Front Line Input “Crucial to the Success” of Contract Negotiations, says IAMAW District President, Mike Klemm

Front Line Input “Crucial to the Success” of Contract Negotiations, says IAMAW District President, Mike Klemm

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Front Line Input “Crucial to the Success” of Contract Negotiations, says IAMAW District President, Mike Klemm

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Input and solidarity from front-line union members are “crucial to the success” of contract negotiations at United and Hawaiian Airlines, according to IAMAW District 141 President Mike Klemm. Klemm is helping to oversee ongoing negotiations at Hawaiian and will lead the efforts to negotiate seven separate contracts at United. 

Input and solidarity from front-line union members are “crucial to the success” of contract negotiations at United and Hawaiian Airlines, according to IAMAW District 141 President Mike Klemm. Klemm is helping to oversee ongoing negotiations at Hawaiian and will lead the efforts to negotiate seven separate contracts at United. 

Klemm made the statements in a wide-ranging interview that aired Wednesday on the My Labor Radio Podcast with host Mark Gevaart.

Stressing the importance of member participation in contract negotiations, Klemm asked union workers to keep sending in their thoughts. “It’s actually crucial to the success of the negotiations process,” he said. “A lot of people are under the false premise that Mike Klemm or ‘The Union’ negotiates whatever they want… but that’s not the case.” 

“What we do is, we canvass our members, broken down by contract,” he explained, adding that union negotiators will get a clearer picture of the most critical priorities in the workplace if front-line participation is high. While pointing out a few obvious goals, such as better pay and key benefit improvements, which will always be part of contract negotiations, Klemm said he is particularly interested in more personal items, such as work rules.  

“It’s the work rules I really want to hear about,” he told show host Mark Gevaart.  

Thousands of IAMAW members at United Airlines recently participated in a three-week survey period where they were asked to submit contract proposals and describe their workplace priorities. The results have been tabulated and used to create a set of opening proposals during upcoming contract talks at the airline. At a recent Union Conference, Klemm said that expedited negotiations could be possible, but this would depend on how many aspects of the current agreements will need to be amended. The expedited negotiation process could produce an updated contract much sooner than a complete contractual overhaul.

Klemm urged members to keep sending their thoughts, even after the survey and canvassing process has completed. “I love it when people write in and explain why they want this or that change to the contract,” he said. “That’s a true service to other members, and provides much needed context and background.” Union Members can send in messages at IAM141.org/Contact. Each email will be seen by Klemm personally.  

Union Negotiators come from all over the nation, Klemm said, to produce a representative sample of the entire membership. “Obviously, you can’t have a 50-person Negotiating Committee,” he said. “But we’ve enlisted leaders from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Newark… and so we have people from all over.”  

Along with the United talks, Klemm is also completing an updated agreement at Hawaiian Airlines. Those talks are happening with help from District 142, which like District 141, also represents workers at the airline.

While making significant progress at Hawaiian, a few outstanding issues remain, items that Klemm is optimistic can be reconciled at a joint meeting scheduled to take place on December 10.  

Under the Railway Labor Act, which governs airline unions, contracts with workers never expire. Instead, they become “amendable” after a specific date. 

The award-winning, Indiana-basedMy Labor Radio’ Podcastis the only broadcast promoting labor voices in the state. It is also part of the Labor Radio Network, which can be found at www.LaborRadioNetwork.org. The full interview with Mike Klemm originally aired on www.WELTFM.org, and will be rebroadcast on Wednesday, December 8th, from 1:00 – 2:00 pm EST.  

A link to the full interview can be found here.

 

 

Klemm made the statements in a wide-ranging interview that aired Wednesday on the My Labor Radio Podcast with host Mark Gevaart.

Stressing the importance of member participation in contract negotiations, Klemm asked union workers to keep sending in their thoughts. “It’s actually crucial to the success of the negotiations process,” he said. “A lot of people are under the false premise that Mike Klemm or ‘The Union’ negotiates whatever they want… but that’s not the case.” 

“What we do is, we canvass our members, broken down by contract,” he explained, adding that union negotiators will get a clearer picture of the most critical priorities in the workplace if front-line participation is high. While pointing out a few obvious goals, such as better pay and key benefit improvements, which will always be part of contract negotiations, Klemm said he is particularly interested in more personal items, such as work rules.  

“It’s the work rules I really want to hear about,” he told show host Mark Gevaart.  

