Feb 20, 2020 | American, Featured, Home, Organizing
A principal member of the negotiating team at American Airlines, Wilson will serve as Assistant General Chair for District 141.
Mike Klemm, President and Directing General Chair announced the appointment of William “Billy” Wilson as Assistant General Chair at the February District 141 Board Meeting.
“Billy Wilson is a dedicated and proven leader whose energy and steady advocacy on behalf of our members helped us achieve a fair agreement with American Airlines. He is a valued member of our District 141 leadership,” said Klemm.
Just six months after he began working for US Air in Philadelphia in 1987, Billy recognized the benefits of having a union and a voice in the workplace and became a Shop Steward. He earned the support of his coworkers and was re-elected multiple times. In 2006 he was elected to the Local 1776 Grievance Committee, where he continued to distinguish himself and was elected Grievance Chair in 2014, a position he held for six years.
In the Summer of 2015, Billy joined the Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement Negotiating Committee of the TWU-IAM Association as a representative of the IAM. That same year, he became a District 141 Vice President At-Large.
“Working as a member of the IAM JCBA was an honor and a privilege. I learned that in negotiations it is alright to not get everything you asked for. If you get everything, then you probably didn’t ask for enough,” Wilson stated.
Wilson was relentless in his pursuit of justice and a fair contract for all union members, at and away from the negotiating table. A video of his exchange with American Airlines President Robert Isom at a “town hall” meeting went viral in April 2018.
Wilson’s resolve at the negotiating table is balanced with an easy-going personality that makes him accessible to the members he represents. He stressed that there is nothing more important than paying attention, and stated, “I think one of the most sincere forms of respect is taking the time to actually listen to others.”
Feb 15, 2020 | American, Featured, Home, The Association, Uncategorized
February 15, 2020
Contract Language Update
The Association negotiating team met this week with the company in Dallas, TX to continue finalizing contract language to bring our Agreements in Principle (AIPs) back to the membership as complete Tentative Agreements for your consideration.
Making sure the contract language is accurate for this historic ratification vote by our members is a critical step in the process, but this phase is moving closer to a conclusion. The negotiating team is meeting with the company again next week with the intent on finalizing all language.
When all language is finalized, the complete text of all agreements will be posted on the Association website, followed shortly thereafter by copies being mailed to all members.
We appreciate your patience as we complete this tedious work in finalizing the T/A language. As always, Association representatives are on the shop floor ready to answer any questions or provide clarification about the AIPs.
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Feb 11, 2020 | Airlines, American, Featured, Home, Uncategorized
A union leader in the world of aviation, Gil Simmons will serve as Grand Lodge Special Representative at the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
IAMAW Transportation General Vice President Sito Pantoja announced the appointment in a recent communication to union members. Brother Pantoja also announced the appointment of District 142 General Chair Sean Ryan to the position of Special Representative for the Transportation Territory. The assignments became official in January.
“Sean and Gil have a long history of commitment and dedication to our members which has earned them tremendous respect throughout the IAM,” said Pantoja. “They bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to our department that will serve as a great resource for our team.”
Gil Simmons began his career at US Air in 1985 when he initiated into IAM Local Lodge 1776. While working at US Air (which later merged with American Airlines) for several years, Gil decided he had the tools necessary to create needed workplace improvements. He became a union activist in 2006 and quickly established himself as a trusted advisor and tireless advocate for his fellow workers.
Gil became a Local 1776 Grievance Committee Representative in 2007 and was elected Committee Chair a year later. In 2010, members elected him Vice President At Large at District 141, and later Assistant General Chair, a position he has held since 2011.
Simmons also serves as Airline Coordinator East at the Pennsylvania State Council of Machinists. He is a Trustee for the New Jersey State Council and an IAM delegate to the Pennsylvania State AFL-CIO.
A consummate professional, Gil has helped save countless jobs from unfair terminations, worked to expand workers’ rights, and has devoted himself to creating a broader social and policy-making role for working people.
“Gil understands the importance of working with other union members to advance a strong, pro-worker legislative agenda,” said New Jersey State Council of Machinists President Ines Garcia-Keim. “He was the point person in the effort to affiliate our 42,000 airline workers with the NJ State Council,” she said of his work in New Jersey.
“That’s just one thing Gil has done for which I am grateful,” she said.
Gil Simmons with IAMAW Local 1776 President Rich Howell and Derrick Monk at a Labor Day Awards Ceremony in 2017.
IAMAW District Lodge 141 President and Directing General Chair Mike Klemm praised Gil’s lifetime of service to airline workers, and said, “For years, Gil has been an incredible advocate for working people. Do not let his modesty and quiet nature fool you; there is nobody that I would rather have on my side than Gil.”
“I’m honored to earn the opportunity to serve my sisters and brothers in whatever way I can,” Gil said of his appointment. “I was proud to work at District 141 and with President Mike Klemm for ten years, and I can count hundreds of friends there. They put me into a position to succeed in what was always a challenging and rewarding job.”
“I learned a lot, and I hope I helped a lot,” Gil said. “I can never really thank District 141 enough.”
As Special Representative, Gil will service local lodges within the IAMAW’s Transportation Territory and will provide assistance and oversight in organizing campaigns.
Feb 7, 2020 | American, Featured, Home, The Association, Uncategorized
February 7, 2020
Association and American Meet to Finalize Language
As previously announced, the TWU-IAM Association reached Agreements in Principle (AIP) last week with American Airlines on five new Joint Collective Bargaining Agreements (JCBAs). The five-year accords run through 2025.
This week, Association negotiating committee members met with company representatives in Fort Lauderdale, FL to begin finalizing contract language to bring our Agreements in Principle back to you as complete Tentative Agreements for your consideration. This time-consuming work is necessary for accurate full-text documents to be presented to the membership before ratification voting begins. We expect this process to take a few weeks.
The parties this week finalized the proposed base wage scales and associated premiums going forward, and those rates for each group accompanies this update.
We ask for your continued patience as we continue the work to bring you complete details on the premier collective bargaining agreements in the industry.
Click here for Complete List of proposed base wage rates and hourly premiums
Click here for Fleet Service and Central Load Planner proposed base rates and hourly premiums
Click here for a printable version of this bulletin
Feb 4, 2020 | American, Featured, Home, retirement, The Association, Uncategorized
February 4, 2020
What to Know About the Early Out Offer at American Airlines
Sisters and Brothers,
The Company has informed the Association that they are planning to offer an Early Out to Association Members at some point and time under terms and conditions established by the Company.
Why is this not part of the Agreement in Principle:
- As part of the negotiation process over the past several years, the Company has discussed offering an Early Out to Association Members. The Association informed the Company that if we were to agree to an Early Out as part of the contract it would have to be offered by Seniority to any Member in the system who applied. The Company stated they could not agree to such application.
- In the last session, prior to reaching an Agreement in Principle on the terms and conditions of open items that the Association had proposed, the Company indicated that the cost of offering an Early Out during the JCBA was going to cost millions of dollars. The Association did not agree to any cost for an Early Out since it is a program the Company will unilaterally offer and is not part of the collective bargaining agreement. In fact, the carrier could have made the offer at any time, since it was never a part of our negotiations.
- So, an Early Out could be offered by the Company, but since the Company does not agree to offer such Early Out by Seniority as the Association discussed, the terms and conditions of the Early Out will be solely established by the Company.
Many of you have sacrificed much over the years and may have the opportunity to participate in an Early Out, but the Association could not agree to allow the Company to circumvent a Member’s Seniority or allow millions of dollars to be held over our heads in negotiations.
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