Northern Air Cargo Pilots Ratify First Contract
After over four years of dedicated work and by an overwhelming margin, the
pilots of Northern Air Cargo have ratified their first contract.
The all cargo airline operates a fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft throughout the
state of Alaska. They are owned by Saltchuk Resources, a transportation holding
company that owns other transportation related companies including Aloha
Airlines, who has members also represented by the Airline Division.
NAC’s pilots are members of Local 959. This represents their first airline
agreement for the local since Wein Air.
Commenting on the announcement, Airline Division Director David Bourne said,
“I want to extend my congratulations to the pilots of Northern Air Cargo on this
momentous vote. I would also like to recognize and thank Rick Canoy and Derek
Musto for their hard work and dedication to the pilots and Local 959 Principal
Officer Rick Boyles and his team for the years of effort that concluded this
agreement.”
Bourne went on to say, “This has truly been a team effort and should leave no
doubt about the dedication of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the
Airline Division to reach out and represent members wherever they may be.”
Centurion MD-11 Suffers Gear Collapse on Landing in Brazil, Airline
Division Responds Immediately
On Sunday October 14th, a McDonnell Douglass MD-11 freighter
operated by Centurion Air Cargo, suffered a landing gear collapse on rollout
from landing at the Varicopas (VCP) airport in Brazil.
The flight crew, members of Local 769, brought the aircraft to a safe stop
and secured the plane before exiting through the main entry door. There was no
fire or loss to cargo, but the aircraft suffered substantial damage and closed
the airport as it blocked the runway.
Upon notification of the incident, the Safety Hotline was immediately
notified and began coordinating efforts with Local 769 Business Agent Daisy
Gonzalez-Colli and the Airline Division. While efforts immediately began to
secure the crew, hotline representatives coordinated with IBT Legislative
Director Jack Albertine, who was briefed and ready to intercede if needed with
the U.S. State Department and other agencies to protect the crew if needed.
Additional contacts were made by the hotline team to secure legal assistance if
needed. Business Agent Gonzalez-Colli also coordinated with Centurion management
to keep abreast of all available information.
Thanks to the coordinated efforts, the crew was quickly given their travel
release by the local aviation authorities and they were returned back to the
U.S. in short order.
“In addition to being very grateful that the crew is safe and unharmed, I
would like to congratulate the team that immediately responded and worked
nonstop on the crews behalf to ensure their protection and safe transit back to
the U.S. in a prompt manner,” said Airline Division Director David Bourne. “The
rapid response by the hotline team and Local 769 was instrumental in protecting
the crew in the post incident phase and shows the value of having the team in
place to respond.
While this thankfully was not as serious as it could have been, it has
provided us an opportunity to see firsthand how a response should take place.
Our support for the crew will continue until all investigations are completed
and we will also conduct a review to further refine our plan and response for
the future,” Bourne concluded.
Airline Industry News
Governmental and Regulatory
The Federal Aviation Administration's acting administrator, Michael Huerta,
emphasized the need for collaboration among government, industry, unions and
others in a speech about the Next Generation Air Transportation System.
Industry and Labor
Southwest Airlines has hired a former head of the Federal Aviation Administration as
senior vice president of labor relations. Randy Babbitt will be responsible for
communication, negotiations and maintaining relationships with each of
Southwest's 11 unions.
Two unions have come together in a new attempt to represent
Delta Air Lines' flight attendants.
A federal judge has ruled that US Airways Group can begin
contract negotiations with its pilots, taking a controversial seniority clause
into account, but that the airline risks litigation in doing so.
As a preventive measure, American Airlines will modify seats with a second locking mechanism on 49 Boeing
767 planes. The work should be completed around Oct. 21.
Alaska Air Group announced an order for 50 Boeing 737s on Thursday. The order
is a mix of current 737s as well as the updated 737 Max-8 and Max-9 jets.
Delta Air Lines has added more than 100 daily flights at La Guardia Airport in New York, a move
that it hopes will increase market share in the region.
American Airlines and US Airways Group have signed a nondisclosure agreement to exchange confidential
financial information, which included terms to stop talking publicly about a
merger.
Regional Elite Airline Services, a wholly owned Delta subsidiary that
provides ground services, is reportedly ending its operations.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Mechanics Dispatch for October 12, 2012
Airline Division meets with new Senior VP Tech Ops
On October 9th, Airline Division Director David Bourne, Attorney Ed Gleason, and Representatives Clacy Griswold, Paul Alves and Bob Fisher met with Greg Hart, the new Senior VP of Tech Ops along with Doug McKeen and Mike Bonds. This meeting was solely for the purpose of meeting the new Vice President. While no business was discussed, the Airline Division explained that one of its top priorities is and will be continuing to recapture work lost through previous outsourcing. The meeting went well. On a related issue; recently a management change occurred for the sub United GSE and facilities mechanics. Mike Lorenzeni has moved on and Ray Ames will assume his duties in regards to these two groups. Ray will report to Joe Ferreria in Tech Ops.
