Union Mechanic Negotiators and UAL Continue Talks, Continued Progress Reported
Negotiations continued this week in Chicago as the parties worked to try and finalize the remaining open contract items. Significant progress was made towards the completion of an agreement that would ultimately serve as a transition agreement for the membership prior to the discussions for a merged agreement between UAL and CAL.
The parties are confident that they will be able to complete the discussions in the very near future.
Teamsters Join In Support of Wisconsin Workers
Teamsters from across Wisconsin and elsewhere are joining in support of the Wisconsin state workers under attack by the newly elected Governor, who is intent on pushing through union busting legislation designed as a “first shot” against all organized labor.
In a press release, International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa said, “It’s inspiring to see middle-class workers coming together to say they’ve had enough of this one-sided class war. Government workers didn’t cause Wisconsin’s budget problems and they don’t deserve to be punished for them. Gov. Walker’s proposal is a vindictive attack on people he views as his political enemies. He should be bringing people together to create good jobs in Wisconsin, not tearing the state apart in a crass attempt at political payback.”
Democratic senators left the Statehouse today so that Republicans couldn’t vote on the bill, which was filed six days ago, without a quorum. Hoffa praised the Democrats as courageous.
"Governor Walker is trying to make an end run around democracy,” Hoffa said. “Democratic senators took a stand for Wisconsin workers who won’t be denied a voice in the process. They stood up in the face of injustice.”
Greg Uselman, a Business Agent for Local 1224 and a Wisconsin resident is in Madison supporting the employees and his fellow citizens. “The first attack is focusing on "public" employees, forcing elimination and/or constraints on the collective bargaining rights of our brothers and sisters,” he said. “This thinly veiled big business attack on labor unfairly impacts state, county and municipal workers; incredibly claiming the pay and benefit packages of public employees is excessive. All reputable studies show public employees on average receive lower wages than their private sector counterparts. The new governor would have you believe the budget issues facing this state are the result of lucrative union contracts. The issues we face were caused by the Wall Street meltdown and poor fiscal planning, not any union contract.”
“Most egregious is the assault on union rights. The Bill the governor proposed strips the worker’s right to bargain anything other than pay rates, and that is limited to cost of living increases. If the law allows unlimited increases in the cost of benefits, pension and work rules, a cost of living increase will become a pay cut. The option of payroll deduction for collecting dues would be eliminated, and recertification of the union would be required annually,” Uselman continued.
“This union-busting budget proposal is the worst form of political payback,” Hoffa said. “Gov. Walker should be listening to middle-class workers in Wisconsin instead of shortsighted billionaires who don’t care about the long-term health of the state’s economy. The big corporations and the CEOs already have a big say about what goes on in Madison. Stripping government workers of their collective bargaining rights will silence their voices in the legislature and give even more power to the big corporate interests.” Hoffa noted that Walker’s political campaign received a $43,000 donation from Koch Industries, the oil conglomerate owned by Charles and David Koch, longtime union foes. Walker also received $5 million from the Republican Governors Association, which is funded by billionaire Rupert Murdoch and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
“Wisconsin’s economy was strong when people worked together and there was balance between management and labor,” Hoffa said. “That balance has already been undermined, and now Gov. Walker wants to destroy it.
“Make no mistake,” he said. “If private sector union members like each of us don't fight on behalf of our public union peers, our way of life will soon end. All the gains made over these many years will be lost. Our collective rights to bargain too will be on the line and our future wages, healthcare and pension security will be attacked yet again. If this attack on the public sector is not brought to a halt, we may be next.”
Join your Teamster brothers and sisters in Wisconsin to protest this assault on all of our collective bargaining rights. Whether you are on a layover, reserve, or live in Wisconsin- get involved. Please contact Greg Uselmann from APA Local 1224 for more information on activities in Madison: [email protected] or 262-366-2604.
Week In Review News Items
Labor Developments
US Airways flight attendants staged demonstrations at the carrier's four principal airports Thursday, protesting the slow pace of contract negotiations. "After five years of negotiations, the company is still acting like they're in bankruptcy, even though they just made the second highest profit in company history," said Mike Flores, president of the US Airways chapter of AFA, at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport…the Senate on this week rejected an amendment that would have blocked TSA employees from having collective bargaining rights, handing a victory to Democrats and labor groups.
Legislative, Safety & Regulatory
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer warned on this week that national air safety regulations proposed after an airliner crashed into a house near Buffalo two years ago are being watered down in Washington…the US Senate on Thursday approved a two-year, USD$35 billion blueprint for funding air traffic control services and the next steps for updating that system. Lawmakers approved the FAA bill 87 to eight, throwing the issue over to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, which is working on its own measure…and United Airlines grounded its fleet of 96 Boeing 757s late Tuesday after discovering it had not completed safety checks on a critical equipment upgrade required by federal aviation regulators. The airline, which found the problem and voluntarily halted takeoffs on the jets, expected to cancel or delay an unspecified number of flights while it performed the checks.
Airline Industry Finances & Structure
IATA has predicted earnings of $9.1bn in 2011, down from $15.1bn in 2010. But it predicted there would be 3.3 billion air passengers by 2014, a 32% increase from 2009. However, IATA said, "higher oil prices could spoil our party…” major U.S. airlines are rolling back a fare increase of up to $120 per round trip on tickets favored by business travelers. Delta raised the fares Monday and other major airlines went along. But fare trackers say that US Airways had second thoughts and dropped the increase on Wednesday…Australia's Qantas Airways signaled a return to growth after the worst downturn in aviation history, as recovering corporate travel and higher ticket prices offset soaring fuel prices and the cost of grounding its fleet of A380 aircraft.
The cost gap between older airlines with large networks and younger rivals often labeled “value’’ carriers has shrunk to its lowest level in seven years, according to a recent research report. There’s still a gap -– network airline unit costs for domestic flights were about 14% higher than value airline unit costs in the third quarter last year, according to consultants at Oliver Wyman, who produce an annual economic analysis of the U.S. airline industry for investment firm Raymond James.
Miscellaneous
J.D. Power and Associates has identified three airlines – JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines and WestJet Airlines, as "customer service champions…” baggage, food, pillows, and more—it seems no airfare transaction is fee-free nowadays. While fees may be here to stay, some are certainly more egregious than others…Miami International Airport has always been vastly important in commercial aviation. Now, it's even more so. Two key trends are playing out just as work is nearing completion on a 15-year, $6.4 billion airport improvement project…and Boeing Co rolled out a new jumbo jet on Sunday, hoping to relive the glamour of the birth of the 747 over 40 years ago and use it to boost slow sales. The 747-8 Intercontinental will seat 467 passengers, 51 more than the current version of the 747, and burn less fuel while offering passengers more comfort.