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27 Apr 2007 US
Airways Change of Control Lawsuit Ruling
14 Mar 2007 M & R
US Airways Update March 29, 2007 UAL Labor Coalition - UAL Management Compensation To: All IAM Members Employed by United Airlines Dear Sisters and Brothers: A coalition of four AFL-CIO Unions (ALPA, AFA-CWA, PAFCA, IFPTE)
and another organization (AMFA) have formed a coalition to protest
United Airlines’ management compensation and bonus programs. The IAM,
ALPA, AFA-CWA, PAFCA and IFPTE are already in a union coalition called
the AFL-CIO. Some unions, however, have chosen to form a new coalition
outside the AFL-CIO. The largest Union of UAL employees, the 20,000
IAM members of District Lodge 141, declined the invitation to join the
new coalition. Participation by the IAM in this coalition would have
required your Union to violate AFL-CIO union principles, doctrine and
official policy, which we refused to do. The other AFL-CIO Unions in
the coalition have chosen to violate AFL-CIO policy, and the AFL-CIO
will address the violations.
20 Dec 2006
US Airways
Transition Talks Update IAM Files to Represent All Stock Clerks at US Airways As the certified representative of the Stock Clerks at US Airways, the IAM has filed an application with the National Mediation Board (NMB) to represent all Stock Clerks at the carrier following its merger with America West Airlines. Stock Clerks from the former America West are currently represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Separately, the IAM is awaiting an NMB decision on whether an election will take place for the combined carrier’s Mechanic & Related employees. Former America West Mechanics are also currently represented by the Teamsters, and US Airways Mechanic & Related employees are represented by the IAM. The NMB ruled on June 28, 2006 that Stock Clerks are ineligible to vote in a Mechanical & Related election. The IAM immediately asked the NMB to determine if the Teamsters have submitted enough valid authorization cards to warrant a separate Stock Clerk election, but the Teamsters objected, prompting the new application. “It is our position that the NMB should have automatically certified the Machinists as the representative of the combined Stock Clerks so we could have quickly entered into negotiations to provide them with the benefits of the IAM National Pension Plan,” said Transportation GVP Robert Roach, Jr. “The Teamsters, having already interfered and delayed the process for Mechanic & Related employees, are now stalling progress for Stock Clerks.” The IAM is the certified representative for the combined Fleet Service group and their negotiations with US Airways have already begun.
US Airways MergerPage IAM Requests NMB to Act on US Airways Single Carrier Ruling America West Fleet Service Letter Re IAM Pension Plan
US Airways Emerges From Bankruptcy, IAM Files for NMB Ruling US Airways Health Plan Dependent Audit US Airways Merger Aim: Fair Workplace Integration US Airways - America West Merger Update The Merger - Straight Facts About your Future pdf US Airways - America West Merger Information US Airways Fleet Service Pensions in Jeopardy February 1, 2006 United Airlines Update - Finally! To: All IAM Members Employed by
United Airlines S.R. (Randy) Canale
Back To Top Dear Sisters and Brothers,
January 20, 2006 The IAM was back in court this
week to argue against United Airlines excessive and destructive
compensation plan for top executives. January 13, 2006 2359CST
District 143 and
Northwest Airlines have been working late into the night all week to
resolve our contract negotiations, and this evening we reached an
understanding with the Company whereby we will present Northwest’s
contract settlement proposal to the membership for your consideration.
