Teamsters President Joins CAL and UAL workers to Kick Off Organizing Drive
In a visit to Humble, Texas this week, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa joined with Teamsters from CAL and UAL to officially begin the campaign to build a strong union at Continental-United. To the applause and cheers of over 300 employees of both carriers he vowed, “The Teamsters are absolutely committed at every level of our union to take on United and win the combined Continental and United ramp workers a strong union and contract.”
“We will put our whole union—our International, our Airline Division, our Local Unions and our 1.4 million members—behind the CAL and UAL ramp agents as they take on the world’s largest airline,” Hoffa said. “We commit to vigorously represent our CAL and UAL members at the new United. We will make sure that we listen hard to what are members are telling us and respond accordingly.”
In outlining the differences between the Teamsters and Machinists, Hoffa said, “The Machinists can’t win—they have no plan, resources or support. The Machinists are not working on building anything—it is all talk and no action. The Machinists’ only program is bad mouthing the Teamsters and everyone can see through that.”
CAL and UAL workers also addressed the rally. “I have seen both unions up close,” said Jim Hayden, a ramp serviceman for UAL at O’Hare Airport in Chicago. While currently an IAM member, he told those assembled that he used to be a Teamster in a previous job. “I have seen both unions in action. I have seen the representation that both unions provide, contract enforcement, negotiating ability and pride in membership and there is no comparison….it is night and day. The Teamsters win hands down just as we will win at the new United airlines…I will always be a Teamster.”
Wilfredo Belen, a CAL customer service agent in Newark, with almost 25 years of service said, “I have too much invested in my career to sit back and do nothing, and I know many of you feel the same way,” Belen said. “I am getting involved by helping to make our Teamsters Union strong. I urge all of you to do the same. The choice is clear—we need to make sure we remain Teamsters and we need to talk to the United ramp agents about the Teamster difference. Whether it’s job security, fighting against punitive point systems, protections against outsourcing or strong representation, the Teamsters have proven they will fight for us.”
Robert Rasch, President of Local 19, also addressed the crowd.
“Houston is where the Continental fleet service workers kicked off their victorious campaign in 2009, and the workers will win this time as well,” said Robert Rasch, President of Local 19 in Houston “Our workers are stronger and even more committed and dedicated to build upon the Teamsters’ strength.”
UAL Negotiations Impacted by Massive Snowstorm
Among the thousands of flights, business meetings and other things cancelled by the massive snowstorm that impacted nineteen states this week, the scheduled meetings between the union and UAL management to discuss the remaining open items of the contract were also impacted. As a result of several members’ inability to get to Chicago because of the cancelled flights, the meetings have been rescheduled for the week of February 14th in Chicago.
Violation of Trust by Management Causes USA3000 Pilots Withdraw From ASAP
Citing a pattern of actions by management that has destroyed the trust required for a successful program; the pilots of USA3000, who are members of Local 1224, have notified the FAA of their withdrawal from the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP), voluntary safety program.
“Recent actions by USA 3000 Airlines have caused a breach of trust in relation to ASAP between USA 3000 Airlines, our pilots and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),” said Joe Muckle, APA Teamsters Local 1224 president. “I am very disappointed that we had no choice but to pull our support from the program. Local 1224’s goal is that 100 percent of our carriers participate in ASAP. In the last year we have successfully added ASAP at four carriers and will shortly add one more, which will mean nine of our ten carriers will have ASAP.”
Actions cited by the union which led to the withdrawal include the access of ASAP information by unauthorized individuals, as well as the inappropriate use of letters in several USA 3000 pilots’ personnel files, even though the events and the circumstances surrounding them were admitted into ASAP by the Event Review Committee (ERC) at USA 3000 Airlines. “The union’s position is that these letters are not only wrongly placed, but also are grossly inaccurate and may become subject to present or future Pilot Records Improvement Act disclosure requirements. Voluntary safety programs become ineffective when these disclosures are twisted to harm a pilot’s career,” said Muckle.
“We, as professional pilots, always strive to maintain the highest level of proficiency and safety,” Muckle added. “We embrace any training or program that helps further our safety goals, not just for ourselves and our companies, but for the industry as a whole. However, when these types of actions take place, actions that tear away at the confidence of the pilot group, the union is left with no choice but to withdraw from a program, even a worthy one such as ASAP.”
“The International Brotherhood of Teamsters Airline Division has been working with ASAP for over a decade. In our experience it has been working well across the board,” said Russ Leighton, the Director of Safety for the IBT Airline Division. “It is disappointing that this airline refuses to use the program as it was intended.”
When implemented properly, ASAP allows flight crewmembers the opportunity to acknowledge an error or identify a hazard in the system, and to report it without fear of losing a job or a license. When a party breaches that trust, ASAP is rendered ineffective.
“The Teamsters Local 1224 USA 3000 Executive Council went to great lengths to keep ASAP intact at USA 3000 Airlines. After thorough deliberation, polling the membership, and giving USA 3000 Airlines’ management every opportunity to correct the situation, the union decided to discontinue its voluntary participation in ASAP,” said Muckle. “We fully embrace ASAP as a worthy program. It is regrettable that such a decision had to be made to protect pilot careers at USA 3000 Airlines, as well as the program’s integrity.”
World Airways ExCo Chairman Fired, then Suspended for Refusal to Violate FAA Regulations
World Airways ExCo Chairman Captain Gary Goodpaster was terminated recently by management when he refused to violate FAA regulations and operate an aircraft that was not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR’s).
