Airline Division Week In Review - July 27, 2014

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Court Rules in Favor of Allegiant Air Pilots, Local 1224  This past Tuesday, the U.S. District Court in Nevada granted a preliminary injunction in favor of the Allegiant Air pilots represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Airline Division and its Local 1224.    U.S. District Court Judge Andrew P. Gordon issued the decision granting the injunction, finding that Allegiant Air had violated the Railway Labor Act by unilaterally changing the status quo as it existed when the Teamsters commenced bargaining with Allegiant Air for a first Teamsters collective bargaining agreement.  In August 2012, following an NMB election and certification, the Teamsters replaced an in-house association as the Allegiant pilots' bargaining representative.  The Allegiant Air pilots claimed in their lawsuit that since they began negotiations with the company as members of the Teamsters, the management of Allegiant had unilaterally changed numerous terms and provisions of the “Pilots Work Rules Agreement” (PWR) that had been negotiated and agreed to by management and the pilots’ prior in-house representative. The Teamsters and Allegiant pilots asserted that those changes amounted to violations of the RLA's “status quo” requirements.  Judge Gordon determined that Allegiant Air had voluntarily recognized the prior, in-house association as the pilots' representative and had negotiated and reached agreements with it covering the pilots' compensation and work rules. He also found that the in-house association was a "representative" within the meaning of the RLA, and that the agreements it secured on behalf of the pilots through its negotiations with Allegiants' senior executive and managers under the PWR established a RLA status quo that could not be unilaterally changed while collective bargaining for the new agreement was underway. The Teamsters and Allegiant have been engaged in negotiations since December, 2012.  Finding for the pilots and the union, the court concurred that among the unilateral changes by Allegiant Air to the PWR were alterations to the lost medical program for pilots who became ill or disabled, the elimination of pay protections for members involved in various committees beneficial to the company including those involving airline safety, changes to the leave of absence provisions in cases of birth or adoption and replacing seniority-based monthly line bidding with a preferential bidding system (“PBS”).  In his written decision requiring Allegiant Air to restore the status quo, Gordon found that "the IBT has established a high likelihood of success on its RLA claims and its breach of contract claim" and that, "...the IBT will probably prevail on at least some of its claims that Allegiant has violated the status quo, which would amount to a breach of the PWR." He also noted that, "the public also has an interest in "effective collective bargaining" to "maintain industrial peace." Allegiant was ordered to immediately reinstate the loss of medical program, comply with the parental leave policy in the PWR, and address the scheduling issues created by the unilateral implementation of PBS.  Commenting on the ruling, the Allegiant pilots Executive Council Chairman, First Officer Cameron Graff, said, "the court's decision strongly supports and validates our position and rejects the company's after-the-fact  claims that AAPAG was not a 'representative' and the Pilot Work Rules Agreements were not 'agreements' within the meaning of the RLA.  The court recognized the company's claims for what they were and ruled in our favor.  Tuesday’s court's decision is an important decision and it clearly favors the pilots.” Noting that the company had already filed an appeal, Graff went on to say, “While the company has already filed an appeal to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, we are confident that the appeals court will uphold Judge Gordon's decision." Captain Daniel Wells, President of Teamsters Local 1224, agreed with First Officer Graff.  Captain Wells stated, "Judge Gordon's decision very clearly and forcefully compels the company to honor its word and the agreements that it made with the pilots as reflected in the PWR. As President of Local 1224, I take the responsibility to negotiate in good faith with our contracted companies very seriously and I hope that in light of the court’s ruling that Mr. Gallagher will reconsider his approach to negotiations.”    Informed of the decision, Airline Division Director David Bourne said, “I congratulate the leadership and pilots of Allegiant Air and the leadership of Local 1224 on this important legal victory. It needs to be clearly understood that the pilots did nothing wrong and that there was no reason for the actions that Allegiant Air management took. We came to Allegiant at the pilots request and have always maintained that an open and cordial process that respects each party’s positions and needs, believing this is the best way to achieve everyone’s goals in an agreement.  We will always be open to discussions that work for the good of all. We are dedicated to defending rights and working conditions for our members and working with management for a positive relationship that benefit everyone,” he concluded.  NetJets Technicians and Related  Negotiations resumed this week with the Union passing a counter proposal on Article 29 – (Field Service).  The Company also passed counter proposals on Articles 20 – (Training), Article 25 – (Sick Leave) and Article 32 – (Hours of Service). Additionally, the Negotiating Committee worked on Article 31 – (Seniority).   The Union and the Company will be working to set dates for the next round of talks.  Airline Industry News  Governmental and Regulatory  U.S. airlines hired 385,619 workers in May, a 1.1% increase over May 2013 and the highest level since September 2012, according to the Transportation Department.   Airlines, Industry and Labor  United Airlines has repeatedly put workers at Newark Liberty International Airport in danger of being injured by falls or by falling objects and other workplace hazards, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said.  Delta Air Lines will supply a Trainer, Pa., refinery with crude oil for five years in a deal the airline signed with Texas midstream firm, Bridger LLC. Under the deal, Delta will supply a third of the refinery's daily capacity. The airline uses the jet fuel the refinery produces.  With the addition of higher-capacity Boeing 737-800s and lower fuel costs, Southwest Airlinesmay be poised to release robust second-quarter earnings, say some analysts. In addition, the airline saw a 2.4% annual rise in second-quarter traffic and higher unit revenues.   Boeing already is hard at work on its 787-10 Dreamliner, even as it begins delivery of the 787-9, and has scheduled test flights for 2017.