Thousands of IAMAW members at United Airlines recently participated in a three-week survey period where they were asked to submit contract proposals and describe their workplace priorities. The results have been tabulated and used to create a set of opening proposals during upcoming contract talks at the airline. At a recent Union Conference, Klemm said that expedited negotiations could be possible, but this would depend on how many aspects of the current agreements will need to be amended. The expedited negotiation process could produce an updated contract much sooner than a complete contractual overhaul.

Klemm urged members to keep sending their thoughts, even after the survey and canvassing process has completed. “I love it when people write in and explain why they want this or that change to the contract,” he said. “That’s a true service to other members, and provides much needed context and background.” Union Members can send in messages at IAM141.org/Contact. Each email will be seen by Klemm personally.  

Union Negotiators come from all over the nation, Klemm said, to produce a representative sample of the entire membership. “Obviously, you can’t have a 50-person Negotiating Committee,” he said. “But we’ve enlisted leaders from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Newark… and so we have people from all over.”  

Along with the United talks, Klemm is also completing an updated agreement at Hawaiian Airlines. Those talks are happening with help from District 142, which like District 141, also represents workers at the airline.

While making significant progress at Hawaiian, a few outstanding issues remain, items that Klemm is optimistic can be reconciled at a joint meeting scheduled to take place on December 10.  

Under the Railway Labor Act, which governs airline unions, contracts with workers never expire. Instead, they become “amendable” after a specific date. 

The award-winning, Indiana-basedMy Labor Radio’ Podcastis the only broadcast promoting labor voices in the state. It is also part of the Labor Radio Network, which can be found at www.LaborRadioNetwork.org. The full interview with Mike Klemm originally aired on www.WELTFM.org, and will be rebroadcast on Wednesday, December 8th, from 1:00 – 2:00 pm EST.  

A link to the full interview can be found here.

 

 

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MythBuster: Union Dues

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MythBuster: Union Dues

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The National Mediation Board, an agency of the Federal Government, requires that at least 50% of employees within a job classification company-wide (i.e. AO or GO Crewmembers) show interest in joining a union by signing an Authorization Card, also called an “A-Card.” These cards expire quickly, so it’s a good idea to renew your authorization once every 6 months. Authorization Cards must be completely deleted after one year. To get an Authorization Card, CLICK HERE >

As we make progress towards filing for a union election by signing a-cards, jetBlue management will begin to amp up its misinformation campaign to influence us to not form a union, and they will undoubtedly put out misleading information about union dues. 

MYTH: Once we vote in a union, we will have to start paying union dues.

FACT: Dues are only paid when we—jetBlue GO Crewmembers—vote to approve a legally binding contract. NOT ONE PENNY OF DUES MONEY IS PAID UNTIL THEN. And, being a newly unionized group with the IAM, we WILL NOT pay any “initiation fees.” Those are waived.

HAVING UNION REPRESENTATION DOESN’T COST, IT PAYS. That’s because we will never vote in a contract that is less than what we currently have, and we will never vote in a contract that doesn’t far outweigh what we pay in union dues.

Just ask any current IAM-represented airline worker. Not only have they received pay increases throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but they’ve also received increases to their benefits and improvement to their working conditions.

Those are the facts.

Remember, IF WE ARE NOT AT THE TABLE, WE ARE ON THE MENU!

SIGN YOUR A-CARD TODAY, SO WE CAN FINALLY VOTE!

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Hawaiian Airlines Negotiations Update

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Hawaiian Airlines Negotiations Update

 

22 November, 2021

Aloha sisters and brothers at Hawaiian Airlines,

Your joint District 141 & 142 negotiation committee met this past week in Las Vegas with the company. While we were unable to conclude negotiations, significant process was made. We still have a few outstanding issues remaining. We plan on meeting with our negotiating committee on December 10th to discuss and review these remaining items. After this meeting, we will discuss possible meetings with the company to conclude these negotiations.

Our goal remains the same – to prevent the need to enter Section Six negotiations and start this process all over.

Thank you for your continued support while we work to get the contract you deserve! We’d also like to wish all of our members a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving.

In Solidarity,

District 141

Shannon Robello
Stacey Williams
Meki Pei
Sione Olevao
Arthur Croker
Joy Himuro
Ku’ulei McGuire

Michael G. Klemm

President and Directing General Chair,
IAMAW District 141

District 142

Derek Morton
Robert Hetchman
David Calistro
David Figueira

David Supplee

President and Directing General Chair,
IAMAW District 141

Recording Secretaries: Please print and post on all IAMAW bulletin boards.