Negotiating Committee Correction
One name was inadvertently left off the list for the national rank and file negotiating committee. Allen Cosides was left off the list but will be attending negotiations as the national coordinator for the GSE members across the system. Allen’s presence will not affect the makeup of voting members, but he will have input to all issues concerning the new agreement.
Committee Update
The negotiating committee met September 20th and 21st in Denver for the purpose of creating an abbreviated opening proposal for the amalgamated agreement. This is one of the preliminary parts of the expedited mediation process. The committee spent the two days looking at each of the articles and proposals suggested by the members and steering committee and placed them in an order of importance. The group met again the week of the 24th and spent the time working in small subcommittees reviewing each line of each article of the three agreements including the new proposals and created recommendations to the various differences. There were many distinctions and each of these was placed in positions of importance. The work was concluded this week in Chicago where the team took the results of the previous two meeting weeks and created a combined plan which will be sent to the company. This step will begin the back and forth dialog with the company defined in interest based bargaining. With this step in place, the expedited negotiation process can begin. One final hurdle which remains is the official NMB Expedited Negotiating Training. The Team is waiting on training dates which can only be issued from the NMB. We have repeatedly made requests and expect the call for training to happen at any time and the committee is standing by and ready. This training for the new NMB procedures is an important requirement of the expedited mediation process.
Benefits Committee Update
Since the last Benefits update, the committee has met on three occasions to continue working on finalizing the opening proposals for benefits and pension. With the continued help of Hemant Berry, Assistant Director, Benefits Department for the IBT; and Pete Hardcastle, Pension Consultant from Cheiron, a recommendation will be given to the negotiating committee within the next few weeks, so they can be prepared and ready when the IBB process starts. With many sub company differences to overcome, the committee is confident they will be giving the negotiating committee a strong starting point for these issues.
Seniority Committee Update
The Seniority Committee will meet again the week of the 15th to continue discussions on the combined seniority lists. One of the tasks assigned to the Seniority Committee has been to review the seniority lists of each work area and push for obvious corrections from local management. The hope is to limit the number of actual seniority discrepancies and protests by making sure the list is as accurate as possible. Furloughed members urged to update their addresses. Members on furlough are advised to keep their addresses current with the company while on layoff. It is predicted that there will be many movements this year and there have been several members that have been removed from the seniority list because old addresses were on file when notices were sent. If you are in touch with a furloughed member, please forward this information to them. Updates may be emailed to: ESC@united.com . The ESC will provide a fax number and ask members to send the address change accompanied with a signature.
On October 9th, Airline Division Director David Bourne, Attorney Ed Gleason, and Representatives Clacy Griswold, Paul Alves and Bob Fisher met with Greg Hart, the new Senior VP of Tech Ops along with Doug McKeen and Mike Bonds. This meeting was solely for the purpose of meeting the new Vice President. While no business was discussed, the Airline Division explained that one of its top priorities is and will be continuing to recapture work lost through previous outsourcing. The meeting went well. On a related issue; recently a management change occurred for the sub United GSE and facilities mechanics. Mike Lorenzeni has moved on and Ray Ames will assume his duties in regards to these two groups. Ray will report to Joe Ferreria in Tech Ops.
Negotiating Committee Correction
One name was inadvertently left off the list for the national rank and file negotiating committee. Allen Cosides was left off the list but will be attending negotiations as the national coordinator for the GSE members across the system. Allen’s presence will not affect the makeup of voting members, but he will have input to all issues concerning the new agreement.
Committee Update
The negotiating committee met September 20th and 21st in Denver for the purpose of creating an abbreviated opening proposal for the amalgamated agreement. This is one of the preliminary parts of the expedited mediation process. The committee spent the two days looking at each of the articles and proposals suggested by the members and steering committee and placed them in an order of importance. The group met again the week of the 24th and spent the time working in small subcommittees reviewing each line of each article of the three agreements including the new proposals and created recommendations to the various differences. There were many distinctions and each of these was placed in positions of importance. The work was concluded this week in Chicago where the team took the results of the previous two meeting weeks and created a combined plan which will be sent to the company. This step will begin the back and forth dialog with the company defined in interest based bargaining. With this step in place, the expedited negotiation process can begin. One final hurdle which remains is the official NMB Expedited Negotiating Training. The Team is waiting on training dates which can only be issued from the NMB. We have repeatedly made requests and expect the call for training to happen at any time and the committee is standing by and ready. This training for the new NMB procedures is an important requirement of the expedited mediation process.
