
With few exceptions, such as a notable tragedy aboard a Southwest flight last April, US carriers are currently building one of the safest periods in history for air travel. Flying on commercial carriers has become so safe, in fact, that industry analysts are shrugging off airline safety rankings as virtually meaningless for passengers.
In spite of that, workplace injury rates for the women and men working at airlines remains stubbornly high, and are spoiling the otherwise incredible successes that airlines have achieved in other areas.
One union-led effort is offering new ideas on how to extend these airline safety improvements to airline workers, and it has its roots in community activism.
Taking a page from well-tested partnerships between neighborhoods and law enforcement, Machinists Union Members at Houston’s IAH are incorporating an airport version of “Community Policing.”
Placing dedicated safety advocates directly into the operation, coworkers benefit from the resulting combination of workplace awareness and understanding, coupled with plugged-in safety training. “They know the work better than anybody, and that gives them the ability to deploy their safety expertise at point-blank range,” said Leroy Taylor, President of Local 811 in Houston. Taylor is also a leader in a joint United Airlines / Machinists Union safety program.
Uniquely, Houston’s 811 President Leroy Taylor and Vice President David Towe both hold leadership roles within the United / Machinists Safety Program, which is administered through an ongoing alliance between the company and its largest union.
“We’re proud of how well we’ve been able to work with United,” Taylor said of the programs. “We’re not letting the company off the hook; when we need to have uncomfortable conversations, we are willing to do that. But, for the most part, we’ve been able to focus on areas of common interest with safety. Which means a safer airline and a safer workplace.”
Local 811 President and Safety Advocate Leroy Taylor at the 2018 District 141 Safety Conference.
Besides placing safety advocates directly into the workplace, the program focuses on other common-sense goals. This includes stronger company-union partnerships. For example, a greater emphasis on peer-to-peer communications is critical. “I’m sorry to say it, but the company and managers can have a hard time connecting with the guys out here,” said Local 811 Vice President and Safety Advocate David Towe. “A lot of the time, they need someone that can speak the language out on the ramp to get through. We can help with that.” Fellow ramp workers can “get through” to each other in ways that are often blunt and direct to the point. Thanks to this street-level, no-excuses approach, safety is becoming a cultural point of pride at IAH. Ramp workers often consider safety lapses that might endanger them, their coworkers, or passengers to be much the same as a personal insult.
David Towe, Local 811 Vice President and Safety Advocate.
For their part, managers value (and act on) the input they get from front-line employees. Towe has convinced managers to install safety bulletin boards in airport “Ready Rooms” where crews prep for flights and holds daily safety meetings at the break room level. His persistence has led to better safety outcomes already, especially in areas where technology is replacing human oversight – a growing issue as airports become more automated.
Machinists Union (District 141) Safety Chairman Erik Stenberg recently toured IAH to call attention to the new strategies being developed there. “We’re always preaching about how important it is to work as productively as possible with the company when it comes to safety,” said Stenberg. “What we’re seeing here is proof that partnering can work.”
The safety issues coming from the front-lines can be micro-scale; nothing is overlooked. A special meeting between union activists and senior management was held recently to discuss the amount of time it has taken for a broken windshield wiper to be repaired on a pushback tractor. Even pigeon droppings aren’t tolerated; they are quickly reported by embedded Safety Advocates and dutifully removed by management.
“These guys are changing the way that unions and management interact in the realm of safety,” Stenberg said. “What we get from programs like these is a safer workplace that allows us to stay healthy, which lets us have longer careers. We also build stronger, more profitable airlines, and protect the flying public. Everyone wins.”
Assistant General Chair Kyle Carroll
Assistant General Chair Kyle Carroll (EWR, LAS, SEA, AUS) visits with the Move Team in Houston to discuss safety concerns. Carroll shared some lessons he’s learned in his work with the Move Team in EWR with IAH Members. Carroll and Safety Chairman Erik Stenberg later took the issues discussed with the IAH Move Team to Senior United Managers.
“The Move Teams are a major source of pride for our district,” Carroll said. “These guys take their jobs very seriously, and that’s reflected in the way they approach their union, safety, and the responsibilities that come with such demanding work.”
Recognizing Safety: IAM141 Safety Chairman Erik Stenberg (left) meets with IAH Local 811 President and Safety Advocate Leroy Taylor (center) and fellow Safety Advocate and Local 811 Vice President David Towe. Local 811 is using a combination of partnerships between the Machinists Union and United Airlines, ramp-level communication and embedded safety experts to create a new safety culture in Houston.
Connect with the District 141 Safety Department at IAM141.org.
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Jan 29, 2019 | Airlines, American, Hawaiian, Home, Philippine, Spirit, United
The brutal Arctic blast striking the United States this week is making life a living hell for airport workers around the nation, including thousands working in Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway.
Here are a few fast facts about the approaching Atomic Arctic Blast.
Fact Check: Is Chicago Colder than Antarctica?
The Polar Vortex has dropped temperatures in the Chicago area to Arctic levels. Low temps at ORD Airport are falling below the high temps in Antarctica on Wednesday, causing massive flight disruptions and travel advisories.
The windchill in Chicago, an important factor for airline workers, could reach -50 F.
CBS NEWS: Other places that are warmer than Chicago this week >
There may be snowplace like Chicago this week, but everyone else is getting hit, too.
United Airlines and American both have important hubs in Chicago, and Southwest has an additional hub at Midway. The storm is grounding an estimated 1,300 flights in and out of the city this week, meaning headaches for many travelers passing through the entire region.
In addition to the cascading effect that the storm is causing from Chicago, there are also direct impacts predicted in airports like Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Detroit. So far, about 100 flights have been canceled or are expected to be canceled at airports within the storm radius.
Airlines are Granting Waivers so people can avoid the storm.
Travelers that want to change their flights because of the Polar Vortex should contact their airline to find out if they are eligible for refunds, and when they will need to rebook to have fees waived, as well as other terms.
Check with your airline for specific details:
United Airlines – Waivers and travel advisories in place.
American Airlines – Waivers and travel advisories in place.
Spirit Airlines – Waivers and travel advisories in place.
Philippine Airlines – No travel disruptions as of Jan/29/19 0900 (EST)
Hawaiian Airlines – No travel disruptions as of Jan/29/19 0900 (EST)
Unionized airline workers may be eligible for attendance waivers if they can’t get to work.
Chicago is home to one of the largest collection of unionized airline workers (Machinists District 141 is home to about 42 thousand active and retired airline workers).
Thanks to Union contracts, many of these workers can apply for special attendance considerations whenever a station encounters storms of this magnitude, and can’t safely get to work.
IAM141 Airline workers can review their specific agreements from the “Contracts” banner on IAM141.org, and follow-up by making a call to their Human Resources Deptartment.