Airline Division Week In Review - July 21, 2014

July 21, 2014

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

The Teamsters Aviation Mechanics Coalition (TAMC) called for the implementation of a single standard of drug testing for airline mechanics in its comments submitted Wednesday 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.”

“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.”

SWA Material Specialist Update

SWA Material Specialist Contract Negotiations continued in Dallas this past week. The Negotiating Committee, Local Union Business Agents and Airline Division Representatives met outside of negotiations on July 14th and 15th to work on Article 5 (Hours of Service) and Article 8 (Field Service).

Direct negotiations with the Company continued on July 16th. The company made a counter proposal on Article 4. The company and the union also made multiple passes on Articles 5 and 8 with no TAs being reached.

Dates are under discussion for the next round of talks.

Airline Industry News

Governmental and Regulatory

In the wake of the apparent downing of Malaysia Airlines MH17 over Ukraine, the Federal Aviation Administration has issued a Notice to Airmen prohibiting U.S. carriers from flying over the eastern part of that country. The new direction expands the area prohibited to U.S. airlines in April, when the FAA ordered them to avoid the Crimean region of Ukraine and adjacent areas of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

The Federal Aviation Administration last week proposed new standards for flight simulators used to train pilots. Those standards will include replicating the kind of stall that occurred in February 2009 as air speed slowed dangerously and Capt. Marvin D. Renslow took the exact opposite action the situation required. As a consequence, Flight 3407 plummeted to the ground, crashing into a house and killing all 49 people on board, including Renslow, and one person in the house.

Airlines, Industry and Labor

Southwest Airlines reported 28.8% more passenger activity at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., in May on a year-over-year basis. The carrier recently picked up slots at DCA, and plans to eventually expand to 44 daily flights from the airport.

American Airlines has eliminated its fuel hedges, adopting a policy from US Airways. "Just like any insurance, you figure out what the cost of that insurance is," said CFO Derek Kerr. "And our belief has been that because of the volatility of fuel, the cost of the insurance far outweighs the benefit of that insurance."

Alaska Air Group put out a brief 8-K filing Monday saying that Glenn S. Johnson, president of its regional unit, Horizon Air Industries, plans to retire Sept. 1. That includes his job as executive vice president of Alaska Air Group.

Mechanics Dispatch - July 21, 2014

July 21, 2014

UAL GE/Facilities Maintenance Committee Meets

On Tuesday, July 15th the national GSE and Facilities committee representing sub United mechanics met in Houston. The meeting started at 8am and continued through the day with a working lunch as there were many topics discussed.

The committee sat down with Rob Walker of Corporate Real Estate to discuss what has transpired with the awarding of contracts around the system. The committee pressed Walker with the need to be involved early in the process of facility overhauls to ensure the scope of the projects does not violate the scope of the collective bargaining agreement. The company agreed that using LOA 25 of the sUAL agreement would be an effective tool in overseeing this work. As a result the local committees will be working with the local CRE contacts to ensure the CBA is adhered to properly.

