Jun 3, 2019 | Airlines, Departments, EAP, Featured, Home
Delta Managers locked flight attendants aboard a plane to force them to work overtime, according to internal communications at the airline.
Mechanical problems caused a May 12th flight from Atlanta to Toronto to be delayed for several hours, leading Delta Managers to worry that flight crews might take legally mandated rest periods instead of remaining at work.
This would require the flight to be delayed even further, as the airline scrambled to find replacements.
The airplane, an MD-88, can carry up to 148 passengers.
Rather than locate new flight crews, an employee in Delta’s Operation Control Center ordered the doors of the aircraft to be closed and locked, trapping everyone aboard the aircraft.
The doors were unlocked after the mechanical issues were fixed. It appears the passengers and flight crews were locked aboard the aircraft from 10:19 PM to about 11:30, although the exact length of time isn’t clear.
At 10:19, Delta Control sent a message instructing gate agents to refuse to open the doors, stating, “Do not open door. Flt attendants out of time and none available. let [maintenance] do their work without opening door thanks.”
This was followed up about half an hour later with, “Ok… if door is not closed by [11 p.m.] Flt attendants walking. We will most likely have to delay flight until morning if this happens.”
Amazingly, none of this seems to have surprised the attendants working the flight. They seemed resigned to the fact that managers would take such measures. The crews that had been “trapped” on the plane stated that the move was unnecessary, since they were willing to work overtime, anyway.
“Since we are deciding to stay although y’all are trying to trap us on the plane, and now our layover has been shortened and we will be past our duty day, hungry and tired. It would be nice to have a deadhead at some point tomorrow.”
For safety reasons, flight crews are often limited in the number of hours they are allowed to work in a 24-hour period.
Flight attendants need to stay fully alert through the entire flight. They constantly monitor everything that happens on the aircraft for potential danger.
Therefore, the Federal Government has strict laws that forbid airlines from forcing aircrews to work over a maximum number of hours in a day. This appears to have been what prompted Delta managers to order the airplane doors to be locked.
Over the past few months, Delta has struggled to portray itself as an airline that values its employees and passengers. Company bulletins constantly describe the relationship between employees and managers as “unique,” and that everyone at the company is part of a “family.”
Now, the company will have to convince everyone that locking passengers and flight crews into an airplane is a sign that they are valued by the airline.
A Delta representative offered a tepid apology to the flight crews in a statement to the Huffington Post, which first reported the story.
“Operating an airline is a team effort and the guidance shared in this exchange does not reflect the respect and collaboration we expect of our employees when making operational decisions,” the statement read. “Delta’s unique culture is built on supporting one another and that didn’t happen in this case.”
The airline did not apologize for locking passengers in the plane.
The Machinists Non-Partisan Political League is working to enact strong rules protecting minimum rest periods for Flight Crews. This will protect the safety and comfort of the flying public, as well as helping to improve the industry as a whole.
Please help support these efforts with a voluntary recurring donation for any amount to the IAM141 MNPL.
More information is available at IAM141.org/MNPL.
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May 29, 2019 | Airlines, American, Departments, Featured, Home, Organizing, The Association
On behalf of the TWU-IAM Association, we would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), The Allied Pilots Association (APA) and The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) for their letters of support in our contract negotiations fight with American Airlines.
Our negotiations with American are not only important for our members, but for the whole airline industry. The Pilots’, Flight Attendants’ and Teamsters’ words of encouragement and solidarity will go a long way in helping us win this battle against corporate greed.
Click here to read APFA’s Letter of Support
Click here to read APA’s Letter of Support
Click here to read Teamster’s Letter of Support
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May 24, 2019 | Airlines, American, Departments, Home, Safety
This week marks the 40th anniversary of one of the darkest days in the history of American aviation.
On May 25th, 1979, American Airlines flight 191 crashed just outside of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, killing 272 people.
To this day, the crash of American Airlines flight 191 remains the deadliest aviation accident in US history.
The McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 assigned to service flight 191 had recently undergone upgrades to its engines at a facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
To save money, American Airlines executives ignored safety recommendations from the aircraft manufacturer and insisted on taking several shortcuts to the procedure.
Mechanics and inspectors who warned executives of the dangers of taking the safety shortcuts were threatened with lawsuits or terminations.
Unknown to the 13 crewmembers and 258 passengers that boarded the plane just before 3:00 PM on May 25th, the left engine had suffered fatal stress fractures during the engine removal and reattachment.
As a result of unseen damage caused during the rushed maintenance work, the left engine tore free from the wing, causing the massive DC-10 to begin an uncontrollable roll towards Touhy Avenue, just outside of the airport.
