Teamsters to Provide Contract Modeling Services to USAPA
Following recent meetings in Washington with representatives of the US Airways Pilots Association (USAPA), Airline Division Director Captain David Bourne has announced that the Airline Division will assist in contract modeling for USAPA.
“As part of our Alliance Agreement, we are pleased to be able to offer our support to our USAPA brothers and sisters,” said Director Bourne. “The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is fortunate to have considerable expertise in contract and economics that combined with other departments who are well versed in the RLA can provide unparalleled support to USAPA,” he continued. “The recent body of work that has resulted in the new Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement for the Atlas Air and Polar Air Cargo crewmembers is an example of how solid foundation work can lead to substantial gains in a contract,” he concluded.
Airline Division Conducts Training for Representatives
As part of a continuing program to provide Local leadership with the tools they need to provide effective representation, the Airline Division recently conducted a training seminar in Washington, DC at IBT Headquarters.
Following a welcome and introduction by Division Director David Bourne, the participants engaged in two days of intensive training and workshops designed to provide them with a solid understanding of the legal framework of the Railway Labor Act as it affects pilots, as well as collective bargaining strategies, scope issues, committee structure and conduct.
Additionally, presentations were made regarding the legislative lobbying presence of the Airline Division and IBT on airline issues in front of Congress, the current state and expectations for the economy and how these areas affect such critical contractual issues as health care, benefits and pensions.
Commenting on the success of the seminar, Assistant Airline Division Director Steve Nagrotsky said, “What was discussed during this seminar is just a small portion of the services we have available to the membership. Our job is to ensure that these tools and others are available anytime a Local needs them. We are very pleased with the outcome of this seminar and look forward to providing these services to anyone in the division who would like them.”
“Our responsibility is to provide the best in membership services to each Local and member of the Airline Division. We have made great strides in the past two years and thanks to a great team of dedicated trade unionists here, we will continue to improve and refine those services,” commented Division Director Bourne.
In Memoriam
Nicholas R. Cerretani II, a pilot for Atlas Air (Local 1224) passed away from injuries sustained in a plane crash on November 19, 2010 in Boulder at the age of 33. Nick received his BA in business from Ithaca College and had a lifelong love of aviation. “Despite Nick’s only having joined Atlas earlier this year, his professionalism was immediately apparent to anyone who met him,” said Atlas Air TEC co-chairman Captain Steven Richards. “Nick had quickly gained the respect of those who flew with him, and they also enjoyed his sense of humor, his smile and joy of life. His untimely passing is a shock to all of us and we know an unimaginable loss to his family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them in this sad time.”
Funeral services were held Tuesday November 23, 2010. Memorial contributions may be made to Defenders of Wildlife 1425 Market St. #225 Denver, CO 80202. Please go to www.cristmortuary.com to leave condolences for the family.
The Airline Division offices will be closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday until Monday, November 29th.
Week In Review News Items
November 24, 2010
Labor Developments
More than 200 pilots plan to picket near Bush Intercontinental Airport today to oppose United Airlines' outsourcing of some flying jobs to smaller airlines. Beginning in January, a regional carrier will fly some United routes from Continental Airlines' hubs of Houston and Newark, N.J. The Air Line Pilots Association union says the move violates Continental's contract with its pilots…and another group of Delta Air Lines employees has voted against unionization, the third such outcome this month and an indication that unions did not gain as much support from workers as organizers hoped after its merger with Northwest.
Airport Screening
TSA decided to let flight attendants join pilots in bypassing the backscatter body scanners, the so-called "naked machines"…reacting against the current program of body-imaging scans and aggressive body pat-downs at airports, 48 percent of Americans, and 42 percent of frequent fliers, say they will choose an alternative to air travel whenever possible, according to a new poll by Zogby International. Overall, 61 percent of 2,032 likely voters polled from Nov. 19 to Nov. 22 oppose the use of full body scans and the current form of TSA pat downs…meanwhile the companies with multimillion-dollar contracts to supply American airports with body-scanning machines more than doubled their spending on lobbying in the past five years and hired several high-profile former government officials to advance their causes in Washington, government records show.
Legislative, Safety & Regulatory
Should babies be buckled into a safety seat on airplanes instead of sitting in their parents’ laps? It’s a question that has been bandied about for years. Now it is about to resurface in a forum on child passenger safety to be held Dec. 9 in Washington by the National Transportation Safety Board. The independent federal agency, which investigates transportation accidents and promotes safety, has long pushed for a rule requiring that all passengers be properly restrained in a separate seat, including children under 2 years old…Qantas Airways will resume flying some Airbus A380 superjumbos this week, giving Rolls-Royce a boost after the mid-flight failure of one of its engines forced an emergency landing this month. The decision follows rigorous inspections on Rolls Trent 900 engines — conducted by Qantas, Rolls-Royce and EADS unit Airbus — which concluded the plane was safe to fly.
Airline Industry Finances & Structure
British Airways boss Willie Walsh has dismissed the threat from easyJet to BA’s dominance of the UK corporate travel market. EasyJet announced a move away from its no-frills policy for premium passengers last week with what amounts to a business class fare. But in an interview at the weekend Walsh suggested easyJet’s poor punctuality at its Gatwick base would make business travelers think twice about flying with the airline.
Miscellaneous
Continental Airlines veteran Dave Hilfman this summer was named senior vice president of worldwide sales for the new United Airlines, a role he assumed in October following the close of the United-Continental merger. Hilfman spoke last week with The Transnational about combining the two sales forces, integrating corporate contracts and working with antitrust-immune joint-venture partners. An excerpt of that conversation follows.