Teamsters Continuing Commitment to Safety
This week Teamster Flight Safety Committee members and ASAP / MSAP coordinators from around the country were in Atlanta for the semi-annual FAA Safety Infoshare. Mechanics from Local unions 19, 455, 528, 781, 856 and 2727 were present to continue working with the FAA and Industry Experts as well as other Aviation Professionals in our continuing effort to improve Aviation Safety.
“There is no more important responsibility that we have than to safety,” said one attendee. “The commitment of the TAMC and every individual member is to nothing less,” he concluded.
Tentative Agreement for Extension Reached for Horizon Mechanics
This week a tentative agreement for an extension of the contract for Horizon was announced. Horizon management had approached the Teamsters requesting that the union entertain an offer to extend the contract. The membership in general was interested in what the company had to say and the union agreed to listen on the condition that they are allowed to discuss language improvements as part of the process. The company agreed and the union created a list of items that were the most important to the membership.
The first week was spent discussing language changes and the second was spent finishing the language agreements and then moving on to economic discussions. After a series of intense discussions, the union committee accepted the companies offer. The committee succeeded in making improvements in wages, benefits, and working conditions while keeping all current language intact.
Additionally, the company offered a baseball arbitration option that can be exercised twice during the extension period to call for improvements. The idea was modeled after the agreement currently in place with the Horizon pilots, who are also represented by the Teamsters Airline Division.
SWA Negotiations Continue
SWA Material Specialist Negotiations continued this week in Houston. The Negotiating Committee along with Local Union Business Agents and Airline Division Representatives met September 16th and 17th to complete the process of compiling the survey results and begin working on our opening passes to the Company. Ed Gleason, a former Teamster attorney with extensive RLA experience, who will be the counsel for negotiations, joined with the group for a meeting and to go over the Negotiating Committee’s major concerns and priorities.
The Committee expressed its thanks all members who took the time to fill out the survey and offer suggestions on contract language changes.
The first meetings with the SWA management negotiating team are scheduled for October 8th and 9th in Dallas.
Latest Issue of the Teamster Aviation Professional Newsletter is Online
The newest edition of the Teamster Aviation Professional is now available online. As the is the official newsletter of the Teamsters Aviation Mechanics Coalition (TAMC), the newsletter includes useful information and insights from Teamster airline mechanics and leading TAMC members fighting every day for airline safety and the advancement of our craft.
Click here to read the newsletter.
Airline Industry News
Governmental and Regulatory
Sources say the Federal Aviation Administration may again consider furloughing some employees, including air-traffic controllers, because of ongoing budget cuts.
US Airways is cutting planned service increases after the Justice Department challenged its merger with American Airlines. US Airways had scheduled a flight from Phoenix to Maui, Hawaii, over the holidays, but has canceled the flight plans.
Leaders of the Department of Transportation plan to meet on Thursday to create different budget scenarios for the Federal Aviation Administration, which could affect NextGen funding.
Airlines, Industry and Labor
The outlook for the proposed merger between US Airways and American Airlines is looking brighter, experts say. "People were so shocked that the lawsuit was even filed," said analyst Andrew Davis.
The airline industry says Department of Transportation rules governing tarmac delays are unnecessary and have unintended consequences that negatively affect passengers.
Union leaders from American Airlines and US Airways met with the Justice Department's antitrust division chief on Wednesday.
Republic Airways Holdings announced an extension of negotiations until Sept. 30 with an unnamed potential buyer for Frontier Airlines.