The committee also discussed the current state of facilities maintenance and the challenges that lie ahead. Due to reporting to airport operations for a very long time, many things were neglected including training and staffing. The company shared its plan with the committee to move the facilities maintenance group forward. The company plans to increase training and implement tools similar to fleet focus that is currently used in the GSE shops. Fleet focus led to an increase in manpower at many stations and has also shown areas that the company needed to improve. It is believed that using this approach will be a benefit to the membership.

Other items discussed were the Chelsea facilities, Field Trips, LAX and EWR facilities reviews as well as the BAQ list.

At the end of the meeting it was determined that the sCO GSE/Facilities group should join in the next session. The next meeting should occur in the fall of this year. The committee members in attendance for this session were Ken Meidinger- Local 455, Allen Cosides - Local 210, Scott Baroni - Local 781, Greg Sullivan - Local 986 (SFO) and Dion Cornelious - Local 986 (LAX).

Joining the committee were Jay Koreny - Local 210 and Bob Fisher from the IBT.

TAMC Submits Comments on FAA Drug Testing Requirements at Foreign MRO’s

In comments submitted to the FAA today, the TAMC called for a single standard for drug testing programs for both foreign and domestic repair stations. The TAMC is recommending 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,” said Moore. 

Click here to read the full story. 

Click here to read the full comments submitted to the FAA.

Chris Moore Interviewed on “The Union Edge”

Following the release of the comments to the FAA, International Rep Chris Moore was interviewed by Charles Showalter on The Union Edge on July 17th. The complete interview can be found hereunder the title Teamsters Push FAA To Drug Test. The interview starts at the 5:10 minute mark and ends at the 14:45 minute mark. Please take the time to listen to this interview and share it with your friends and family.

More information about The Union Edge can be found here. 

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.

Useful Links

If you would like to see a link added to this list please contact Bob Fisher at: rcfisher7@yahoo.com

The following Locals represent these respective cities:

Boston Local 25

New York & Washington Local 210

Charleston & Atlanta Local 528

Miami, Ft. Lauderdale Tampa & Orlando Local 769

Cleveland Local 964

Chicago Local 781

Houston, Dallas & New Orleans Local 19

Phoenix Local 104

Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Hawaii & Guam Local 986

San Francisco Local 856/986

Denver Local 455

The Cranky Flier - Blaming United's Problems On Continental Is Exactly The Problem

An interesting article from a blogger. You can read the article here.

Why Collective Bargaining Is a Fundamental Human Right

The ability for ordinary working people to organize and collectively bargain over their wages and working conditions is a fundamental human right. It is a right just as critical to a democratic society as the right to free speech and the right to vote. 

Over the last 30 years many in corporate America and the big Wall Street banks have conducted a sustained attack on that human right. Unionization dropped from 20.1 percent of the workforce in 1983 to 11. 3 percent in 2013 -- and the results are there for everyone to see.

During that period productivity and Gross Domestic Product per capita both increased by roughly 80 percent in America. But the wages of ordinary Americans have remained stagnant. Virtually all of the fruits of that increased productivity have gone to the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans.

No wonder the gang on Wall Street opposes unions.

That fact that all of the productivity gains went to the top 1 percent is not the result of an immutable law of nature. When unions represented a quarter of the private sector workforce, a larger and larger percentage of the total economic pie flowed into the pockets of ordinary Americans -- and the result was the world's most vibrant middle class.

The simple fact is that absent government regulation and collective bargaining agreements, the market by itself does not assure that everyone shares in the fruits of society's increased economic productivity. In fact, we know that just the opposite is true.

This is not surprising. The power relationship between the owners of capital and millions of individual employees is completely imbalanced in favor of big corporations and banks.

Everyone with a modicum of employment experience knows that most ordinary employees cannot individually "bargain" over their wages. In order to have a negotiation between two equal partners, employees must organize unions and bargain collectively. Otherwise the wages of everyday Americans will continue to stagnate, and the wealth of the 1 percent will continue to explode.

