98% At Spirit Vote YES on New Contract!

98% At Spirit Vote YES on New Contract!

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98% At Spirit Vote YES on New Contract!

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Following nearly seven months of concentrated negotiations, union members at Spirit Airlines voted to approve a five-year contract with the airline by an astonishing 98% margin. 

The agreement will include retroactive pay raises, overall compensation hikes, and create new, higher-earning positions for union members to fill. The new deal will also give paid vacations to part-time workers for the first time. Previously, part-time agents at Spirit were only given unpaid time off instead of vacation time. 

The higher wages will bring Spirit ramp workers significantly closer to industry-standard income levels, a long-standing goal for union members at the airline. As the largest transportation and aerospace union in North America, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) has played a leading role in establishing wage standards for gate and ticket counter agents in commercial aviation. Contracts negotiated by Machinists-represented airline workers at airlines like American, United, Hawaiian, Southwest, and others have created upwards pressure on airlines to pay their employees well. 

Images courtesy of Tim Nestler

The new Spirit Agreement creates the most significant pay increases for ground workers in the airline’s history. The average wage increase is about 30% and includes retroactive payments dating back to October 24. Before the new contract was ratified by union members at Spirit, the top wage was $15.15 an hour. The highest pay bracket will now increase to $23 an hour, and over the life of the agreement will rise to $24.78.

The new contract will also provide part-time agents with sick pay and doubles the time union members can remain on sick leave and retain their seniority. 

For Lead Negotiator Tony Gibson, the deal represents a victory not only for what it wins – but also for what it doesn’t lose. “We’re coming out of a pandemic right now, the same pandemic that crippled airlines for nearly a year,” Gibson said. “And, despite all that, our members at Spirit didn’t give up anything. This contract will make the Spirit workplace better – and only better. There are no concessions in this agreement.”

The agreement comes just weeks after company negotiators at Spirit had asked that talks enter mediation, a process that could have pulled the brakes on finding a deal before the holidays. Fortunately, the company and union reached a tentative agreement only two weeks later, avoiding time-consuming mediation.

Our members can stand proud in the work of the committee, which held strong for improving the economic provisions that sets a tone of respect on the job and compensation to match” said IAMAW Chief of Staff Richard Johnsen of the agreement. “This proposal is the result of our strong negotiations team and it will help improve the livelihood of each and every member at Spirit Airlines.”

“The negotiating committee held strong with our demands for improved wages and other demands voiced by our members,” Airline Coordinator Tom Regan said. “These hard-working men and women have been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. This proposed labor contract rewards that dedication by each and every member who has made sure all Spirit Airlines’ passengers get to their destination safely.”

“I want to thank our IAM Negotiating Committee at Spirit for the outstanding work they’ve accomplished with this agreement. I particularly want to recognize the contributions of Local 368 members Almarie Jean, Linda Germain, Christopher Willis, and Gregory De La Cruz, who helped put this deal together,” said District 141 President and Directing General Chair Mike Klemm. “Along with District 141 Assistant General Chairs Andrea’ Myers, and Lead Negotiator Tony Gibson, this team spent countless hours away from loved ones to create a better workplace for our Spirit membership.”

Below – the IAMAW District 141 Spirit Negotiating Committee. Bottom row, from right: Almarie Jean, Linda Germain, AGC Andrea’ Myers, Chris Willis. Top row, from right: AGC & Lead Negotiator Tony Gibson, Gregory De La Cruz, and IAMAW District 141 President and Directing General Chair, Mike Klemm.

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141 Report: Spirit Tentative Agreement and Committee Conference

141 Report: Spirit Tentative Agreement and Committee Conference

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On the 141 Report this week, Brother Dave Lehive speaks to Spirit Airlines Local 368 IAM member Chris Willis. Brother Willis served on the union negotiating team that recently produced a historic Tentative Agreement for membership at the airline.

141 Report: Spirit Tentative Agreement and Committee Conference

On the 141 Report this week, Brother Dave Lehive speaks to Spirit Airlines Local 368 IAM member Chris Willis. Brother Willis served on the union negotiating team that recently produced a historic Tentative Agreement for membership at the airline.

The Agreement will create the highest wages and overall compensation rates for ramp agents in the airline’s history. Our members will receive wage increases that are, on average, 30% higher than they are now. Lead premium increases, more opportunities for double-time pay, and new trainer positions will allow Machinists Union members to earn even more from their current work.

If ratified, this deal will also bring paid vacations to part-time agents. For some, this will be the first real vacation they have ever known.

 “I would like to thank the National Mediation Board for listening and resolving some of the issues we were having with the company,” Chris said. “The NMB came in and was very fair about the whole process but it was a very tense time.”  Brother Chris also thanked 141 President Directing General Chair Mike Klemm and 141 AGC Tony Gibson, Andrea Myers, and Grand lodge representative Tom Regan for help achieving this vital Agreement. The current membership at Spirit is based in Fort Lauderdale and includes 282 members. That number is expected to increase to over 410 by the end of the year. Brother Chris also talked highly of his negotiations partners Almarie Jean, Linda Germain, and Gregory De La Cruz saying that they were “absolutely a fantastic team.”  He finished by saying, “it was well worth it.”

