Fleet Service Negotiations Update

Fleet Service Negotiations Update

Fleet Service Negotiations Update

May 13, 2016

Sisters and Brothers,

The Association Fleet Committee met with American Airlines during the week of May 9th in Washington, D.C.

The company still has not provided us with any new proposals on the articles from our openers in December 2015. They have also not responded with counter- proposals to any of the outstanding articles. The only thing American Airlines management has done is continue to propose unacceptably weak contract language in articles throughout the agreement, and we will continue to reject such proposals.

This week, the Association Fleet Committee offered the following counter- proposals:

• We have made our counter proposal on Shift Trades to provide enhancements for the membership.

• We countered the company’s proposal on Hours of Work, and after several table discussions, the company is reviewing our language.

• We countered the company’s proposal on Work Schedules, and after several table discussions, the company is reviewing our proposal.

• We informed the company that we are not interested in Temporary Employees and our position has not changed to eliminate this provision. The company is currently unwilling to move from their position, with arguments that are baseless and contentious.

• The company has refused to change their position on the Sick Leave article. Your committee refuses to allow the company to treat us like second-class citizens regarding this important aspect of our contract.

Your committee received a visit from TWU International President and Association Vice Chair, Harry Lombardo, on Tuesday. He addressed the committee with his thoughts, and restated his commitment and support to the Association and these negotiations. While several articles remain unresolved, rest assured we will continue to fight for the best possible agreement for the members: we refuse to back down.

Our future Fleet negotiations dates and locations are as follows:

DALLAS NEW YORK WASHINGTON, D.C.
May 16 July 25 June 20
May 23 August 22 July 18
June 13 August 29
June 27
August 1
August 8

 

Fraternally,

Mark Baskett, Mike Fairbanks, Pete Hogan,

Tim Hughes, Mike Mayes, Steve Miller,

Brian Oyer, Pat Rezler, Art Risley,

Andre Sutton, Rodney Walker, Bill Wilson

IAM Files for Representation Election for Cargo Workers at SM Cargo

IAM Files for Representation Election for Cargo Workers at SM Cargo

IAM Files for Representation Election for Cargo Workers at SM Cargo

DL141 Update: April 29, 2016

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) today announced it petitioned the National Mediation Board (NMB), the federal agency that oversees union elections in the airline and railroad industries, to conduct a representation election for approximately 300 cargo workers employed by SM Cargo in Houston, TX.

“We want to form a union so we will have the protections of a union contract and no longer be ‘at will’ employees and be fired at any time for any reason,” said Cargo Agent Doug Moore. “With an IAM contract we will be able to finally have the decent wages and benefits that we can live on.”

“I want these brave workers to know that the IAM is 100 percent behind them in their effort to form a union and achieve the justice on the job they deserve,” said General Vice President Sito Pantoja. “The IAM will do all in its power to bring these sisters and brothers into the Machinists family.”

IAM representatives delivered the election authorization cards (a-cards) and petition to the NMB this morning. The federal agency will now determine if at least 50 percent of the work group submitted a-cards. If so, the NMB will schedule the election.

It is important to emphasize that is against federal law for SM Cargo management to know who did or did not sign an a-card. It is also important to note that SM Cargo management is prohibited by federal law from knowing how a worker casts his or her vote in a union representation election.

Fleet Service Negotiations Update

Fleet Service Negotiations Update

Fleet Service Negotiations Update

April 29, 2016

The TWU-IAM Association Fleet Negotiating Committee met this week with American Airlines in Washington, DC.