The share of income of the top one-thousandth of the population increased from 2 percent to nearly 10 percent in the last several decades. The portion of income received by the top 10 percent went from 33 percent in 1970 to 47 percent in 2010. These are the highest levels of income inequality since the '20s.

And the concentration of wealth in the hands of the very rich is higher today than at any time since before the Great Depression. The top 10 percent now owns over 70 percent of all wealth. The top 1 percent owns almost 35 percent of all wealth -- while the bottom 50 percent owns 2 percent.

Left to itself, the laissez faire market place would naturally lead to even more concentration of income and wealth in the hands of the very rich. And that would mean that the economy as a whole would almost certainly stagnate and crash once again.

That's because it is economic common sense that if ordinary workers produce more and more products and services per hour, but their wages don't go up in proportion to their increased productivity -- there will be more and more products and services, but no customers with the money in their pockets to buy all of those new products and services.

That's a simple truism that Henry Ford understood when he vowed to pay his workers enough so they could afford to buy the cars they produced.

Democratic societies cannot long endure this increasing inequality. And there are only two effective treatments for the cancer of increasing inequality:

• Government action -- increases in the minimum wage and a return to fair tax rates on the wealthy -- and especially on the accumulation of capital;
• A massive increase in the percentage of the labor force that exercises its right to collectively bargain its wages.

Last week, the United States Supreme Court made a decision actually aimed at weakening the human right to collectively bargain wages and working conditions. Their decision held that home care workers -- who were miserably exploited before they joined a union just 10 years ago -- could not be "forced" to pay a "fair share" contribution to support the collective bargaining that had resulted in doubling of their pay.

In fact, of course, this decision had nothing whatsoever to do with the freedom of the home care workers to opt out of paying union dues. It had everything to do with trying to weaken public sector unions that are the only portion of the labor movement that has materially grown (to represent 35 percent of the public sector work force) over the last 30 years.

It is completely fair that workers who choose a union to represent them with a democratic vote should also be obligated to pay for the cost of negotiating and administering a labor contract. The same, after all, is true of ordinary citizens who democratically elect a city government. Even if you voted against the Mayor and city council, you still have to pay taxes to the city. Otherwise lots of people would simply enjoy the benefits of receiving the public goods produced by city government -- or a union contract -- without paying their share of the costs.

This Supreme Court case was brought by the National "Right to Work" Committee -- whose goal is a "union-free environment." Their contributors include some of the wealthiest people in America who want to continue to be able to siphon off all of the increases in productivity in our economy without being required to share anything with ordinary Americans or pay a living wage. They understand that their best bet to achieve that goal is to limit the right to collective bargaining. Luckily ordinary Americans are waking up to their game.

Last year the number of private sector workers in unions rose by 281,000 over the year previous. Unfortunately, this increase was partially offset by a reduction of 118,000 public sector workers in unions. The public sector decline resulted from political actions by Republican State Legislators and Governors like Scott Walker in Wisconsin -- which helps explain why the National Right to Work Committee is so keen on weakening public sector unions.

But public sector unions are organizing to push back with aggressive new organizing drives to enlist more rank and file workers. And in the private sector we've seen massive new organizing campaigns -- especially in the service sector that is the fastest growing component of the economy. For example, fast food workers have organized the "fight for $15" per hour and a union.

And there is now a robust national campaign to raise the minimum wage that is supported by almost 70 percent of Americans.

Increasingly, ordinary Americans understand who is on their side -- and who is not.

Luckily for American working people, the Supreme Court's decision will likely only strengthen the resolve of an increasingly creative labor movement to assert the right to collective bargaining -- and to demand that ordinary people once again begin receiving a fair share of the fruits of America's growing productivity.

According to Bloomberg News, the nation's 100 top paid CEO's make from 299 to 1,795 times as much as their average employees. One of them actually makes $65,000 per hour. These numbers have skyrocketed over the last 30 years.

Bruce Rauner, who is running for Governor in Illinois, proudly describes himself as being part of the .01 percent. He made $25,000 per hour in 2012 -- and then had the audacity to propose that the Illinois minimum wage of $8.25 be reduced to the current national minimum wage of $7.25. So much for a sense of perspective from the CEO class.

Some pundits and columnists have bought the notion that is propagated by these CEO's that labor unions are "so 20th century." Oh, they say, we might have needed unions at one time to address problems like child labor and 80-hour work weeks -- but not in the modern "information" age.

