Understanding that future negotiating dates were cancelled, and further it appeared that it would be an extended length of time before new dates were to be assigned; Division Director David Bourne reached out to mediator Gerry McGuckin to discuss possible paths to move forward.
Mediator McGuckin shared that he believed 35 people at the table from the IBT at one time was unproductive. Mediator McGuckin also shared that he believed that for negotiations to continue in a manner that would produce a TA the committee size should be reduced drastically.
McGuckin further said that if the IBT was willing to do this he would rearrange his schedule and provide future dates. After further conversation with the mediator, Director Bourne then set a call with all of the Principle Officers on the system to discuss the proposal from the mediator. The PO's discussed the pros and cons of moving forward in this fashion. At the end of the call, all of the PO's agreed it was in the best interest of the membership to try this approach.
The PO's made this decision for two reasons. The first reason is the company is currently making a lot of money and no one knows what the future holds in this industry, especially reading the headlines lately. Secondly, approval of any TA would still be in the hands of the membership through a ratification vote.
A follow up call next week amongst the PO's will determine the committee makeup. Once that call is completed Director Bourne will reach out to mediator McGuckin to ask for future dates. As soon as the dates are determined they will be reported in the Dispatch.