The members in Fort Lauderdale will be voting on November 4th on the TA, which the entire Negotiations team has endorsed and urged the members to ratify.

Brother Willis and Dave were among the hundreds of Machinists and Aerospace union members attending the annual District 141 Committee Conference, which took place this week in Las Vegas.

 Chris said of the Conference, “it was like a family reunion, and it sharpened our tools.” “I’m happy for the knowledge I’m getting here, because Covid has brought us a different swing to what we do… but we are at a very happy time now.”

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Association Update on Vaccine Mandates

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5 October 2021

RE:    AA Vaccine Mandate

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

Today the Association leadership meet via conference call with American Airlines leaders for an update on the Vaccine Mandate Policy and the potential enforcement process. The company explained the accommodation procedures, as it is currently being considered by the carrier, and is urging employees to file requests for such accommodations. The company will actively engage in processing and approving the requests on an individual basis in a reasonable manner. Although American Airlines is still in the process of determining what these accommodations will be, what is certain, unpaid leaves of absences are off the table.

It was further discussed that when an employee has submitted a request and awaiting the approval process, the employee can continue to work as normally scheduled. Once an approval has been granted and depending on the accommodation procedure, the employee will continue perform the work they are accommodated to perform without concern of violating the mandate.

This entire vaccine process will be updated regularly as things may change and we will continue to keep everyone posted on the latest events as they are known.  We continue to encourage our members who can receive the vaccine to do so, but also believe it is a choice a person needs to make without fear of losing their livelihood. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we navigate through these very challenging times.

The Association

141 Report: New Officers of 141

141 Report: New Officers of 141

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In this week’s 141 Report, Brother Dave meets up with two of the newest officers of District Lodge 141. Sister Jen Jolly and Rodney Walker have joined the Executive Board as recent Vice Presidents at Large. These two proud Machinists entered their positions effective October 1st.

 

141 Report: New Officers of 141

In this week’s 141 Report, Brother Dave meets up with two of the newest officers of District Lodge 141. Sister Jen Jolly and Rodney Walker have joined the Executive Board as recent Vice Presidents at Large. These two proud Machinists entered their positions effective October 1st.

The 18-minute video interview tells how they rose through the ranks to sit at the table with 35 other officers from the largest district in the IAM.

Sister Jen talks about her beginnings in 1991 in Salt Lake City at Continental Reservations. She describes the work she has been doing in 9 western states as an IAM remote committee chair at United. Jen talks about the extensive training she has received. “I took advantage of every opportunity for training I could get,” she said. Jen took classes in Shop Steward, Committee, and attended Winpisinger center taking Leadership 1 2 3 and in November will take the “Train the Trainer” course. Jen also has gone through EAP 1, where she stated, “it was a real eye-opener.” 

Brother Rodney talks about how he got started in 1992 right out of college, worked for USAir, and helped organize in Boston for union rights. Immediately after becoming unionized, Rodney got involved in the shop steward program. He did some local training, quickly became a chief steward, and became committee chairman. Rodney also received more union training at Winpisinger, which prepared him for two separate contract negotiations at USAirways and American. As our members know, workers ratified the recent 2020 contract at American overwhelmingly with a 95% Yes vote by Fleet Service.

Brother Rodney talked about his role on the Board, stating he “is charged with enforcing the IAM constitution the District By-Laws and representing the members of District Lodge 141.” 

In closing, both Jen and Rodney mention how humbled and honored they are to be brought on to the District 141 Executive board and look forward to serving the membership.

 

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JetBlue Accused of Misusing Aid Funding

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The largest union of transportation and airline workers in North America is accusing JetBlue of diverting money intended to go to employee payrolls and pocketing it instead.

In a hotly-worded letter to CEO Robin Hayes, Assistant Airline Coordinator for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), James Carlson called out the airline for siphoning a portion of the $1.5 billion JetBlue collected in federal payroll support away from front-line workers. 

“JetBlue received approximately $1.5 billion in taxpayer funded grants and loans from the CARES ACT, which was supposed to protect the jobs, pay, and benefits of JetBlue Crewmembers,” the letter to Robin Hayes read. “However, you and your management team cut the hours, pay, and benefits of these hard-working employees in 2020. These actions, which, in my opinion, violated the intention and spirit of the Payroll Support Program (PSP) of the CARES ACT, must be rectified.”

In 2020, as the pandemic devastated air travel, a coalition of unions and airlines lobbied Congress to provide emergency funds to cover payrolls for the nation’s carriers. Airline workers are highly trained and can be very difficult to replace. The Payroll Support Program allowed airlines to retain their workforces and recover from the pandemic much faster. 

JetBlue received $1.5 billion from the program, a sum based on how much the airline spent on payroll in 2019. This amount should have been sufficient to cover labor costs in 2020, according to the IAMAW. JetBlue promised to retain its entire workforce and not conduct layoffs, terminations, or reduce hours or wages as part of the deal.