Machinists Union from Capitol Hill: JetBlue Must Repay Workers

Machinists Union from Capitol Hill: JetBlue Must Repay Workers

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Machinists Union from Capitol Hill: JetBlue Must Repay Workers

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The Machinists Non Partisan Political League seeks to advance public policy that benefits airline and aerospace workers. To support the work of the MNPL, please consider recurring, automatic donations of any amount today. Click Here to start supporting this important work.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) on Monday, Nov. 8, sent a letter to Robin Hayes, CEO of JetBlue Airways Inc., alerting him that the union will reach out to federal lawmakers in an attempt to help workers who wrongfully lost wages and benefits even as the carrier took taxpayer-funded relief as part of the CARES Act.

“We will reach out to key federal lawmakers, inform them that JetBlue management took almost $2 billion in federal tax-payer funds and then cut the hours, pay and benefits of hundreds, if not thousands, of JetBlue workers in potential violation of federal law. At present, you may ignore the IAM, but ignoring the questions of federal lawmakers would likely not be a good strategy,” wrote Richard Johnsen, IAM Chief of Staff to the International President.
 
Johnsen’s correspondence was a follow-up attempt by the IAM.
 

The Payroll Support Program, under Division A, Title IV, Subtitle B of the CARES Act, provided payroll support to passenger air carriers for the continuing payment of employee wages, salaries, and benefits trhough the pandemic. This money was given to airlines based on how much they spent on total labor costs in 2019. JetBlue executives took nearly $2 billion, and agreed to keep pay, staffing levels and benefits at 2019 levels. 
     However, soon after taking the money, JetBlue cut the hours, removed premium-pay positions, and reduced benefits for non-union Ground Ops Crewmembers. This meant that the amount of PSP funding the airline got was much more than it needed, allowing executives to pocket the difference. 
     Now, the Machinists Union is asking the same lawmakers who wrote the PSP provisions into the CARES Act to review the actions of JetBlue executives and determine if any violations have taken place. 

On Oct. 13, James Carlson, the IAM’s Assistant Airline Coordinator, wrote Hayes, urging him to rectify the matter.
 
“JetBlue Crewmembers deserve better,” Carlson wrote. “They deserve to be repaid the money you wrongly took from them last year. They deserve to have their 401k accounts increased by the exact amount that was lost due to their working hours/pay being wrongly cut.”
 
The IAM lobbied aggressively to make sure the airline Payroll Support Program (PSP) was included in the CARES Act.
 
JetBlue applied for and received taxpayer funds under the Payroll Support Program, which required airlines to maintain workers’ jobs, pay and benefits as a condition of taking the funds. In May 2020, a group of 13 U.S. Senators, led by Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), wrote to Hayes, urging the company to reverse its decision to cut hours of workers after receiving the financial assistance of the CARES Act.
 
“Your decision to cut employee hours is inconsistent with congressional intent and is a blatant and potentially illegal effort to skirt your requirements to keep workers on payroll, and you should reverse this policy immediately,” the senators wrote.
 
The IAM is actively trying to organize JetBlue’s Ground Operations (GO) Crewmembers.
 
Johnsen’s letter to Hayes pointed out some falsehoods in the company’s messages to its workers, many of which are an attempt to thwart union representation.
 
“The truth is that JetBlue management will do everything in its power to coerce GO Crewmembers against forming a union. JetBlue management knows that by unionizing GO Crewmembers will be able to gain the power needed to secure a legally binding contract that they deserve, which recognizes their value to JetBlue Airways,” Johnsen wrote. “JetBlue management also knows it will lose the power to dictate every aspect of GO Crewmembers working lives if these brave, dedicated workers join a union.”

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Hawaiian Airlines Negotiations Update

 

November 9, 2021 

Aloha Sisters and Brothers of Hawaiian Airlines,

When we last communicated with you, we informed you that your joint District Lodge 141 and 142 negotiation committee had made some progress in reaching a possible Tentative Agreement. Still, we could not agree on issues involving Health Insurance, the contracting out of covered work, job security, wages, and other benefits. Both sides have agreed to meet the week of November 14th in an attempt to bring our sisters and brothers the Tentative Agreement that recognizes and honors the hard work each one of you does, especially through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our goal is to prevent the need to enter Section Six negotiations which would start this process over. As soon as the talks conclude next week, we will provide you with an update on where we stand. 

