UPDATE January 1st,
Should read "we lost ten people". In my blurry eyed confusion I missed one on the spreadsheet. The most senior bumped person from IAD is still April 1991.
Hello All,
Sorry for the delay in this report. The reason for the delay was that the count went on into the early AM EST. As soon as the preliminary count was finished I called back but the afternoon shift had left and there was no one answering the phones. After the count I jumped on the red eye and had no chance to get to a computer until this morning. Most of the affected members were emailed at that point. Unfortunately we lost nine people in the secondary round. The seniority went back to 1991.
There were 28 openings at IAD when it was all said and done. These openings were filled quickly by people from all over the country. I was surprised by the large number of people willing to follow the job. We have several people coming from the west coast.
I am waiting for a final count that may change slightly due to voluntary furloughs, but I was unaware of any requests from IAD.
That's all for now,
Bob
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
No news yet
Hi Guys,
We are still waiting for the company to finalize some issues before they present the shakedown to the IBT. There are Reps here from ORD, LAX, DEN, and SFO waiting to review the company's work. At this point they are telling us they should be ready about 5:30pm San Fran time.
Bob
We are still waiting for the company to finalize some issues before they present the shakedown to the IBT. There are Reps here from ORD, LAX, DEN, and SFO waiting to review the company's work. At this point they are telling us they should be ready about 5:30pm San Fran time.
Bob
Friday, December 26, 2008
Weekly report 12-26-08
Hello Everyone,
I have started a new website at www.rcfisher.org. The website will be a supplement to the blog. The blog will be the primary news source for now. I was unable to host documents or pictures on the blog, so the website will handle those items. For now the website has contract proposal forms, many mechanic contracts and the online first step grievance form. If you would like to see something added to the site let me know. I hope you find these tools helpful.
This week a couple of second steps were closed out because after further review there was no merit to move them forward. I would like you all to be aware that the company is looking at each form closely because they have lost several thousand dollars worth of bypass grievances lately. They are attempting to deny grievances that are incomplete by pushing us past the thirty day limit and telling us we are too late. We can all avoid this if when speaking to a Steward about a grievance we remember the five W's. They are who, what, why, where, and when. If you have researched a possible bypass and have as much information as possible to turn over to the Steward, the chances of winning your grievance are much better. I have been guilty of this as well as everyone else. We have had an easy time at IAD of getting grievances paid with little effort on our part, but that is changing. Please remember that any grievance should be treated as if it has the potential to go to arbitration.
In MM this week two grievances were moved up to the second step for discipline issues. It is my opinion that there were mitigating factors that the company failed to take into consideration. Also I will be traveling to San Francisco on Monday and meeting with Mark Prpich and several other Grievance Coordinators to do the system shakedown. Anyone affected here will have a layoff date of January 24th. I will call back on Tuesday in the afternoon to let you know how many members will be secondarily bumped from here.
In GQ/PV there were some problems with the final checks. I will be proceeding with a grievance on this issue as it is unreasonable to have to wait for money the company owes you after you are laid off. Eric Harger is working with the station manager on an attempt to in-source some more work. The preliminary ideas are sound, and hopefully the company is starting to listen to our ideas. The recent development from the Chicago meetings gives me some hope that they are listening.
I have received letters from both my Senators regarding the TAA/ATAA issue, and they were both positive. To date I have not heard back from Speaker Pelosi, Leader Reid, or the President Elects transition team but I will let you know when I do.
The Southwest mechanics got a tentative agreement from a modified section six negotiation according to the AMFA National website. They did well on the money but had to give up language to get raises. An article on the tentative can be found here.
That's all for this week,
Bob
I have started a new website at www.rcfisher.org. The website will be a supplement to the blog. The blog will be the primary news source for now. I was unable to host documents or pictures on the blog, so the website will handle those items. For now the website has contract proposal forms, many mechanic contracts and the online first step grievance form. If you would like to see something added to the site let me know. I hope you find these tools helpful.