On January 13, 2011, Captain Goodpaster was part of a 4-person augmented crew on an aircraft operating for Cargolux out of Luxemburg. The PIC (Pilot In Command) for the first leg of the flight was Captain Jeff Gandin. As Captain Gandin addressed multiple preflight issues, including more than 13 maintenance write-ups on aircraft that the Union believes included certain items that would have required grounding the aircraft until properly repaired, he discovered several omissions in the Operations Specifications (Ops Specs) manual, an FAA required document carried aboard the aircraft.
Captain Gandin requested Captain Goodpaster to contact the Operations Control Center to resolve the Ops Specs errors. What began as a simple request from the flight crew to be provided with an updated Op Specs; or certification from the Director of Operations (D.O.) that an update was not necessary turned into an on-the-spot firing of a 22-year veteran Captain and caused a 13-hour delay in the flight.
A review of the tape recorded conversations; preserved after a demand by the union legal counsel, shows the Company displayed complete incompetence and a lack of regulatory compliance which they are required to adhere to. The tapes reveals that as Captain Goodpaster and then Captain Gandin worked to resolve the Ops Specs errors in a professional manner, officials in the Flight Operations Department chose to engage in petty insults and displayed a shocking level of incompetence that culminated in Director of Operations losing control of himself and terminating Captain Goodpaster without knowing what was actually occurring on the aircraft.
In a letter to the World Airways pilots, Local 986 Business Agent Clacy Grizwold wrote, “While not every disciplinary issue that arises between the Union and the Company requires a communication to the membership, the Company’s initial and continued handling of this matter has so called into question the Flight Operations Department’s, and perhaps the entire Company’s, commitment to regulatory compliance and safe operations that your Union believes all crewmembers must be made aware of the facts surrounding this matter.”
He cited a section of the disciplinary letter sent to Goodpaster by Vice President of Flight Operations Bill Yeager who wrote, “I as the Director of Operations and you, as a World Airways Captain, certainly share responsibility for flight safety and airworthiness of the Aircraft but these were not at issue in this case and pilots have no responsibility or say over a myriad of other regulatory compliance matters . . . .” Grizwold then pointed out that Yeagers statement was in direct contradiction to the Company’s Flight Operations Manual (FOM) which states, “The PIC and the Director of Operations are jointly responsible for the pre-flight planning, delay, and Flight Release of a flight in compliance with the Flight Operations Manual and the Operations Specifications.”
While the termination was later modified to a 30 day suspension, the Union has grieved Captain Goodpaster’s 30-day suspension and the case will be arbitrated. That arbitration does not, however, resolve what the union believes are becoming endemic problems at World Airways.
“Every day we, as professional pilots have many issues to resolve before we move an aircraft for any flight,” the letter to the World pilots continued. “We know our responsibilities as PIC, or as other crewmembers, under the FOM, the Ops Specs and the FARs. The safety of our passengers and cargo, our crew and our aircraft, as well as our certificates are in jeopardy if we do not maintain vigilance. This seems to be a fact that has been lost on our Vice President of Flight Operations Bill Yeager,” it concluded.
Week In Review News Items
Legislative, Safety & Regulatory
Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., says he'll launch an investigation into the TSA's abrupt decision to deny further applications by airports to replace TSA screeners with those of private contractors. In a statement issued late Friday, TSA Administrator John Pistole said, "I examined the contractor screening program and decided not to expand the program beyond the current 16 airports as I do not see any clear or substantial advantage to do so at this time…" and the federal government will pay $4.2 million to install new navigation systems on 35 JetBlue airplanes, hoping their enhanced performance will entice the airline industry to invest up to $20 billion in the new technology over the next decade.
TSA began testing on Tuesday new software that will transmit more modest images of travelers' bodies on some of its controversial airport screening machines. The new technology, introduced at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport for a 45- to 60-day trial, is designed to detect potential explosives and show them on a blurred "generic outline" of a person projected a monitor that can be seen by screeners and travelers…they've brought you presidential election coverage and promoted worldwide access to PCs, and now they're telling you to take off your belt and throw out your hairspray. Starting today, London Luton and Manchester airports will beam in images of holographic agents to prep passengers for the security line.
Airline Industry Finances & Structure
Scheduled international passenger traffic rose 8.2 percent and freight transport jumped by more than one fifth last year, but airlines have been unable to translate the increase to higher profit margins, airlines industry group IATA said Wednesday…just two weeks after announcing plans for growth this year, Delta Air Lines is trimming the forecast and joining other carriers in raising fares to offset higher fuel costs. Delta's No. 2 executive, Ed Bastian, told analysts Thursday that Atlanta's biggest carrier, along with others, has boosted fares four times in the past 45 days.
AirTran Airways executives pushed for a bigger payout for shareholders over weeks of meetings with Southwest Airlines and were weighing potential options for alternatives just days before approving the merger deal. But they concluded AirTran didn’t have any options for other merger partners, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission…only 14 days before the Qantas half year to December 31 results are released its CEO Alan Joyce has raised a few eyebrows concerning ‘what we are about to receive’ in an address to the Melbourne Press Club. Joyce said that if Qantas International continued on its current path there would be a real question mark over its viability.
Miscellaneous
In the airline industry, especially over the past decade, customer service has taken a beating. Employees have been dealt pay cuts and layoffs, while executives have been rewarded with bonuses. Some workers have to repeatedly endure all the security hassles, delays and cancellations that travelers suffer. It’s easier to tune out customers than tune in; easier to ignore their problems when you are focused on your own…Southern Air Holdings, a U.S. cargo airline, announced Monday that Robert L. Crandall has joined its board of directors. This is Crandall's first directorship on an airline since he retired from AMR and American in 1998, although he had been chairman and CEO of Pogo Jet, which had planned to launch an air taxi service using ultra-small business jets.