We thank you for your patience and support in obtaining the contract you have earned and deserve. 

In Solidarity,

District 141

Shannon Robello
Stacey Williams
Meki Pei
Sione Olevao
Arthur Croker
Joy Himuro
Ku’ulei McGuire

Michael G. Klemm

President and Directing General Chair,
IAMAW District 141

District 142

Derek Morton
Robert Hetchman
David Calistro
David Figueira

David Supplee

President and Directing General Chair,
IAMAW District 141

Recording Secretaries: Please print and post on all IAMAW bulletin boards.

JetBlue Wrongly Cut Hours, Pay and Benefits

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JetBlue Wrongly Cut Hours, Pay, and Benefits

 

Robin Hayes, CEO JetBlue Airways Inc.
27-01 Queens Plaza North
Long Island City, NY 11101

November 8, 2021

CEO Hayes,

As expected, you did not respond to a letter sent to you on October 11, 2021. Instead, you had Alex Battaglia, JetBlue Head of Airports and System Operations, respond for you. In the aforementioned letter, a member of my staff requested that you reimburse JetBlue employees who wrongly had their hours, pay and benefits cut last year after JetBlue management took approximately $2 billion in tax-payer funded grants and loans under the Payroll Support Program (PSP) component of the CARES Act.

For this reason, the IAM will mobilize our Legislative Department. We will reach out to key federal lawmakers, inform them that JetBlue management took almost $2 billion in federal tax- payer funds and then cut the hours, pay and benefits of hundreds, if not thousands, of JetBlue workers in potential violation of federal law. At present, you may ignore the IAM, but ignoring the questions of federal lawmakers would likely not be a good strategy.

Mr. Battaglia’s response, both to the IAM and GO Crewmembers, contained some very questionable claims. Besides, in our opinion, wrongly claiming that JetBlue was in compliance with federal mandates concerning accepting PSP funds, he also appeared to kick off JetBlue’s anti-workplace democracy campaign by attempting to influence GO Crewmember’s decision to request a union representation election take place.

Besides patting himself on the back for taking basic pandemic safety measures, like installing hand sanitizer stations and plexiglas in gate areas and supplying surgical masks, Mr. Battaglia also took the time to spew the typical misrepresentations and falsehoods associated with attempting to influence and coerce JetBlue workers from exercising their right to form a union and gain collective bargaining rights.

Among the falsehoods and misrepresentations was Battaglia’s claim that JetBlue management “live[d] up to its no its no furlough promise”. Mr. Battaglia should know that because JetBlue management took billions of dollars in federal PSP funds, JetBlue was PROHIBITED BY LAW from furloughing any workers. To take credit for this is a clear attempt to deceive GO Crewmembers that it was the kindness JetBlue management that was the reason that no JetBlue

workers were furloughed. No JetBlue workers were laid off, as you know, because of the protections provided by under the CARES Act. A law, by the way, that was enacted due to the activism of IAM members and the labor movement as a whole.

Mr. Battaglia also claimed that “if a union were elected the Airports Compensation Advisory Team (ACAT) review would stop.” That would only be true if JetBlue management decided to stop the ACAT review. CEO Hayes, the IAM, as we have said before, demands that you raise the wages of GO Crewmembers right now. What’s to review? JetBlue just reported a Q3 profit of

$190 million. GO Crewmembers deserve exactly what was promised in 2019 and then some. They deserve significant improvements to their benefits and working conditions, as well. The IAM demands that be done now, so any assertion that electing a union would halt the process is another sad attempt to deceive JetBlue GO Crewmembers.

JetBlue GO Crewmembers deserve so much more than they are receiving. They deserve the respect to negotiate and vote on their terms of employment.

The truth is that JetBlue management will do everything in its power to coerce GO Crewmembers against forming a union. JetBlue management knows that by unionizing GO Crewmembers will be able to gain the power needed to secure a legally binding contract that they deserve, which recognizes their value to JetBlue Airways. JetBlue management also knows it will lose the power to dictate every aspect of GO Crewmembers working lives if these brave, dedicated workers join a union.

Lastly, the IAM will act to defend GO Crewmembers’ federal right to join a union and will not tolerate JetBlue management’s interference in the exercise of such rights.

Respectfully,

Richard Johnsen
Chief of Staff to the International President, Transportation
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL-CIO

Recording Secretaries: Please print and post on all IAMAW bulletin boards.