This week a couple of second steps were closed out because after further review there was no merit to move them forward. I would like you all to be aware that the company is looking at each form closely because they have lost several thousand dollars worth of bypass grievances lately. They are attempting to deny grievances that are incomplete by pushing us past the thirty day limit and telling us we are too late. We can all avoid this if when speaking to a Steward about a grievance we remember the five W's. They are who, what, why, where, and when. If you have researched a possible bypass and have as much information as possible to turn over to the Steward, the chances of winning your grievance are much better. I have been guilty of this as well as everyone else. We have had an easy time at IAD of getting grievances paid with little effort on our part, but that is changing. Please remember that any grievance should be treated as if it has the potential to go to arbitration.
In MM this week two grievances were moved up to the second step for discipline issues. It is my opinion that there were mitigating factors that the company failed to take into consideration. Also I will be traveling to San Francisco on Monday and meeting with Mark Prpich and several other Grievance Coordinators to do the system shakedown. Anyone affected here will have a layoff date of January 24th. I will call back on Tuesday in the afternoon to let you know how many members will be secondarily bumped from here.
In GQ/PV there were some problems with the final checks. I will be proceeding with a grievance on this issue as it is unreasonable to have to wait for money the company owes you after you are laid off. Eric Harger is working with the station manager on an attempt to in-source some more work. The preliminary ideas are sound, and hopefully the company is starting to listen to our ideas. The recent development from the Chicago meetings gives me some hope that they are listening.
I have received letters from both my Senators regarding the TAA/ATAA issue, and they were both positive. To date I have not heard back from Speaker Pelosi, Leader Reid, or the President Elects transition team but I will let you know when I do.
The Southwest mechanics got a tentative agreement from a modified section six negotiation according to the AMFA National website. They did well on the money but had to give up language to get raises. An article on the tentative can be found here.
That's all for this week,
Bob
Friday, December 12, 2008
Weekly report 12-12-08
I am going on vacation next week so it is likely there will be no report unless something dramatic happens.
This morning on CNBC Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania talked about the breakdown in the auto bailout. What he said was interesting, noting that while UAW workers would have been required to accept wage and benefit concessions executives would have been immune. He further said if salaries were truly the issue and a Japanese model was to be copied then the brass at these companies would need to be tied to a ten to fifteen times salary of the lowest paid workers. Whether you are for or against the bailout it is clear the Republican party still has the blue collar workers clearly in their sights.
A Craft meeting will be held on January the 14th in conference room B of the airport managers office. The times will be 8:30am, 12:30pm and 3:00pm. The agenda will include contract proposals as well as a report on outstanding grievances.
This week we were told that the ACA hangar would be almost impossible to modify for wide-body use. However Tim Canavan was here on Thursday and told us they still like the facility and plan on building a wide-body hangar adjacent to the current facility. Tim told us he thought we would be in this new facility around October, and Don Burbank said he felt it would be more towards the end of 2009. Don and Tim both also briefed us that there is a potential for increased international flying out of Dulles beginning in the summer months. Several cities are currently being studied according to them.
Several members brought forth concerns about this years vacation rules in MM. To address these issues I have formed a vacation committee. The members of this committee are for days Tony Urso, swings Jay Koreny, and mids Jim Forner. If you have ideas regarding vacation rule changes please pass them onto these members. I have also learned of an issue with the PV vacation rules and will be happy to do the same for this group if there is an interest.
Today we had our weekly conference call of Business Agents and Grievance Coordinators. We learned that the leaders of the IBT met with the DOT transition team and they discussed issues that were important to the membership including outsourcing. The IBT leadership felt this meeting went very well. We also discussed the system shakedown and several of us will be present during the process in San Francisco on December 30th. Contract proposal forms have been sent out and I have re-attached the forms to this letter.
