Mediator Puts Hold on RAH Negotiations
After proposals put forward failed to produce an agreement between pilots and management, the NMB has advised the Local 357 and RAH management that further negotiations will not be scheduled at this time. The mediator has advised both parties that she will contact them in early summer 2013 to determine if both parties are ready to move forward and schedule future mediation dates.
Notified of the action by the mediator, Airline Division Director David Bourne said, “I look forward to hearing from the Local 357 Executive Council once they have met with their negotiators and decided their course of action. Once they have briefed me as to their decisions, I will be in contact with the NMB to discuss their decision and address possible courses of action.”
UAL MX holds first quarterly Ground Safety Conference Call of 2013
The UAL Ground Safety Committee held its quarterly conference call on Wednesday January 16th. Among topics covered were an OSHA memo regarding Safety incentives and disincentives which addressed work place policies that can discourage workers from reporting injuries and the Global Harmonization System (GHS). GHS is a system for standardizing the classification and labeling of Chemicals. A hazard alert was recently sent to airline CEO’s by OSHA regarding the obligation to comply with applicable seat belt use requirements when operating powered industrial vehicles.
The conference call was hosted by the Airline Division and Chaired by SFO Ground Safety Coordinator Ralph Ortiz.
UAL/CAL/CMI Mechanic Negotiations Update
The parties met for a second consecutive week of bargaining this week in Chicago and tackled some of the more substantive Phase 1 portions of the agreements namely; Article 3 ( Covered Crafts, Classifications, and Bid Areas), Article 4 (Seniority), Article 13 (Training), Article 7, (Hours of Service), Article 17 (Overtime) and Article 18 (Union Security and Representation).
Agreements in principle on non-economic issues were reached on Articles 7 and 17, and progress was made on the other four subjects. Peter Hardcastle, a Cheiron actuary hired by the IBT to assist in these negotiations was on hand for continued preliminary discussions on pension and other benefit-related matters.
Discussions will continue with the remaining articles when bargaining reconvenes on Monday for the third consecutive week. While the third week planned to be accomplished without the aid of the mediators, considering our progress and at the parties’ request, a schedule change was managed and the NMB will be present during the upcoming week.
UAL / CAL /CMI Seniority Integration Committee Meets
The UAL / CAL /CMI Seniority Integration Committee was called together to finalize the draft of suggestions for the Negotiating Committee. Progress has been faster than expected and the Committee was called together to vote on and discuss any final remaining issues on the draft that has been building over the last few months. This draft will be a template to be used by the Negotiating Committee in resolving the many differences on the subject of seniority within the three groups.
Discussions with the company on the seniority article began immediately after receiving the final draft.
One of the long anticipated information items, the combined Teamster Roster, was delivered by the company to the committee during the meeting. The final task for the committee is to look over the roster and make any necessary corrections. While some can begin immediately, other changes will require agreements in principle between the company and the union Negotiating Committee.
Any of these changes or corrections will not be valid without a fully-ratified agreement voted on by the membership.
Airline Division and Local 19 Union reps meet with ASA mechanics in BTR
Local Union 19 Business Agent Mike Cline and Airline Division representative Chris Moore met with the ASA midnight shift mechanics at the ASA MX facility in BTR Wednesday night.
Following an update on Local 19 issues the meeting turned to a Q and A session regarding ASA contract negotiations. The discussion included a recap of the negotiations to date, an explanation of the recent events leading up to last week’s decision to file for mediation and the need for solidarity as negotiations move forward to achieve a stand alone agreement for the ASA mechanics.
Airline Industry News
Governmental and Regulatory
Faced with continuing electrical related issues, the FAA ordered the grounding of all Boeing 787 Dreamliners this week.
The NTSB is sending an investigator to assist the inquiry into an emergency landing of the Boeing aircraft owned by All Nippon Airways.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano plans to stay in her post for a second term under President Barack Obama, according to a White House official.
The Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing are studying the batteries manufactured by a Japanese firm, GS Yuasa Corp., that are an issue on the Dreamliner.
The Federal Aviation Administration faces a critical year for its NextGen air traffic management system.
The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing a rule that would require pilots to turn off personal electronic devices in the cockpit during flights. However, pilots would still be able to use iPads or laptops issued for professional use.
Nicholas Calio, president and CEO of Airlines for America, said a proposal to extend pilot duty rules to cargo pilots is "ill-advised, with no basis in science or relevant data."
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., says he supports the Federal Aviation Administration's decision to ground Dreamliner 787s. "Safety is, and should be, the highest priority for the aviation system," Rockefeller said in a statement.
Airlines Industry and Labor
Airbus CEO Fabrice Brégier says the aircraft manufacturer has no plans to change its battery configurations after Boeing has faced challenges with its 787.
Boeing has presented a new proposal to its engineers.
Airlines have developed relationships with Boeing over the years and are receiving regular briefings from the company about the work being done to resolve the current issues.
Herb Kelleher, the founder of Southwest Airlines, is still going strong at 82 as a chairman emeritus of the company. Kelleher says the secret to his success as a leader is taking responsibility for his company and its employees. "Power should be reserved for weightlifting and boats, and leadership really involves responsibility," he said.