It's been a very busy year for all of us. Some of it was good and some not so much. As I write this the TA from 11-11 is being voted on by the membership. Whatever the decision of the membership, next year will also be a busy one for everyone.
If the TA passes we will move quickly to merge three agreements and seniority lists into one and we will also have many trials as new language is implemented. This agreement is as close to a first agreement as you could possibly come given the broad rewrite of the language. Two years ago I would not have thought it possible to achieve what has happened. Our contract was old and broken. We all know why, it started first with the concessions of the ESOP and then went through two hearings in the 1113c process that further gutted any protections we had. Now we stand on the verge of attaining that which would not be possible outside a merger situation. We may get a fresh start. In this last round of negotiations one of the negotiators said to me "we certainly know what doesn't work, its time to try something new". I couldn't agree more.
Of course the TA could fail. If that happens the work of trying to achieve a standalone agreement will continue. Either way it will be a busy year.
There will most likely be an update on the blog after the vote count on the 29th. In the mean time watch for updates in the Mechanics Dispatch. Speaking of which if you have a story you would like to see in the dispatch please forward it and I'll try to get it in.
I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