Benefits Committee Update
Since the last Benefits update, the committee has met on three occasions to continue working on finalizing the opening proposals for benefits and pension. With the continued help of Hemant Berry, Assistant Director, Benefits Department for the IBT; and Pete Hardcastle, Pension Consultant from Cheiron, a recommendation will be given to the negotiating committee within the next few weeks, so they can be prepared and ready when the IBB process starts. With many sub company differences to overcome, the committee is confident they will be giving the negotiating committee a strong starting point for these issues.
Seniority Committee Update
The Seniority Committee will meet again the week of the 15th to continue discussions on the combined seniority lists. One of the tasks assigned to the Seniority Committee has been to review the seniority lists of each work area and push for obvious corrections from local management. The hope is to limit the number of actual seniority discrepancies and protests by making sure the list is as accurate as possible. Furloughed members urged to update their addresses. Members on furlough are advised to keep their addresses current with the company while on layoff. It is predicted that there will be many movements this year and there have been several members that have been removed from the seniority list because old addresses were on file when notices were sent. If you are in touch with a furloughed member, please forward this information to them. Updates may be emailed to: ESC@united.com . The ESC will provide a fax number and ask members to send the address change accompanied with a signature.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Contract Negotiations Update October 5, 2012
So far, the amalgamated contract negotiation committee has met 2 times
in Denver. These two day meetings were used to work on finalizing the
non-economic opener to the company, and to review the sub CAL and sub
UAL contracts side by side to determine the differences between each
others article language. The committee members were broken up into 6 sub
groups and assigned a number of articles to review, then present to the
committee their recommendations. These recommendations will be reviewed
again at later meetings.
The next two committee meetings are scheduled for Chicago (October 8-12) and Newark (October 15-19) where we will be getting reports from the benefits and the seniority integration committees. We also have a tentative arrangement to meet with the National Mediation Board in Newark to receive training on Interest Based Bargaining.
At this time no formal face to face meetings with the company have been scheduled, but once the National Mediation Board class is scheduled to explain the rules and process of Interest Based Bargaining, the actual negotiations should begin quickly thereafter.
The company and the union are still looking at finishing contract talks by December 31, 2012. If the parties are at an impasse by that date, we have the option to revert back to normal Section 6 negotiations.
The next two committee meetings are scheduled for Chicago (October 8-12) and Newark (October 15-19) where we will be getting reports from the benefits and the seniority integration committees. We also have a tentative arrangement to meet with the National Mediation Board in Newark to receive training on Interest Based Bargaining.
At this time no formal face to face meetings with the company have been scheduled, but once the National Mediation Board class is scheduled to explain the rules and process of Interest Based Bargaining, the actual negotiations should begin quickly thereafter.
The company and the union are still looking at finishing contract talks by December 31, 2012. If the parties are at an impasse by that date, we have the option to revert back to normal Section 6 negotiations.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Airline Division Week In Review for September 30, 2012
Era Ends as Comair Ceases Operations
Faced with the realities of fleet reductions imposed by Delta Airlines as a consequence of their recently amended contract with Delta pilots, Comair Airlines flew their last flight on Saturday.
For years a recognized leader in the commuter industry, later referred to as “regional airlines,” Comair began service with twin engined piston aircraft, later transitioning to turboprops and finally becoming the first operator of jets in the regional industry.
Since the announcement of the impending shutdown; Teamsters Local Union 513, who represents Comair’s flight attendants, has been working to secure severance and other benefits as well as financial and job training assistance for the flight attendants.
Commenting on the shutdown, Local 513 President Elaine Morris said, “We would like to thank the Teamsters for getting industry leading pay and benefits for the Comair Flight Attendant group for the last 10 years. We signed our first contract on July 19, 2002 and the Teamsters have always been there for us, especially during this painful time. It has been a great journey.”
UAL Negotiating Committee Update
Assisted by the generosity of Local 455, its Principal Officer Steve Vairma, Business Agent John Hennelly and the Local committee; the negotiating committee met for over a two week period beginning on September 20th and 21st in Denver, Colorado. The committee spent the two days reviewing and prioritizing each of the articles and proposals suggested by the steering committee.
The committee reconvened September 26th through the 28th in Denver and spent the scheduled meeting time going through the three contracts of CO, UA and MCI to look for and identify any and all differences to each of the contracts in an effort to combine them into one.
The fourteen member committee was broken down into seven sub committees, with each committee was assigned a BA to assist with the review and help resolve questions the sub committees identified. Where differences were identified, recommendations were developed and reported to the entire committee. These recommendations will be reviewed when the committee meets in Chicago starting on October 10th.
The protocol agreement is not yet been completed. A key to that process; the outstanding issues delaying the completion of the protocol agreement; is defining the number of open issues. Once that is done it is expected the protocol will be finalized quickly. The committee is also awaiting dates for official training regarding the NMB expedited bargaining procedures. Dates have been suggested to complete the training and the membership will be notified when the schedule is confirmed.
