ASA Negotiations Continue, Progress Reported
ASA Negotiators for Mechanics and Related; members of Local 528, met with management from October 12th through 14th in Atlanta, Georgia. Progress was reported on Sections 10 and 12.Tentative Agreement was reached on Section 6, Reduction in Work Force and Recall.
Negotiations will continue on November 2nd.
Division Files Opposition to UAL’s Request for CAL, CAL Micronesia mediation
On October 7th,UAL management applied for mediation with the NMB for the mechanic’s agreement at sub Continental. In their request, they cited Article 1.D.4 of the agreement and Section 6 of the RLA as their basis for the application. They also applied for mediation for the CAL Micronesia mechanics agreement.
In a letter to UAL management which was also sent to the NMB as a formal objection, the Airline Division clearly outlined the facts and stated that the request for mediation was premature. In the letter, Airline Division Director David Bourne wrote:
“In this regard, we note, first, that the contract's reopener provision is triggered only in the event of a merger of airline operations. Although, as you noted in your October 7, 2011 letter, UAL and CAL have taken steps "toward the goal of merging" their airline operations into the new United, that process is not yet completed. Inasmuch as the merger of airline operations has not yet been completed, the contractual reopener provision and RLA Section 6 have not yet been appropriately triggered. Consequently, the NMB lacks jurisdiction to act on the Company's request for mediation services.
Moreover, even if the contract is indeed amendable at this time, the NMB still would not have authority to intervene. The RLA limits the NMB's authority to mediate to disputes concerning changes in rates of pay, rules or working conditions not adjusted by the parties in conference. Therefore, inasmuch as the parties have not engaged in any direct conferences/negotiations, the request for mediation services is premature and the NMB lacks authority to intervene at this time. Indeed, it is for this reason – namely, that the parties have not yet engaged in direct conferences/negotiations — that the Company's invocation of mediation services with respect to the Continental Micronesia-IBT Mechanics contract likewise is premature.”
Teamsters, AFA Join Forces to Oppose NMB Ruling on Lynx, Frontier Flight Attendants
Responding to an application filed by the Teamsters seeking to have the NMB certify that the former flight attendants of Lynx Airlines; which no longer exists after their purchase by Republic Holdings, the NMB on Wednesday issued a ruling that Frontier, the parent company of Lynx, and it’s flight attendants who are represented by the AFA; are part of a “single transportation system” which will now trigger a representation election between Teamsters and the AFA for the flight attendants.
“We join with the AFA in opposing this finding,” said Division Director David Bourne.
Previously, both the Teamsters and the AFA filed statements opposed to a finding that Frontier should be included in the single transportation system with other Republic carriers. “Our Legal department is reviewing the ruling and we will be discussing all available options,” Bourne concluded.
Airline Industry News
Government and Industry
Cargolux on Wednesday took delivery of Boeing's first 747-8 Freighter after resolving a contractual spat that caused the freight carrier to refuse
delivery last month.
USAirways' proposed slot swap with Delta moved a step closer to reality as the Transportation Department approved the deal, prompting speculation about how it might affect US Airways' position as a merger candidate…
Congress ordered the TSA to inspect all cargo on passenger flights for explosives, setting an August 2010 deadline in 2007. TSA has followed that mandate for flights leaving the U.S., but achieving that same goal for the 6 billion pounds of cargo carried on international passenger flights headed for the U.S. has been a challenge…Should the slot swap between USAirways and Delta get approved, the big winner could be Southwest Airlines who is looking for slots at both airports
Airlines and Labor
While AirTran will begin implementing the same policy for “persons of size” as Southwest, the pilots of both carriers are voting on an alternate plan regarding the integration of seniority lists for Southwest and AirTran Airways pilots as the two carriers continue to merge operations. If the pilots fail to reach a mutual agreement and turn down an initial proposal, Southwest may have to execute Plan B, which involves canceling a full integration of the two carriers, AirTran's union leaders told its pilots. "If we receive a 'no' vote, it means that we cannot execute the original integration plan and we will have to reset," Southwest spokesman Paul Flaningan said.
The union representing American Airlines' flight attendants is disputing the carrier's statements that its labor costs are the highest in the industry…American Eagle has been trying to reach an agreement with its pilots union on new contracts before the airline is spun off from AMR Corp., but the two sides stand at an impasse, the union says…A high number of pilot retirements led American Airlines to shutter a crew base in San Francisco and decrease fourth-quarter seating by 3%. Those actions, combined with a planned board meeting of the Allied Pilots Association, suggest American might be close to signing a new contract with its pilots after five years of negotiation. APA says it will not adjust staffing rules to cope with the burden brought by the retirement unless it gets a new contract.