In MM I tried to get a third step hearing scheduled regarding the previous layoff, but I continue to get pushback from the company. At this point our legal counsel would like to review all third steps and formulate a plan moving forward.
No hearing has yet been scheduled for the lead opening grievance in PV but I will attempt to get this done around the beginning of the year. An issue was also brought to my attention regarding the misuse of the 59 day temporary assignment in PV. At this point that issue appears to be resolved.
For GQ this week there was an issue with the RDO bid forms but a resolution was reached and the company is working to correct this. There was also issues with the final paychecks for the members bumped in the December round but it looks like Greg Pinelli was able to get this problem resolved.
As you know negotiations will be starting soon. It is my opinion that these negotiations will be lengthy and hard fought. With that in mind now is the time to begin to prepare for the possibility of a strike action on this company. What can you do and why is it important? The most important thing you can do for yourself and the membership is to pay down your debt and begin to build an emergency fund. The reason this is so important is a cash strapped individual is less likely to honor a picket line than a person in better financial condition. If we show our resolve through preparation it sends a strong message to the company that we are serious about recovering what we have lost and making gains on top of that. A poorly prepared membership will not reap the benefits we so sorely require.
That's all for this week,
Bob
This morning on CNBC Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania talked about the breakdown in the auto bailout. What he said was interesting, noting that while UAW workers would have been required to accept wage and benefit concessions executives would have been immune. He further said if salaries were truly the issue and a Japanese model was to be copied then the brass at these companies would need to be tied to a ten to fifteen times salary of the lowest paid workers. Whether you are for or against the bailout it is clear the Republican party still has the blue collar workers clearly in their sights.
A Craft meeting will be held on January the 14th in conference room B of the airport managers office. The times will be 8:30am, 12:30pm and 3:00pm. The agenda will include contract proposals as well as a report on outstanding grievances.
This week we were told that the ACA hangar would be almost impossible to modify for wide-body use. However Tim Canavan was here on Thursday and told us they still like the facility and plan on building a wide-body hangar adjacent to the current facility. Tim told us he thought we would be in this new facility around October, and Don Burbank said he felt it would be more towards the end of 2009. Don and Tim both also briefed us that there is a potential for increased international flying out of Dulles beginning in the summer months. Several cities are currently being studied according to them.
Several members brought forth concerns about this years vacation rules in MM. To address these issues I have formed a vacation committee. The members of this committee are for days Tony Urso, swings Jay Koreny, and mids Jim Forner. If you have ideas regarding vacation rule changes please pass them onto these members. I have also learned of an issue with the PV vacation rules and will be happy to do the same for this group if there is an interest.
Today we had our weekly conference call of Business Agents and Grievance Coordinators. We learned that the leaders of the IBT met with the DOT transition team and they discussed issues that were important to the membership including outsourcing. The IBT leadership felt this meeting went very well. We also discussed the system shakedown and several of us will be present during the process in San Francisco on December 30th. Contract proposal forms have been sent out and I have re-attached the forms to this letter.
In MM I tried to get a third step hearing scheduled regarding the previous layoff, but I continue to get pushback from the company. At this point our legal counsel would like to review all third steps and formulate a plan moving forward.
No hearing has yet been scheduled for the lead opening grievance in PV but I will attempt to get this done around the beginning of the year. An issue was also brought to my attention regarding the misuse of the 59 day temporary assignment in PV. At this point that issue appears to be resolved.
For GQ this week there was an issue with the RDO bid forms but a resolution was reached and the company is working to correct this. There was also issues with the final paychecks for the members bumped in the December round but it looks like Greg Pinelli was able to get this problem resolved.
As you know negotiations will be starting soon. It is my opinion that these negotiations will be lengthy and hard fought. With that in mind now is the time to begin to prepare for the possibility of a strike action on this company. What can you do and why is it important? The most important thing you can do for yourself and the membership is to pay down your debt and begin to build an emergency fund. The reason this is so important is a cash strapped individual is less likely to honor a picket line than a person in better financial condition. If we show our resolve through preparation it sends a strong message to the company that we are serious about recovering what we have lost and making gains on top of that. A poorly prepared membership will not reap the benefits we so sorely require.
