Thursday, July 17, 2014

TEAMSTERS SUBMIT COMMENTS ON FAA REQUIREMENTS FOR DRUG TESTING AT FOREIGN REPAIR STATIONS

Teamsters Aviation Mechanics Coalition Recommends Single Standard for
 Drug Testing Programs for Foreign and Domestic Repair Stations

(WASHINGTON) – The Teamsters Aviation Mechanics Coalition (TAMC) called for the implementation of a single standard of drug testing for airline mechanics in its comments submitted today to the FAA on its proposed rulemaking, (Docket No. FAA-2012-1058), for required drug testing at foreign repair
stations.

In its comments, TAMC recommended that all authorized individuals that perform safety-sensitive maintenance on commercial carriers at both foreign and domestic repair stations be subject to a single standard of drug and alcohol testing.

“The TAMC has taken the position that in order to maintain consistent safety standards in a global economy and regardless of where safety-sensitive maintenance functions are performed, a single standard of aviation maintenance safety must be achieved,” said Chris Moore, chairman of TAMC, in the comments. “If we in the United States believe that certain drugs and the use of alcohol are a threat to aviation safety, we must ensure that anyone performing safety-sensitive maintenance is held to the same standards.”

The full comments submitted today can be found here.

“When it comes to aviation safety we cannot afford to leave anything to chance,” said Teamsters Airline Division Director Capt. David Bourne. “Standardizing drug and alcohol testing across the industry both at domestic and foreign repair stations just makes sense. The flying public and every man and woman that works in the airline industry deserves nothing less to ensure every aircraft is safe – on the ground and in the air.”

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Negotiations Update

In preparation for the upcoming mediation sessions, the parties met in Chicago during the week of July 7, 2014 through July 11, 2014. During this session the union committee revisited the problems resulting from the company’s incorrect interpretation of, and failure to implement, certain provisions of the respective stand alone contracts.
These problems have been reported in previous updates. At this week’s session the rank and file committee unanimously and adamantly voiced their concern to the company that until these issues are resolved, moving forward with negotiations would be difficult at best and in all likelihood counterproductive.
In order to ensure productive future negotiation sessions the parties agreed to establish an Implementation Committee consisting of both Company and Union Representatives. The committee has been tasked with ensuring that these issues are resolved timely and definitively so as not to interfere with future negotiations. The members of the oversight committee are Business Agents Javier Lectora (Local 856) and Thomas Esposito (Local 769), along with Negotiating Committee rank and file members Mitch Hunt (Local 455), Joseph Prisco (Local 986), Michael Nerren (Local 19) and Vincent Graziano (Local 210).
The company has committed that many of these implementation related items should be resolved in short order. The oversight committee will report on the status of these items to the negotiations committee as the changes are completed. It is anticipated that progress will be reported over the next several weeks in advance of the first scheduled mediated session in August.
Also in preparation for the August mediation session the parties exchanged their respective open bargaining items lists. These respective lists will be submitted to Mediator McGuckin shortly. 
What follows is the list of contractual issues brought forward by the system: 
  • Holiday Deferral - should be done in accordance with sCAL system board decision (926-IAH-03) allowing employees to defer and use that day up to thirty (30) days in advance.
  •  Holiday Movement – a sCAL Arbitrators decision allows an employee to, at his option, take another day off immediately before or after the employee’s regularly scheduled days off if a holiday falls on his regular day off or in lieu of an additional day off he may receive an additional eight (8) hours pay.
  •  Inconsistent VAC-DAT application - Members have reported inconsistent application of the awarding of Floating Holidays and VAC-DAT.
  •  Holiday Overtime - Members reported the Company was not paying the applicable overtime rates (1.5X or 2X) when an employee was awarded overtime on a holiday.
  •  Personal Convenience Leave – Some managers took the position that personal convenience time is limited to eighty (80) hours per year.
  •  Work Area elimination – Members reported the elimination of Work Areas in certain stations.
  • LCA’s (Last Chance Agreements) for Drug and Alcohol violations – There were reports of inconsistent applications of the policy.
  •  Travel on sick/long term illness – Members reported denial of this right.
  •  Rest Violations – Members reported incorrect application of the overtime provisions regarding rest violations in regards to offers of overtime.
  •  Known Outages – Members reported the company was not properly staffing for known outages.
  •  OT by Qualifications – Members reported OT lists being run using qualifications in some areas.
  •  BAQ’s – The final BAQ list on the sUAL side has not been completed and there were instances of changes to the sCAL list.
  •  ELA - Members have reported the inconsistent application of Emergency Leave of Absence (ELA) time.
  •  Full time Training Leads - sUAL employees reported the Company wasn’t filling full time trainer positions by seniority.
  •  Discipline Inconsistencies - Members have reported an inconsistent application of progressive discipline on the sUAL side.
  •  Separate Maintenance Operations – Members reported intermixing of work forces in certain cities.
  •  Management Troubleshooting - sUAL members reported the Company was using Tech. Support management personnel to troubleshoot and work on an aircraft without a unit member present to actually perform the work.

Monday, July 7, 2014

Mechanics Dispatch

New Work in SFO

Normally we don’t report on United Daily articles but the article titled, “Base teams begin historic heavy maintenance on Airbus” found here is different. This is a story about the first HMV visit in SFO in twelve years. As part of the company’s cost reduction efforts they determined that bringing this work in would save money. 
As reported in the article, “This is the first of what will be a nonstop parade of Airbus heavy checks and other services.” Kudos to Business Agents Rich Petrovsky of Local 986 and Javier Lectora of Local 856 for their efforts to help make this happen.

Arbitration Update

On Thursday, June 26th the Resource Utilization Letter arbitration case continued in Newark. The Union rested its case subject to rebuttal. The company will begin its case when the panel is scheduled to reconvene on September 16th.

Sub UA Joint Board Held in SFO

On Tuesday, June 24th a Joint Board session was held in SFO. One case was heard at this Board session as agreed by the parties. The case involved a discharge of an employee and an answer will be given to the parties shortly. There are several discharges currently on the system and the Board is in the process of scheduling these hearings.
For those that have never been involved with the Board there are three different decisions that may make. The Board can sustain a grievance, in which case the grievant wins his or her case, or the grievance can be denied, in which case the grievant loses his or her case, and finally the Board can deadlock a case. If the Board deadlocks the matter it can then be moved to a neutral third party arbitrator. The Board can also remand the grievance to the parties for resolution. A remand means that there is generally enough evidence on each side of an issue that it is apparent the parties should try to settle the issue prior to the grievance proceeding through the process.
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