January 10, 2012
Moving Forward…What Comes Next? Since the sub UA membership accepted the terms of their agreement on December 29th, steps are underway to begin the work of amalgamating the agreements into ajoint collective bargaining agreement.1. To complete the process of individual agreements for all three subsidiaries, theparties are meeting the week of January 16thto complete the Continental Micronesiaagreement. The goal is to finish this agreement during this session.2. The Principal Officers and Business Agents of all the pertinent Locals are slated to meet in early February to discuss the integration process. At this meeting items will bediscussed regarding the make-up of the Steering, Negotiating and Seniority Integrationcommittees.3. Information requests will be (in some cases already have been) made of thecompany for pertinent information associated with seniority lists as well as medical andpension plan data to be made available to the various committees.As the process unfolds the membership will be updated through the Airline Division’s“Week in Review,""The Mechanics DispatchSub UA Transition Items," various Local and International websites,bulletin boards in the workplace, and email blasts to those members that have signedup to receive them. If you haven’t signed up to receive email notifications you may do so using the hot link at the bottom of this email. Once talks begin for the jointagreement and haven’t seen your concern addressed through the abovecommunications please contact your Chief Stewards or Business Agents. There areweekly calls with these Representatives to ensure they have the most accurate and upto date information.Work continues to complete the transition into the new agreement. The big item thisweek is holiday pay for January 1st. The time and a half premium along with pay rateswere Day One items and members should be paid according to the new rates in theratified agreement. A problem arose when payroll interpreted the transition documentsincorrectly and then allowed the program to pay straight time as the premium asopposed to time and one half. Members affected by this will most likely see anadjustment in the next check following the holiday check if the correction can’t be made in time.401(k) ContributionsIt was reported in the last update that members are limited to 30% of their signingbonus going to the 401(k). There is a way through supplemental deductions toincrease the amount. Members are advised to call Fidelity directly at 1-800-245-9034.When talking to the Fidelity adviser for calculating the additional contributions, beaware that the signing bonus will be paid the same day as the regular pay check on1/26 and both checks will be subject to the same supplemental deductions.Benefits Committee MeetsThe sub CO benefits committee met in Florida last week. Members from sub UAattended the meeting to listen in and learn from the process. A full report of thecommittee is not available as of the writing of this article but will be ready for next week’s Dispatch.Continuing Compliance IssuesMembers are advised to be aware of the constantly changing paperwork. Ensure you have the most current paperwork to avoid problems with the FAA. If you do find that the wrong paperwork was used please fill out the MSAP/ASAP and NASA forms. Pleasealso immediately contact your Local flight safety representative to guide you throughthe process. Members will be helped through the process and if the issue is raised to the point of receiving a letter from the FAA the license protection program is in placefor further protection.Sub UA Physicians Choice FormsArticle 14, paragraph H of the new agreement retains the language of the oldagreement for physician’s choice for work related injuries. If the member has their personal physician on file prior to injury they may select to use them instead of thestate panel doctors for occupational injuries. As it is the New Year this is a good timeto ensure your file is up to date.Future Dispatch ColumnsA couple of items of general interest to the membership have been brought forward. Infuture editions look for legislative updates, retiree issues and items for members onfurlough.If you know a retiree that would like to share his/her experiences, please pass themon. The idea is to give insight to those considering retirement while also keeping intouch with those that have retired.For Legislative updates, this column will focus on lobbying efforts as they pertain to themembership from the International. If you are involved in a local issue or have metwith a member of Congress, Governor or State House member and would like to see your visit included please contact your Business Agent or Chief Steward so they can forward your update.Members on furlough have been getting erroneous information from various web sitesabout their recall rights as well as how the process for return works. This column willfocus on providing accurate information to those on furlough as well as including themin information surrounding the mergerUseful LinksAirline Mechanics forum http://airlinemechanics.org/yabb/YaBB.pl