However, JetBlue executives reneged on their promise, cutting hours, and canceling scheduled pay raises immediately after collecting billions in taxpayer aid. The company also did not replace workers who were fired or who quit. According to the union, all of this resulted in payroll costs that were much lower than they were in 2019, allowing the airline to keep the extra taxpayer funding as profit. “Sadly, you and your management team didn’t stop mistreating GO Crewmembers after you wrongly cut their hours, pay and benefits,” Carlson said to Hayes in the letter.

“Crewmembers have not received a single penny in much-deserved wage increases. Crewmembers are working short, in very unsafe conditions, with minimal break time. You even abolished the lead classification, which will lead to operational confusion and a very unfair pay structure,” the union said.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers took action against United Airlines over similar conduct in 2020 when the airline tried to cut the hours of full-time workers after that airline accepted PSP funding. The union argued that reducing full-time workers to part-time status was a form of involuntary layoff and, therefore, a violation of the CARES Act. Union members working the United ramp and ticket counters mobilized, reaching out to the lawmakers who provided airlines with the PSP funding. The airline was eventually forced to abandon its plan to cut employee hours to prevent court action from the union. 

The union is calling for JetBlue to repay their front-line Crewmembers immediately. “JetBlue Crewmembers deserve better,” the union told CEO Robin Hayes. “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. Crewmembers deserve to work with proper manpower in safe conditions. Crewmembers who you have told to stay home and take a COVID-19 test if they feel ill should NOT suffer any adverse disciplinary action. And Crewmembers deserve wage and benefit increases and improvements to their working conditions right now.”

The full letter can be read here.

 

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is fighting for the interests of front-line Ground Ops Crewmembers at JetBlue. Crewmembers can join this effort by signing a union election authorization card.

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141 Report: Paws for Pascarella

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Our 141 report this week takes us to IAM local lodge 1759 in Herndon, Virginia, as the membership conducted the annual Paws for Pascarella Guide Dogs of America charity event.

 

141 Report: Paws for Pascarella

Our 141 report this week takes us to IAM local lodge 1759 in Herndon, Virginia, as the membership conducted the annual Paws for Pascarella Guide Dogs of America charity event.

The video report begins with an update from District President Mike Klemm, who traveled to Dulles Airport to conduct a station visit with the United Airlines membership. In the Video podcast, Brother Klemm informs the membership about this week’s trip to the United Airlines hub at Dulles Airport and Local 1759.  

 On Tuesday, Mike attended the monthly Lodge meeting and spoke to the members about the vaccine mandates at American and United Airlines. He also talked about the status of the ongoing negotiations at Spirit Airlines. Spirit has recently entered mediation proceedings.

Mike said, “We’ll be working with the mediation board to hopefully get a tentative agreement for our members of Spirit to vote on.” Brother Klemm also talked about the upcoming negotiation with United Airlines. Mike stated, “We should be seeing a communication coming out on that in the very near future.” 

Mike continues the report by saying he went over to the airport to visit multiple shifts and multiple briefings for members at United. He answered questions about the mandate and vaccine, as well as responding to questions about negotiations. Mike said it was “a real good visit.” Mike walked the property with 141 VP at East Barb Martin, who also serves as the committee chairman in Dulles, Mike Cyscon, the AGC assigned to the ramp, and Rich Creighton, who serves as AGC to customer service above the wing. Joe Washburn, the southeast regional EAP, also joined Mike on the visit. Brother Klemm thanked the local committee, Bill Hoover, Bill Peer, Sherry Curtis, President Bill Huston, and his entire 1759 executive board for their hospitality. 

Mike then talked about the fundraising event for guide dogs that he attended. The 1759 Charity event was In honor of his former AGC, Rich Pascarella, who unfortunately passed away a few years ago. “Rich not only was a phenomenal union rep and an outstanding AGC but also a personal friend of mine and it’s actually his birthday today.” Mike said of the beloved unionist.

The following guest speaker was Sherrie Curtis from local 1759, the UA Customer Service Committee person at Dulles Airport. “We’re here tonight celebrating our second annual event for Rich Pascarella.” The Charity Top Golf event took place in Loudoun County, having about 60 people that showed up to celebrate and raise funds for Guide Dogs of America. IAM members came from Boston, Newark, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Sherrie reports that Rich Passcarella families came to town driving in from Pittsburgh to celebrate a good time with us. 

Donations came rolling in from Locals 914 in Newark and 1776 in Philadelphia, donating $500 each to sponsor a golfing bay to support GDA. 

In the last part of the report, Dave talks to 1759 UA member Ron Rukenbrod who describes how he and his committee put the event together. He spoke of getting donations from local stores, wineries, and brewhouses for many charity baskets they put together. Ron said, “If you send out 100 letters and you only get 20 people to donate, you’re still 20 people ahead. So it’s always good to just overextend. Ron speaks about the support from the 141 Community Service Director, Cristina Odoardi, saying, “she’s been wonderful reaching out to us; what can I do? What can I do? We’ve been very fortunate”. 

If your local is interested in putting a community service event together, be sure to contact Sister Cristina at codoardi@iam141.org.

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