That's all for this week,
Bob
Friday, December 5, 2008
Weekly report 12-05-08
Today we had our weekly conference call. In addition to all of the system Business Agents and Grievance Coordinators, David Bourne the Airline Division Director and Ed Gleason our Legal Counsel were also on the call this week. David told us there would be a meeting in Chicago next week with the company to discuss the January layoffs. We were also told it appeared there would be Hearings on Capitol Hill regarding the aviation outsourcing issue in Representative Oberstar's committee. A link to this committee can be found here.
A couple of issues came up this week regarding "Consent Decree Seniority". The consent decree was entered in the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division and amended in 1976. This decree was issued because the company and the IAM were, according to the court, engaged in discriminatory behavior that denied minorities advancement opportunities within the company. The result of all of this for us is that Article X dealing with seniority largely no longer applies. The last two pages of the Agreement give a short synopsis of the decree. For most of us,anyone hired prior to July 2, 1965, decree seniority is used for purposes of layoff and recall. This is for both basic and premium classifications. Also adjusted company seniority for people that have worked in promoted positions are covered. I know this may be a little confusing, and if you have questions about it please give me a call.
I talked with Mark Prpich (San Francisco Labor Relations) this week and I will be flying out to San Francisco help with the system shakedown process. This will be on December 30th and when I have an idea who will be affected here I'll call back and let those people know. Mark and I discussed that it would be hard to determine, prior to going through the actual selection sheets, who will be affected here.
In MM today in briefing Supervisor Jim Hagan informed us that core samples are to be taken of the ACA hangar floor to give a better idea of what is needed for the floor upgrade. Also I got word that the ESS grievances that were filed were paid on the first step.
In GQ/PV this week the people affected by the Baltimore bumps will have their last day. I will be sending in their withdrawal card applications on Monday.
For those of you that do not know, I will be on the negotiating committee. With that said when you finish contract proposals you can turn them into the office. The sooner the better as I do not have an exact timeline when proposals are due. If you use the fill in form you can e-mail them to me as well. Anyone that has not received copies of the proposal forms let me know.
That's all for this week,
Bob
A couple of issues came up this week regarding "Consent Decree Seniority". The consent decree was entered in the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division and amended in 1976. This decree was issued because the company and the IAM were, according to the court, engaged in discriminatory behavior that denied minorities advancement opportunities within the company. The result of all of this for us is that Article X dealing with seniority largely no longer applies. The last two pages of the Agreement give a short synopsis of the decree. For most of us,anyone hired prior to July 2, 1965, decree seniority is used for purposes of layoff and recall. This is for both basic and premium classifications. Also adjusted company seniority for people that have worked in promoted positions are covered. I know this may be a little confusing, and if you have questions about it please give me a call.
I talked with Mark Prpich (San Francisco Labor Relations) this week and I will be flying out to San Francisco help with the system shakedown process. This will be on December 30th and when I have an idea who will be affected here I'll call back and let those people know. Mark and I discussed that it would be hard to determine, prior to going through the actual selection sheets, who will be affected here.
In MM today in briefing Supervisor Jim Hagan informed us that core samples are to be taken of the ACA hangar floor to give a better idea of what is needed for the floor upgrade. Also I got word that the ESS grievances that were filed were paid on the first step.
In GQ/PV this week the people affected by the Baltimore bumps will have their last day. I will be sending in their withdrawal card applications on Monday.
For those of you that do not know, I will be on the negotiating committee. With that said when you finish contract proposals you can turn them into the office. The sooner the better as I do not have an exact timeline when proposals are due. If you use the fill in form you can e-mail them to me as well. Anyone that has not received copies of the proposal forms let me know.
That's all for this week,
Bob
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