Your NWA Negotiating
Committee
December 23, 2006 December 19, 2005 Dear Sisters and Brothers, As the holidays approach, I want to wish each of you and your families a safe and happy holiday season and thank you for your continued support. The last couple of years have been very difficult for those employed in the airline industry and particularly for our members at US Airways and their families. However, we fully believe that there is hope on the horizon and we can see some opportunities for positive change. The merger of US Airways and America West provides some challenges as well as opportunities for our members. Since the announcement of the merger your Union has met with US Airways in an effort to negotiate a Transition Agreement for the Mechanic and Related employees. These efforts have been stalled due to the Single Carrier question and the objections filed by the IBT. Our goals remained unchanged. We want a full, fair and equitable integration of seniority for all employees on US Airways and America West. We want US Airways mechanic and related employees to be allowed to utilize their seniority throughout the combined US Airways / America West system. We want our furloughed US Airways mechanic and related employees to be recalled when vacancies occur at either US Airways or America West and we want to address several important issues, including pay and pension benefits. These goals can be achieved through a Transition Agreement. In support of these goals and in addition to negotiating with the Company, the IAM filed a petition with the National Mediation Board to have the Board legally declare that US Airways and America West are, in fact, being operated as one single transportation system. Without this ruling US Airways can continue to take advantage of the weak scope clause in the current IBT / America West Agreement by continuing to operate the two companies’ separately. The reality is that the current US Airways Agreement has strong scope language that protects our work versus the IBT / America West Agreement with a weak scope clause that allows widespread outsourcing of mechanics’ work. This must be stopped. This is one of the reasons we have pressed the NMB for a decision legally declaring what everyone knows: US Airways and America West are being operated as a single transportation system. While we anticipate a decision by the NMB in early 2006, the objection filed by the IBT claiming the companies are not operationally merged has delayed the process. The IBT’s delaying tactics stand in the way of expanding job opportunities for the US Airways mechanic and related employees. As a practical matter, a finding that US Airways is the surviving carrier would enable the IAM to require US Airways to bring the outsourced America West maintenance work back in-house and to recall hundreds of laid off mechanic and related employees as a result. Rather than seeking to protect all employees on the newly merged system, the IBT in previous bulletins proposed to favor America West mechanics. The IBT’s proposal would allow America West mechanics to bump into any IAM represented stations. On the other hand, America West staffed stations will be “fenced” so that access to those jobs held by junior IBT – represented America West employees will be denied to US Airways mechanic and related employees. The IBT calls that fair and equitable, but under the IBT proposal, US Airways mechanic and related employees who are bumped or have their positions reduced could not exercise their seniority to displace an American West employee with less seniority. This is neither fair nor equitable. The IAM, by contrast, will apply in the same manner as it has in the past its merger policy, which has been repeatedly found to be fair and equitable, where date of entry into the classification controls without any restrictions. The current America West scope clause permits unlimited outsourcing while protecting certain America West employees. In other words, the America West Agreement protects some people, but does not protect or maintain the work. The IBT gave America West great latitude to outsource mechanics work. If the America West scope clause were to be applied to the current US Airways agreement, an unlimited amount of maintenance work could be outsourced along with any protection for the US Airways employees. Only a strong scope clause can insure job security. The IBT has made a series of promises this season that it cannot deliver. For instance, the IBT says if you sign a card and vote for the IBT, they will reopen the current US Airways agreement. Neither Section 6 of the Railway Labor Act nor bankruptcy law will permit them to do that, and they know it. The Teamsters won’t admit it, but their current America West agreement was used against our members to bring their wages down to an unacceptable level. You only have to look at US Airways bankruptcy court filings to see that the Company used the America West / IBT agreement in support of their argument that US Airways rules, wages and benefits were “too high”, and they needed to get down to the America West level in order to survive. The IBT has also taken the irresponsible and inconsistent position that signing a card is a no-lose proposition. That isn’t what they said at Continental when they were recently raided by AMFA. Here is what they put in their flyer, and I quote, “DON’T SIGN Signing a card could leave you without Union representation under the Railway Labor Act if an election were to take place and fewer than 50% plus one Continental mechanic and related employee voted you could end up without any Union representation. Without a Union, you could be at the mercy of Continental Management. That would mean: no bargaining rights, no seniority, no grievance procedure and no representation” “These are the IBT’s words not ours and they apply with equal force at US Airways” Even during these difficult times, the IAM has a viable and proven plan to improve the pension issue for the Mechanic and Related employees of US Airways. How? Through the outstanding IAM National Pension Plan. The IAM National Pension Plan is a strong, multi-employer plan that has grown to $7 billion dollars in assets and is celebrating its 45th anniversary. The plan pays out more than $300 million dollars in retirement benefits annually and, unlike the Teamsters plans is fully funded. (Learn more about the IAM National Pension Plan at www.iamnpf.org). We fully believe we can substantially improve our member’s pension benefits at a relatively modest cost to US Airways. This plan is already in place on US Airways property with the Maintenance Instructors and the Fleet Service employees. Let’s stand together through these difficult times. I wish you and your families a happy and safe holiday season.