ExpressJet Discussion continue in Baltimore
Negotiations for ExpressJet this past week brought a tentative agreement on Section 12 - (Field Trips), and continued discussions and exchange of proposals on Section 3 – (Classifications). While the parties are now closer to agreement on this section of the agreement, fundamental differences remain that must be resolved.
Negotiations are scheduled to resume on October 15th in Baltimore.
Airline Industry News
Governmental and Regulatory
The failure of a GE engine on a Boeing 747 in China is not related to a similar failure in the U.S. according to the DOT.
Industry and Labor
Southern Air, an ACMI cargo carrier operating Boeing 747-400’s and Boeing 777’s, has filed for bankruptcy protection…United Parcel Services' proposed deal to acquire TNT, a Dutch package delivery company, may face more opposition as European antitrust regulators consider stepping in.
Ground workers for American Airlines are the latest group to accept the airlines early out program…US Airways flight attendants have rejected a preliminary five-year contract, the airline says.
AMR, parent company of American Airlines, has filed a financial report with bankruptcy court stating a financial loss of $82 million in August…Cargo airlines, including FedEx and United Parcel Services, are facing drops in revenue this year, due to decreased average package weights and softer demand.
American Airlines has informed its pilots union, the Allied Pilots Association, that it will seek a court injunction against the union if its pilots continue to do what the airline calls interfering with operations.
Faced with the realities of fleet reductions imposed by Delta Airlines as a consequence of their recently amended contract with Delta pilots, Comair Airlines flew their last flight on Saturday.
For years a recognized leader in the commuter industry, later referred to as “regional airlines,” Comair began service with twin engined piston aircraft, later transitioning to turboprops and finally becoming the first operator of jets in the regional industry.
Since the announcement of the impending shutdown; Teamsters Local Union 513, who represents Comair’s flight attendants, has been working to secure severance and other benefits as well as financial and job training assistance for the flight attendants.
Commenting on the shutdown, Local 513 President Elaine Morris said, “We would like to thank the Teamsters for getting industry leading pay and benefits for the Comair Flight Attendant group for the last 10 years. We signed our first contract on July 19, 2002 and the Teamsters have always been there for us, especially during this painful time. It has been a great journey.”
UAL Negotiating Committee Update
Assisted by the generosity of Local 455, its Principal Officer Steve Vairma, Business Agent John Hennelly and the Local committee; the negotiating committee met for over a two week period beginning on September 20th and 21st in Denver, Colorado. The committee spent the two days reviewing and prioritizing each of the articles and proposals suggested by the steering committee.
The committee reconvened September 26th through the 28th in Denver and spent the scheduled meeting time going through the three contracts of CO, UA and MCI to look for and identify any and all differences to each of the contracts in an effort to combine them into one.
The fourteen member committee was broken down into seven sub committees, with each committee was assigned a BA to assist with the review and help resolve questions the sub committees identified. Where differences were identified, recommendations were developed and reported to the entire committee. These recommendations will be reviewed when the committee meets in Chicago starting on October 10th.
The protocol agreement is not yet been completed. A key to that process; the outstanding issues delaying the completion of the protocol agreement; is defining the number of open issues. Once that is done it is expected the protocol will be finalized quickly. The committee is also awaiting dates for official training regarding the NMB expedited bargaining procedures. Dates have been suggested to complete the training and the membership will be notified when the schedule is confirmed.
ExpressJet Discussion continue in Baltimore
Negotiations for ExpressJet this past week brought a tentative agreement on Section 12 - (Field Trips), and continued discussions and exchange of proposals on Section 3 – (Classifications). While the parties are now closer to agreement on this section of the agreement, fundamental differences remain that must be resolved.
Negotiations are scheduled to resume on October 15th in Baltimore.
Airline Industry News
Governmental and Regulatory
The failure of a GE engine on a Boeing 747 in China is not related to a similar failure in the U.S. according to the DOT.
Industry and Labor
Southern Air, an ACMI cargo carrier operating Boeing 747-400’s and Boeing 777’s, has filed for bankruptcy protection…United Parcel Services' proposed deal to acquire TNT, a Dutch package delivery company, may face more opposition as European antitrust regulators consider stepping in.
Ground workers for American Airlines are the latest group to accept the airlines early out program…US Airways flight attendants have rejected a preliminary five-year contract, the airline says.
AMR, parent company of American Airlines, has filed a financial report with bankruptcy court stating a financial loss of $82 million in August…Cargo airlines, including FedEx and United Parcel Services, are facing drops in revenue this year, due to decreased average package weights and softer demand.
American Airlines has informed its pilots union, the Allied Pilots Association, that it will seek a court injunction against the union if its pilots continue to do what the airline calls interfering with operations.
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