A federal judge in Washington, D.C., Friday upheld a federal agency's rule change that would allow a union to be created by a majority of worker votes cast, instead of a majority of the entire work group casting ballots in favor of collective bargaining. The rule goes into effect July 1.
You can read the full rule change by click here.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
United Negotiations Continue
The UAL Mechanics Negotiating Committee met this week with the company in San Francisco, holding the first negotiation session between the parties since UAL and Continental announced their merger. Anticipating that the merger will eventually be approved, the bargaining parties have agreed to continue their negotiations for a UAL-IBT Mechanics agreement using the IBT-Continental Mechanics agreement as a template. (including the Tentative Agreements achieved during the current negotiations/mediation) In so doing, they are also including the Tentative Agreements already reached in the current negotiations. This should allow the parties to “match up” and align the UAL-IBT and CAL-IBT agreements as much as possible now, in an effort to facilitate future amalgamation negotiations in the event that the UAL-CAL merger is completed. While engaging in this process this week, the parties reached two Tentative Agreements, involving Grievances and Board of Arbitration. The parties will return to the bargaining table soon after the July 4th holiday.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
House subcommittee hearing
Click on the link below to watch the House subcommittee hearing on the proposed merger of United and Continental.
June 16, 2010 at 11:00 a.m PDT
Subcommittee on Aviation:
The Proposed United-Continental Merger: Possible Effects for Consumers and the Industry
June 16, 2010 at 11:00 a.m PDT
Subcommittee on Aviation:
The Proposed United-Continental Merger: Possible Effects for Consumers and the Industry
Monday, June 14, 2010
Airline Mechanics, Community Activists Take Protest to Portland Rose Festival
(Portland, OR) -- Hundreds of Teamsters, with support from Portland Jobs With Justice, protested today against Horizon Air’s plans to fire nearly 100 experienced aircraft maintenance workers at the Rose Festival's annual Grand Floral Parade. The company plans to outsource heavy maintenance work in Portland to an out-of-state subcontractor.
Click here for the article
Click here for the article
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Press Conference with Congressman Gutierrez
As some of you know, there was a press conference yesterday (June 7th) by Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez (D Ill) in Chicago at which UAL labor groups, including ours, were participants. United Airlines employees were represented by Herb Hunter (LEC Chairman) for the ALPA, Christine Schlegel for the AFA and Rich Petrovsky (Business Agent) for the IBT. Each spokesperson had an opportunity to speak on their organization’s behalf and about their specific issues.
The issues were twofold: the Congressman and speakers addressed the way airlines mistreat their customers, and the sacrifices made by their employees! Congressman Gutierrez is a mileage plus (and frequent flier) customer of UAL and is angry with the way airlines make it virtually impossible to collect on frequent flier points (which he is a victim of). He also pointed out the vast number of sacrifices the employees have made to keep the airlines profitable over the years, only to be “rewarded” with reductions in benefits, wages and the outsourcing of our work resulting in furloughs.
Congressman Gutierrez also noted the obscene profits realized by the companies and top airline executives including “extra fee” programs such as the checked baggage fees. Through investigations by his Staff, it was learned that the profits made between UAL and Continental last year alone equaled $523,500,000.00 from these fees. He also mentioned that top officers of the merged carriers who do not accept new positions in Chicago will be entitled to multi million dollar severance packages, while the employees have given so much back to the carriers.
The Illinois Congressman will be requesting an invitation to the upcoming merger hearings between the two carriers in an effort to bring these concerns forward. This will happen while the executive officers of the two airlines continue to ask for support from all people having any influence over the success of the merger. His message will be very clear: NO UNION EMPLOYEES should lose their jobs because of this merger along with voicing his concerns for better oversight of customer service and flight safety issues!
The pilots touched on their concerns for flight safety focusing on training and hours of service issues, as well as the outsourcing of maintenance on our aircraft and their concerns over the RJ’s (Regional Jets) not being a part of United Airlines. Their focus here was on the lack of oversight during maintenance on those aircraft and the level of experience of the crews who fly them.
The flight attendants touched on the personal burdens our sacrifices have placed on our families with reduced medical benefits (and higher premiums) and the financial hardships we are faced with over inabilities to finance our children’s education, make the rent, pay utilities or feed our families!