William O'Driscoll December 12, 2005 US Airways-America West Integration Update Teamsters-CWA Reach Transition Agreement with US Airways Dear Sisters and Brothers, The Communications Workers of America (CWA) and International Brotherhood of Teamsters have reached a transition agreement with US Airways for the Customer Service Employees they propose to jointly represent. In the transition agreement, the Teamsters and CWA acknowledge the fact the full Section 6 contract negotiations will not occur as a result of the merger. The Agreement resolves pay differences between the two contracts and transitions America West workers into the existing US Airways-CWA agreement. The agreement also addresses how seniority integration will be handled. One aspect that should concern workers at both airlines is the provision stating that there will be no stapling of all the employees of one airline to the bottom of the seniority list of the other airline. By expressly stating that the stapling of all employees is prohibited, the stapling of an unspecified number of employees is not only permitted, but is apparently being contemplated by the parties. Unlike the Teamster’s ever-changing integration policy, the IAM’s position remains clear and consistent – integration should be based on an employee’s date of hire into the classification. This method is fair and unambiguous, which may be why the Teamsters refuse to agree to it. The Teamsters and CWA are asking the National Mediation Board to rule on their joint representation of Customer Service workers at the same time at least one of the parties, the Teamsters, are objecting to the IAM’s request to rule on representation for the combined airline’s Mechanic & Related workers. The IAM is also negotiating a transition agreement with US Airways, but the objection from the Teamsters is holding up the process. It is the Machinists Union’s opinion that since America West workers will be covered by the terms of a transition agreement they should be active participants in the process. The Teamsters’ delay tactics are preventing current America West representatives from attending and participating in the IAM’s negotiations, but the IAM cannot reach a transition agreement without the participation of America West Mechanic & Related representatives. Their experience and knowledge of the America West agreement is valuable to the employees at both carriers. The Teamsters’ interference is preventing the final resolution of any pay disparities between the work groups and participation in the IAM National Pension Plan (NPP) by the Mechanic & Related workers at the combined carrier. As the IAM has previously stated, we are proposing that US Airways contribute into the NPP on behalf of Mechanic & Related employees of the combined airline. However, under NPP rules, a company must contribute a negotiated rate for at least 1,600 hours annually on behalf of a participant in order for the participant to receive a full year’s credit. Less than 1,600 hours will earn only a partial benefit. If US Airways does not begin contributing to the NPP by March of 2006, the combined group of Mechanic & Related employees must wait until 2007 to receive their first full year’s credit. Unfortunately, the Teamsters have stalled negotiations in an attempt to squeeze a few months more dues from America West Mechanics. Any talk of the Teamsters negotiating their own pension plan is a joke. No airline will agree to participate in any Teamster multi-employer plan because their gross underfunding creates an enormous liability for contributing employers. The IAM’s strong scope language will
also force maintenance the Teamsters allow America West to export to The only party that benefits from delaying the process is US Airways. The Machinists Union is ready to work with America West Mechanic representatives to conclude transition negotiations so the combined Mechanic & Related workforce can benefit from the resolution of wage disparities, participate in a defined benefit pension plan and begin the recall of hundreds of US Airways workers. All we need is for the Teamsters to stop delaying the process. In Solidarity,
William O'Driscoll
Full Text of AM Objection pdf
685KB December 12, 2005 US Airways Integration Update
To the membership: As relayed on the September 20, 2005 update, the appeal of the unemployment case this lodge was handling was in favor of the claimant, the member. This ruling reverses the decision of the Appeals Referee which ruled the member disqualified from receiving unemployment insurance benefits. Based on the oral arguments on points of law which were presented in front of the full commission at a hearing conducted on August 29, 2005 in Raleigh, North Carolina, the conclusions of law, as written in its entirety, on Commission Decision No. 05(OA) 3340 are as follows: “In the present case, the competent and credible evidence contained in the hearing record supports the facts as found by the Commission. The Commission concludes from the competent and credible evidence and the facts found there from that the claimant left work with good cause attributable to the employer. The Appeals Referee erred when he failed to distinguish between the decision to quit and how the decision was implemented. That is, the claimant’s decision to quit his employment was made because of the adverse changes in his employment terms. The employer provided a method (the “Voluntary Separation Program”) by which the claimant could communicate and implement his decision to quit. The permanent and unilateral reduction in the claimant’s hourly wage, standing alone, met the definition of good cause attributable to the employer for leaving work as defined in G.S. §96-14(1c). In addition, all of the adverse actions, considered as a whole, met the general definition of good cause attributable to the employer for leaving work. The Appeals Referee again erred in only applying the statutory provision related to the permanent and unilateral reduction in the claimant’s hourly wage”. “Based on the foregoing, Appeals Decision No. O–L–10115 must be reversed. Furthermore, the claimant must be held not disqualified from receiving unemployment insurance benefits”. This decision will become final 30 days after mailing unless Judicial Review is perfected (Appealed). Any members which accepted the company’s separation package who were disqualified from receiving unemployment insurance benefits, or are receiving benefits which U.S. Airways is appealing, can reference this Commission Decision No. at their appeals hearing. If your claim is denied, you have ten days from the date your notice was mailed to you to appeal that decision. Hopefully the employment security commission will implement this ruling for any claims from U S Airways IAM Mechanic and Related members who chose to separate from the company because of the unilateral 16 to 19 percent pay reduction. If there are any questions on this issue that I may be of assistance with, please don’t hesitate to contact me at the local lodge, or by e-mail.
Fraternally, |
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