It is of course true that organized labor not only massively increased salaries for ordinary employees through collective bargaining. Unions also organized for -- and won -- the minimum wage, the 40-hour work week, the weekend, paid sick days, vacation pay, and an end to child labor. In other words, labor unions brought America the middle class.

Now the middle class is in jeopardy, precisely because of the Wall Street's war on collective bargaining.

In fact, given the skyrocketing inequality in the distribution of the fruits of an increasingly productive economy, it should to be clear to anyone who is mildly conscious that we need labor unions and collective bargaining now more than ever.

America is richer now than at any time in its history. It is the wealthiest society in the history of humanity. But the wages of most ordinary people have not increased for 30 years. Time to wake up and smell the coffee -- and do something about it.

America needs a massive new social movement to demand that every worker in every job have the right to organize collectively. Every worker should have the right to be in a union in exactly the same way that every American has the right to vote. That is the only way to empower ordinary people to effectively demand their fair share of the fruits of our economy.

The right to freedom of association - and to collectively bargain wages and working conditions -- is a foundational principle of every democratic society on earth. That right is rooted in the United States' Bill of Rights, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations, Conventions 87 and 98 of the International Labour Organization, and Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

It's time for us to make the right to join a union and bargain collectively the keystone of the progressive agenda.

After all, collective bargaining is the fundamental cure to the growing inequality that threatens to destroy the middle class and eats away at the very foundation of our democratic society.

________________

Robert Creamer is a long-time political organizer and strategist, and author of the book: Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win, available on Amazon.com. He is a partner in Democracy Partners and a Senior Strategist for Americans United for Change. Follow him on Twitter @rbcreamer.

Airline Division Week In Review - July 13, 2014

uly 14, 2014

Airline Industry News

Governmental and Regulatory

The Federal Aviation Administration's  recent efforts to clarify and define its role in regulating the use of model aircraft has some hobbyists upset about what they see as the agency's overreaction to a couple of unusual incidents.

Airlines, Industry and Labor

Boeing is close to sealing deals with as many as four airlines for its 747-8, sources say, a move that would give a needed boost to the plane's production rate. Boeing is working to make the production process on the 747-8 faster and more efficient while keeping costs down.

United Continental Holdings reported a 3.5% increase in passenger revenue per available seat mile for the second quarter on domestic and Pacific routes. United shares rose 6.7% on the news.

Southwest Airlines stepped in to transport World War II and Korean War veterans home to St. Louis after their Honor Flight was diverted to another airport. Southwest dispatched another aircraft and called in a crew to fly the veterans home from Washington, D.C., on the same day instead of making them wait for a flight on the following day.

Boeing Co. joined Japanese carriers and the University of Tokyo in an initiative to produce aviation biofuel. Because of limited crops in the country, Japan is looking at biofuel derived from algae and household waste to power aircraft by 2020.

United Airlines and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers came to an agreement to keep jobs at Hawaii airports. The deal will allow more than 200 ground workers to keep their positions. United spokeswoman Christen David also said the carrier plans to add 36 positions to the airport in Honolulu.

The Boeing Company’s newly released industry forecast calls for 36,770 new airplanes over the next 20 years, a 4.2% increase compared with last year's forecast. Boeing expects 25,680 of those new aircraft to be single-aisle planes.

Mechanics Dispatch July 13, 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 standalone 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.

Collective Bargaining is a Fundamental Human Right

Thanks to Chief Steward Mike Albertin from SFO for forwarding this article. It is an interesting read and explains a big reason of the erosion of the middle class. Here is the link;http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-creamer/why-collective-bargaining_b_5570047.html

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.

Useful links

If you would like to see a link added to this list please contact Bob Fisher at: rcfisher7@yahoo.com

The following Locals represent these respective cities:

Boston Local 25

New York & Washington Local 210

Charleston & Atlanta Local 528

Miami, Ft. Lauderdale Tampa & Orlando Local 769

Cleveland Local 964

Chicago Local 781

Houston, Dallas & New Orleans Local 19

Phoenix Local 104

Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Hawaii & Guam Local 986

San Francisco Local 856/986

Denver Local 455