Negotiations Update
The parties return to the table starting October 21st in Chicago under the direction of Gerry McGuckin from the NMB. At mediator McGuckin’s request, in advance of this weeks’ session there was some subcommittee work done in Chicago. Also as a part of this advance work, officials from TeamCare met with the company along with Business Agents from several Locals. The purpose of this last meeting was to explain the benefits that TeamCare offers, as well as to ask clarifying questions of the company in order for TeamCare to put together numbers for our committee to review. Based on Tuesday’s meeting the group from TeamCare is scheduled to meet with the negotiating and benefits committee on Monday the 20th. It will be determined after this upcoming meeting if the cost and benefits of TeamCare are worth pursuing as a proposal to the company moving forward.
EAP Committee Meets
On Tuesday the 14th, members of the EAP committee met with the company to discuss the program. The union EAP program started in the 1970’s on the sub UA side and during that time provided assistance to thousands of members on all manner of family and work issues. With that history in mind there was a discussion about what the program provided to this point. This led to a discussion on the future state of the program. The parties agreed that they must work collaboratively in order for the program to be successful. The union EAP committee defines success as being able to continue providing quality help to members when they need it. The meeting ended with the parties agreeing to continue the discussion on how to evolve the committee to meet the demands of the combined group of the three subsidiary carriers.
Safety Committees Meets
Immediately following the EAP committee meeting, the Flight and Ground safety committees met with the company. The meeting started with a discussion on how the safety committees operated in the past on the different subsidiary companies. Talks centered on the value added by the different programs. For clarity, the value discussed was not financial savings, but rather the safety outcomes the programs provided. This led to a healthy discussion on the future state of the combined committees. While the parties shared some of the same visions and concepts regarding safety, the final structure remains open. As with the EAP committee, the parties agreed to continue this discussion, which both sides agreed, was productive.
Airline Division Rep holds Impromptu Q&A in Chicago
On Monday October 13th AD Rep Bob Fisher met with Local Reps Mike Pecoraro and PT Thomas in the terminal at ORD. Mike asked if it would be possible for a visit with the members and Fisher agreed. Over the course of the next five and a half hours; Fisher, escorted by Mike and PT, visited with members at the terminal and hangar answering members’ questions on a wide range of issues. These included questions on seniority integration, arbitration and the progress of negotiations. Commenting on the tour, Fisher said, “While there is certainly a level of frustration with the length of the negotiations, the questions that were asked were well thought out. Overall the meetings were positive and there was some very good feedback. It was my privilege that you took the time to meet and talk with me and I truly appreciate it”.
Arbitration Update
As of this writing the Newark deicing case is in the hands of the arbitrator and the panel with the parties waiting on a written decision. The sub CAL medical arbitration is at the point where oral testimony and exhibits have closed and briefs have been submitted to the arbitrator. The arbitrator will schedule a conference of the panel in the upcoming weeks to make a ruling. On the sub UAL medical arbitration, oral testimony and exhibits closed on October 15th. Briefs are due two weeks after the transcripts are received. And finally, the resource utilization arbitration is scheduled to continue on December 17th in Newark.
UAL Responds to Concerns about Ebola Issues
In response to concerns raised by UAL/IBT Safety Chairman Ralph Ortiz to United management about the current concerns of preventing the accidental spread of the Ebola virus on United aircraft by passengers that may have exhibiting similar symptoms; UAL Director of Technical Operations and Ground Safety Ron Sims issued the following response:
Dear IBT Safety Leadership,
I’m responding to your concerns presented by Mr. Ralph Ortiz yesterday evening. I appreciate the shared passion for the safety of our employees as we confront the effects of the Ebola virus.
United Airlines has been in constant contact with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) for several months. We have been providing updates to the guidance via Flying Together on a regular basis and will continue to do so as we move forward. We are not sure why Mr. Ortiz couldn’t access it but it is currently fully functional and up to date with our latest information.
Several of your questions were directed towards the Infection Control Kits that we carry on our aircraft. These kits are intended to be used by inflight staff to clean up biohazards on the aircraft during flight. These kits are not designed for ground crews to use. Our cleaning department is resourced with the tools to clean and disinfect our aircraft as needed. In the case of a suspected Ebola contamination, United will follow all the CDC’s directions. We will contact the CDC, which will determine if there’s possible exposure to Ebola and will advise us of the steps we need to take. At the point that the CDC releases the aircraft from quarantine, a qualified vendor will clean the aircraft. Until the aircraft is deemed free of the virus, our ground service employees will not be expected to enter the aircraft. If the CDC determines the Ebola virus is not on board, the company will revert to our normal cleaning practices.
We are working very hard to keep employees consistently informed of everything we learn about the Ebola Virus. The Link on Flying Together is the one place that the most up-to-date information can be found. Together we can advise all of our employees that this is the most accurate information that we have of this date. Leading employees to this site ensures that everyone is getting the most up-to-date information.
We are checking on the questions regarding Blue Water to make sure that the virus dies in that environment. As soon as we get this guidance from the CDC we will share it with your team. In the meantime, please understand that in the event Ebola was to become present on one of our aircraft the lavatory system would be part of the hazmat cleanup. The Ground Safety Manual will be updated with CDC guidelines as they evolve and as necessary. We will also consider enhancing our training.
Again, confirmed cases of Ebola will not be managed by our represented employees. We will contract a qualified vendor to manage this problem.
Thank you for your patience and support,
Ron Sims
Director Technical Operations Ground Safety
Responding to the letter, TAMC Chairman Chris Moore said, “We appreciate United’s response in this important matter. The safety of our membership and the travelling public is something we take very seriously and we are pleased to see that United shares our concerns.”
International Representative Clacy Griswold commented, “We are very fortunate to have someone as dedicated to the safety of our members in the person of Ralph Ortiz. He has followed this situation very closely and done an outstanding job of coordinating with the Division and communicating our members concerns to United; who has responded in a manner that addresses our concerns for the situation.”
“I’m very pleased at the dedication of Ralph Ortiz in this matter and the response from United,” said Airline Division Director Captain David Bourne. “This is the type of approach we hope all carriers will adopt as we all adapt to this evolving situation. We will continue to coordinate with our members and Locals as information becomes available.”
All members urged to update their addresses
Members on furlough are advised to keep their addresses current with the company while on layoff. It is predicted that there will be many movements this year and there have been several members that have been removed from the seniority list because old addresses were on file when notices were sent.
If you are in touch with a furloughed member, please forward this information to them. Updates may be emailed to: [email protected] . The ESC will provide a fax number and ask members to send the address change accompanied with a signature.