General Items
It appears the NMB is seriously considering a change in the way Unions are certified. Unions are pushing for the change which would no longer require 50% plus 1 of eligible voters to cast ballots, but rather they would use the vote count of the eligible's to determine whether employees choose to become represented or not. The proposal would make the process the same as the way we elect public representatives to office now. As an example if a property has 100 employees where only 49 people vote and the outcome is 30 to 19 in favor of the Union, then the Union would be certified. As an aside for most public elections 49% would be considered a heavy turnout. This proposal would make it much easier to organize in the industry. This is a clear example of why voting is important as this past election determined the makeup of the Board. There are now two former Union officials sitting on the Board making these decisions. The reason for this is the President appoints the members of this board for terms of three years, with the consent of the Senate, and no more than two of the three can be from the same political party. Here is a description of that process. Last year under a different Board the TTD proposed these same rule changes when the Board Chairperson was the former chief lobbyist for Northwest Airlines and you can guess the outcome. Here is the story about it. This proposal would not change the number of employees needed to start an election process from what I understand so on an organized property you would still need 50% plus one of cards signed. It will be interesting to see how the Board rules on this.
Please be careful on the ramp. There were a couple of accidents this week and poor equipment, weather and congestion all played roles in these incidents. If you have equipment that does not perform the necessary functions such as defoggers, headlights, brakes, or is in a condition that renders it unsafe, do everyone a favor and red tag it. I understand that this could be a large majority of the equipment we use on a daily basis and the hardships that presents but it is better to go home in one piece than the hospital or worse. Article XXI K of the agreement provides for management rights under the agreement and they bear responsibility for the efficient operation of the airline. Article I and Article XX require the Company to provide a safe working environment utilizing reasonable work rules and conditions. I tell you this because the Company agreed to these terms and they should not be surprised when we ask them to abide by these rules. So, I repeat, please be safe and do not use defective equipment.
MM
It was a busy week in MM. All but one of the outstanding second steps was answered, and I am still reviewing those answers for possible appeal to the Joint Board.
With the Cabin Crew going to a ten hour schedule there will now be approximately 25 openings on the ten hour midnight shift. Those members that wish to remain on the midnight eight hour schedule may do so. Please ensure your ESS is updated as we will be meeting on the ninth to begin the movement process. For the Cabin Crew the Company is going to have a core group doing that work and will supplement as needed from the available manpower on any given night. So this will not be treated as a separate bid area.
GQ
I met with Greg this week and we discussed the current state of the shop. In addition I was informed by Dwayne that a formal investigation is to be conducted regarding tampering with security cameras.
PV
I met with Brandon to discuss outstanding grievances in the shop on Tuesday. When Steve left he was missing the first step for the Jetway roller outsourcing but he informed Brandon that the grievance had been filed in a timely manner and I will give him a copy of the original this week.
That's all for now,
Bob