I spoke on the outsourcing of our jobs to the lowest bidders and the lack of oversight for those employees who work on our aircraft. (The same issues we have been fighting for on Capitol Hill over unqualified mechanics, no drug/alcohol testing, no background searches, no A&P licenses…etc. for those employees working on our aircraft).
I also pointed out that between the years 2000 and 2010 our mechanic rank and file has been reduced from over 15,000 to fewer than 5,000 system wide!
I stated that this work has not been eliminated from the maintenance plan, but is work that has been removed from our highly skilled and qualified mechanics and outsourced to the lowest bidders to accomplish.
All in all this press conference from Congressman Gutierrez was another opportunity to express our concerns to the flying public about our efforts to recover American jobs and address flight safety and homeland security issues that the flying public should be made aware of.
Regards,
Rich
Editorial:
Rich is our Business agent from Local 986, who I have know for almost 23 years. Also one of the mechanics that started the Teamsters organization of United. I would like to give him some credit for all he has done for the mechanics at United Airlines. I believe we are much stronger and better off with the Teamsters.. Thank you for what you do!
Jock
The issues were twofold: the Congressman and speakers addressed the way airlines mistreat their customers, and the sacrifices made by their employees! Congressman Gutierrez is a mileage plus (and frequent flier) customer of UAL and is angry with the way airlines make it virtually impossible to collect on frequent flier points (which he is a victim of). He also pointed out the vast number of sacrifices the employees have made to keep the airlines profitable over the years, only to be “rewarded” with reductions in benefits, wages and the outsourcing of our work resulting in furloughs.
Congressman Gutierrez also noted the obscene profits realized by the companies and top airline executives including “extra fee” programs such as the checked baggage fees. Through investigations by his Staff, it was learned that the profits made between UAL and Continental last year alone equaled $523,500,000.00 from these fees. He also mentioned that top officers of the merged carriers who do not accept new positions in Chicago will be entitled to multi million dollar severance packages, while the employees have given so much back to the carriers.
The Illinois Congressman will be requesting an invitation to the upcoming merger hearings between the two carriers in an effort to bring these concerns forward. This will happen while the executive officers of the two airlines continue to ask for support from all people having any influence over the success of the merger. His message will be very clear: NO UNION EMPLOYEES should lose their jobs because of this merger along with voicing his concerns for better oversight of customer service and flight safety issues!
The pilots touched on their concerns for flight safety focusing on training and hours of service issues, as well as the outsourcing of maintenance on our aircraft and their concerns over the RJ’s (Regional Jets) not being a part of United Airlines. Their focus here was on the lack of oversight during maintenance on those aircraft and the level of experience of the crews who fly them.
The flight attendants touched on the personal burdens our sacrifices have placed on our families with reduced medical benefits (and higher premiums) and the financial hardships we are faced with over inabilities to finance our children’s education, make the rent, pay utilities or feed our families!
I spoke on the outsourcing of our jobs to the lowest bidders and the lack of oversight for those employees who work on our aircraft. (The same issues we have been fighting for on Capitol Hill over unqualified mechanics, no drug/alcohol testing, no background searches, no A&P licenses…etc. for those employees working on our aircraft).
I also pointed out that between the years 2000 and 2010 our mechanic rank and file has been reduced from over 15,000 to fewer than 5,000 system wide!
I stated that this work has not been eliminated from the maintenance plan, but is work that has been removed from our highly skilled and qualified mechanics and outsourced to the lowest bidders to accomplish.
All in all this press conference from Congressman Gutierrez was another opportunity to express our concerns to the flying public about our efforts to recover American jobs and address flight safety and homeland security issues that the flying public should be made aware of.
Regards,
Rich
Editorial:
Rich is our Business agent from Local 986, who I have know for almost 23 years. Also one of the mechanics that started the Teamsters organization of United. I would like to give him some credit for all he has done for the mechanics at United Airlines. I believe we are much stronger and better off with the Teamsters.. Thank you for what you do!
Jock
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Negotiations Update
Tentative dates have been scheduled for resumed contract negotiations with United Airlines. The Negotiating Committee is scheduled to meet in San Francisco on Monday, June 14th for a committee caucus, followed by full‐day meetings with the company Tuesday, June 15th through Thursday June 17th.
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