Safety and Committee briefings are more important than ever during COVID
IAM District Lodge 141 Safety Representatives at American Airlines conducted live video conferences via Zoom this week. Director Tony D’Aloiso, Safety Coordinators Dennis Spencer (PHL) and Mike Moser (CLT), with safety chairs from the Central and Northeast regions led the 90-minute video sessions. Central Region Coordinators Frank Weisen (ORD), Ryan Boland (ORD), Mark Chavez (DEN), Asia McCIain (MCI), Ashely Schwenk (PHX), Randy Braithwaite (DFW), and William Zebley (PHL) also took part in the Monday meeting.
On Tuesday, Safety Representatives Rodney Walker (BDL), Fred Connor (BWI), Leo Tyler (PIT), Richard Villanueva (DCA) and David Nizwantowski (BOS) also met using virtual tools. The lead topic of discussion was the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the workplace, primarily mitigation efforts like electrostatic cleaning, temperature checks in Miami and Dallas-Fort Worth, safety concerns in Tampa and Jacksonville, and issues related to equipment in all stations. The meeting moved on to new items such as implementing a COVID-19 reporting process, cleaning after a positive COVID case, the availability of PPE such as masks and gloves, and the installation of plexiglass shields in passenger service areas. Safety committees are planning more safety conference calls for the foreseeable future since social distancing is a key element in fighting the pandemic. Representatives also discussed holding a larger safety meeting online. The District 141 Communications Team is working to join a safety meeting in the upcoming weeks to facilitate showing it to a larger audience online.
In Phoenix, Grievance Committee briefings are taking place using Zoom and Facebook Live. PHX Committeeman Brian Harrison is the newest member of the District 141 Education Team, and he is working to expand the use of online tools to keep members up to date during the height of the crisis and in the months ahead. In Newark and Houston, Shop Steward and Committee briefings are also being conducted virtually using tools that are available free of cost in most cases.
What is your station doing to keep members informed? Do you need help using online tools to conduct meetings remotely? Please share your success stories with us! If you need more information or help to learn how to use these free electronic resources, please reach out to the District 141 Communications Team at info@iam141.org
Unions are adapting to COVID-19 guidelines with technology. One of the new tools in the union arsenal: teleconferencing when in-person meetings are impossible or unsafe.