  • To date, the Association Fleet Committee has exchanged the following proposals with the company:
    • Sick Leave – Your committee exchanged its counter proposal to the company and is awaiting a response.
    • Temporary Employees – The parties previously exchanged proposals on this article and we remain far apart from an acceptable resolution.  The Committee has tabled this article for additional discussion.
    • Recognition of Rights – We have exchanged multiple proposals on this article and have made no headway with the company.  The article has been tentatively agreed to by the Maintenance and Related/Stores Committee, yet the company is proposing different language for the Fleet Service classification. This is not acceptable. We have tabled this article for additional discussion.
    • Hours of Service – We have received the company’s counter proposal on this article, which they included in Work Schedules.  The Committee’s position is that we will keep these as two separate articles. The company’s proposal also included shift trade language and we are working on our counter proposal.
    • The company did not provide us with any new counter proposals on the outstanding articles from our opening pass in December 2015.
  • This week, the Fleet Committee reached tentative agreement on the following article:
    • Grievance Procedures – After months of battling with the company, your Committee has achieved tentative agreement regarding this article that will give members additional protections.
  • Thus far, the Association Fleet Committee has tentative agreement on the following Articles:

Shift Differential

Leaves of Absence

Training, Travel Pay and Meal Per Diem

Grievance Procedures

Field Work

Meal Periods

Representation

Absence from Duty

System Board of Adjustment

Uniforms

Bulletin Boards

No Strike No Lockout

Fitness for Duty

Purpose of Agreement

Probation

Safety and Health

Preamble

 

  • Our future Fleet negotiations dates and locations are as follows:
      • Week of May 9 in DCA
      • Week of May 16 in DFW
      • Week of May 23 in DFW
      • Week of June 13 in DFW
      • Week of June 20 in DCA
      • Week of June 27 in DFW

Fraternally,

Mark Baskett, Mike Fairbanks, Pete Hogan,

Tim Hughes, Mike Mayes, Steve Miller,

Brian Oyer, Pat Rezler, Art Risley,

Andre Sutton, Rodney Walker, Bill Wilson

Fleet Service Negotiations Update

Fleet Service Negotiations

Fleet Service Negotiations Update

April 14, 2016

Sisters and Brothers:

The TWU-IAM Association Fleet Negotiating Committee met with American Airlines during the week of April 11th in Dallas. While the Association reconciled each union’s agreements months ago, the company continues to pass proposals containing language that we feel is not in the best interest of our joint membership.

This week, we exchanged the following proposals with the company:

  • Leaves of Absence – The committee made the first pass and finally received a counter- proposal from the company on this article. After several passes, we have made critical improvements to this article.
  • Meal Periods – The committee passed the first proposal on March 23rd. Following six passes back and forth, the committee, after reviewing and making our final proposal, was also able to improve this article.
  • Sick Leave – The committee presented the company with our initial proposal and we are awaiting their response.
  • Temporary Employees – The parties have exchanged initial proposals on this article and have yet to reach an agreement – our views on this particular article are at odds with that of American Airlines, and we are committed to continued negotiations.
  • Hours of Service – The committee passed its proposal on March 24th and we are awaiting the company’s response.

The Fleet Committee reached tentative agreements (TAs) on the following articles:

  • Leaves of Absence – The TA on this article is an improvement upon both current IAM and TWU agreements and addresses many of the concerns expressed by the membership.
  • Meal Periods – The TA on this article is an improvement upon both current IAM and TWU agreements.
  • Shift Differential/Shift Definition–TheTA on this article was reached after multiple passes between the company and the committee.

Future Fleet negotiations dates and locations are as follows:

  • Week of April 25 in DCA
  • Week of May 9 in DCA
  • Week of May 16 in DFW
  • Week of May 23 in DFW
  • Week of June 13 in DFW
  • Week of June 20 in DCA
  • Week of June 27 in DFW

Fraternally,

Mark Baskett, Mike Fairbanks, Pete Hogan,

Tim Hughes, Mike Mayes, Steve Miller,

Brian Oyer, Pat Rezler, Art Risley,

Andre Sutton, Rodney Walker, Bill Wilson

United Airlines Reach Deal on New Contracts

United Airlines Reach Deal on New Contracts

Machinists Union, United Airlines Reach Deal on New Contracts for 30,000 Workers

Washington, D.C., April 4, 2016 –The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) today announced it has reached seven tentative agreements with United Airlines for approximately 30,000 workers at the airline.