The plane fell from a height of about 300 feet, crashing in an open field near a mobile home park. Everyone on board died instantly. Two people on the ground also perished in the incident, and several more suffered terrible burns. The FAA grounded the entire DC-10 fleet for two months while conducting investigations into the causes of the crash.
This year, American Airlines executives announced plans to outsource future heavy maintenance to non-union facilities overseas. The move has sparked renewed outcries from mechanics and fleet service workers, who worry that safety practices may once again become impossible to properly review.
This has set up a new showdown between safety advocates at the airline on one side and executives who want to save money for shareholders on the other.
A few witnesses were able to capture images of the tragedy. The photos provided valuable clues for investigators, and continue to serve as a haunting reminder of the importance of airline safety.
A terrifying series of images were captured of the 31 seconds that the aircraft was aloft. Two of the images show the DC-10 as it completes its deadly roll, wings past the vertical position and smoke billowing from its ruined left wing.
The photos have since become iconic; a haunting reminder of the importance of airline safety.
For Tony D’Aloisio, a District 141 Safety Director for the Machinists Union, that tragedy has become a stark reminder of who should win a contest of wills between safety-minded fleet service workers and managers looking to take potentially unsafe shortcuts:
“Our families are on those planes.”
“We are employees at this airline, which means that a lot of our sisters and brothers are working those flights,” D’Aloisio said. “But, we are also one of the largest, if not the largest, group of passengers and frequent flyers that this airline has.”
“If protecting our passengers wasn’t already enough of a reason to do what’s right… remember that we are also protecting our families and our coworkers when we demand high safety standards.”
According to a representative of the Des Plaines Park Service, one of the agencies that helps maintain the Flight 191 Memorial, the anniversary will be marked at 3:04 PM on Saturday, May 25th, the exact minute that the crash occurred.
The service will begin at 2:00 PM at the memorial to the victims of the crash, located at 1201 E Touhy Ave, Des Plaines, IL. Families of victims and members of the public are invited to attend.
Families often travel together. Many of the names of the victims of the crash of American Airlines Flight 191 have the same surnames; a heartbreaking reminder of this wrenching aspect of the disaster.
The parkland that surrounds the memorial includes a small grove of trees that stand in memory of those lost on Flight 191.
Marilyn is one of the volunteers that helps keep the gardens at the Flight 191 Memorial in Chicago. She explains how her husband, who worked as a Maintenance Supervisor for American Airlines in 1979, was dispatched to the crash site. Marilyn worked for American Airlines for 41 years, and has been retired for 21. She has helped care for the grounds surrounding the memorial for the past six years.
May 24, 2019 | Airlines, Featured, Home, United
Dear United team member,
We are pleased to share some good news about steps United has taken to strengthen the IAM National Pension Fund and protect your retirement benefits.
Over the last several weeks, United has met with the IAM to discuss the issues facing the IAM National Pension Fund. As a result of our collaborative discussions, United and the IAM have jointly agreed to the NPF’s Preferred Schedule of the Rehabilitation Plan. This means that United chose to increase the Company’s financial contribution to ensure your future monthly benefit at age 65 will not be reduced because of the Rehabilitation Plan.
United does not make this commitment lightly, but it reflects the loyalty of the company and its leaders to the men and women who have worked so hard to ensure the success of the airline we love.
IAM District 141 Union Representatives have been briefed by representatives of the IAM National Pension Plan and will be in the field meeting with employees and answering questions over the coming weeks. Contact your IAM District 141 office for more details.
In addition, the IAM NPF has created a video to help explain the Rehabilitation Plan in more detail. If you have additional questions please contact the IAM NPF directly at 866-262-1296.
Mike Klemm Zachery Jones
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May 23, 2019 | Airlines, American, Departments, Featured, Home, Organizing, The Association
Brothers and Sisters,
The TWU-IAM Association today submitted a letter to the National Mediation Board (NMB) requesting they compel American Airlines to fulfill their obligation to bargain with The Association.
American management has tried to circumvent your negotiating committee by filing a lawsuit, misrepresenting the facts to Congress and trying to negotiate directly with employees. All these standard union-busting tactics do is divert resources from the only place negotiations can be resolved – the bargaining table. Every day American spends away from the negotiating table is another day you will have to wait for the contract you deserve.
Your Association negotiators remain ready to continue negotiations at any time, with or without the National Mediation Board. All we need is American Airlines to be willing to send people to negotiations with the authority to complete a deal.
Click here to read the letter
Fraternally,
Your Association Negotiating Committee
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May 21, 2019 | Airlines, American, Departments, Featured, Home, Organizing, The Association
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