The five-year accords run through 2021 and call for approximately 30 percent in pay increases over the term of the deal and $100 million in lump sum payments. The contract also includes a 25 percent hike in defined-benefit pension benefits, stops outsourcing of work currently performed by IAM members and provides for insourcing of additional work.

“IAM members at United can now share appropriately in the value they created at one of the world’s biggest and most successful airlines,” said General Vice President Sito Pantoja. “I commend the Negotiating Committee for the tremendous amount of work they did and every IAM member at United Airlines for demanding and achieving their fair share. I’d also like to thank United CEO Oscar Munoz and his team for demonstrating a willingness to partner with the IAM for the benefit of the employees and the airline.”

“As a United Fleet Service Employee, I am extremely proud to say IAMrepresented workers at United are back at the top of our industry,” said IAM District 141 President Mike Klemm. “I’d like to thank the Negotiating Committee for vigorously representing our members’ interests. The negotiating committee unanimously recommends ratification of the agreements.”

The current agreements were not amendable until December 31, 2016. The IAM and United agreed last October to open existing contracts one year early and engage in “limited issue, expedited negotiations,” which led to today’s tentative agreements. IAM members will vote on the accords on Friday, April 15th. This is the third round of bargaining since United emerged from bankruptcy, and the second since the carriers merger with Continental Airlines.

The IAM represents approximately 30,000 Fleet Service, Passenger Service, Reservations, Stockroom, Central Load Planner, Maintenance Instructor, Fleet Technical Instructor, Emergency Procedures Instructor, Security Officer and Food Service workers at United Airlines and is the world’s largest transportation union.

Passenger Service and Central Load Planner

Fleet Service

Stores

Maintenance Instructors Letter

Fleet Technical/Emergency Procedures Instructor and Related Letter

Security Officers Letter

Fleet Service Negotiations Update

Fleet Service Negotiations

Fleet Service Negotiations Update
April 1, 2016:

Sisters and Brothers,

The Joint Association Fleet Committee met in Dallas this week and exchanged the following proposals with the company:

  • Hours of Work
  • Recognition of Rights and Compliance
  • Grievance Procedures
  • Meal Periods
  • Leaves of Absence
  • Shift Differential/Shift Definitions
  • Training, Travel and Meal Per Diems

We are pleased to announce that we have reached a tentative agreement on the Training, Travel and Meal Per Diem article.

Despite this progress, unfortunately, the company did hold a meeting this week without inviting Association representatives, and actually left a bargaining session in order to attend.

Unbeknownst to the negotiating team, Robert Isom, American Airlines’ Chief Operating Officer, conducted a town hall meeting on Tuesday in Dallas without notifying any of our team members. American’s Director of Employee Relations, Jim Weel—who is part of the company’s M&R negotiating team and attended the session that morning—left the bargaining meeting in order to attend the town hall. This lack of transparency and commitment to the bargaining process will not be tolerated.

It is clear that American Airlines is not providing the membership with entirely accurate information, and that they are employing common management tactics to disrupt negotiations. While Mr. Isom assures us that the company is not holding up the process, they continue to offer our negotiation teams proposals which do not recognize the role our members have in sustaining American’s profits – and those are proposals that we will not accept.

Our future Fleet negotiations dates and locations are as follows:

  • Week of April 11 in DFW
  • Week of April 25 in DCA
  • Week of May 9 in DCA
  • Week of May 16 in DFW
  • Week of May 23 in DFW
  • Week of June 13 in DFW
  • Week of June 20 in DCA
  • Week of June 27 in DFW

We will continue to provide updates to membership following each negotiation session, and appreciate your continued patience and support.

Fraternally,

Mark Baskett, Mike Fairbanks, Pete Hogan,

Tim Hughes, Mike Mayes, Steve Miller,

Brian Oyer, Pat Rezler, Art Risley,

Andre Sutton, Rodney Walker, Bill Wilson