Be the voice of your union...

[safety stud]

I always seem to read comments from all of us complaining about the unions, contracts, and company. Now, above all else we, collectively, need to be the voice of the company. It is the employee's of this company that run the airline effectively. Not management. All of us have placed ourselves in a position to be a part of the "New USAirways". If we give it a chance to work out the kinks, you might see this airline prosper. However, If you don't like how you are being treated within your contract. Voice it... Show it... All of the unionized labor groups are going through trasitional agreements. If you don't like what is being passed down. Vote NO...simple... Remember all transitional aggrements must be voted on by it's members. The company has given it's top executives big bonus's. We, collectively, need to negotiate the same. As they say nothing ventured, nothing gained.

 

[awajetfxer]

The only labor group that has gotten screwed out of this merger is mechanic and related. There is no transition agreement. Everything is on hold until the MNB rules that the signatures are good.

 

[barbeetantrums]

The only labor group that has gotten screwed out of this merger is mechanic and related. There is no transition agreement. Everything is on hold until the MNB rules that the signatures are good.

And fleet service has been...?

 

[700UW]

FAs dont have an agreement either and ALPA is negotiating.

 

[Tim Nelson]

The union is always the union of employees. The IAM is not the union, it is the collective bargaining agent. You may have a voice but no power so the Collective bargaining agent may or may not choose to hear you. In the IAM's case, they don't have ears to hear so it's a moot point.

Further, the CWA/IBT transitional sucked bigtime as it gave away more scope work by allowing management to do union work for up to 2 hours a day. Your management has already started the initial hiring of up to 70 shift managers. My understanding is that more is on the way.

The real travesty is that the CWA/IBT transition agreement spells out that management can not work these extra hours in union work by taking away overtime from union people BUT they left out policing language to police it.
Bottom line is that it will take away overtime from their very own dues payers...and when that happens, how much do you want to bet the CWA/IBT says, "Deal with it by filing a greivance."
Of course, in return, the CWA/IBT secured that the dues keep flowing.


regards,

 

[SCUBAgal]

I've been telling my fellow agents here in PHX to start self-policing. Write down times Shift Mgrs are behind the counter working, even if it's just handing out a boarding pass or something benign like that.
It's not up to the company to ensure mgrs aren't working all the time, it's up to us.

 

[kao]

The union is always the union of employees. The IAM is not the union, it is the collective bargaining agent. You may have a voice but no power so the Collective bargaining agent may or may not choose to hear you. In the IAM's case, they don't have ears to hear so it's a moot point.

Further, the CWA/IBT transitional sucked bigtime as it gave away more scope work by allowing management to do union work for up to 2 hours a day. Your management has already started the initial hiring of up to 70 shift managers. My understanding is that more is on the way.

The real travesty is that the CWA/IBT transition agreement spells out that management can not work these extra hours in union work by taking away overtime from union people BUT they left out policing language to police it.
Bottom line is that it will take away overtime from their very own dues payers...and when that happens, how much do you want to bet the CWA/IBT says, "Deal with it by filing a greivance."
Of course, in return, the CWA/IBT secured that the dues keep flowing.
regards,

sorry to quote you....
the original poster states we all "have a vote".....well we do not!! We have negotiators that are "voting" for us...now I am not saying that they are doing all bad but some of the very few updates we get are not very positive and we shake ou heads and wonder why, why and why...? When we ask "why" we get very generic reasons...there has never been any indication from the CWA/IBT group that there will ever be a vote on transition items....and to this day...almost a year later...no one is even sure what those items are that are being talked about!

 

[EricLv2Fish]

I've been telling my fellow agents here in PHX to start self-policing. Write down times Shift Mgrs are behind the counter working, even if it's just handing out a boarding pass or something benign like that.
It's not up to the company to ensure mgrs aren't working all the time, it's up to us.

Good point SCUBAgal, but...can folks turn down overtime? And if so, what happens while someone is called in and takes an hour to come in? Are customers expected to wait? Just curious.

 

[awausairtech]

Good point SCUBAgal, but...can folks turn down overtime? And if so, what happens while someone is called in and takes an hour to come in? Are customers expected to wait? Just curious.

EricLv2Fish WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS TO GET OUT FROM BEHIND YOUR DESK AND WORK A JFK OR ANY NEW YORK FLIGHT THAT IS 30 TO 45 MIN LATE AND DEAL WITH OUR LOVING FLYING CUSTERMERS.

WE DO NOT PAY THEM WHAT THEY ARE WORTH TO BUT UP WITH THAT BS.

 

[Tim Nelson]

I've been telling my fellow agents here in PHX to start self-policing. Write down times Shift Mgrs are behind the counter working, even if it's just handing out a boarding pass or something benign like that.
It's not up to the company to ensure mgrs aren't working all the time, it's up to us.

Since you have a contract, it is good that you police it since the CWA/IBT agreed with the company to leave out those key ingredients. But it shouldn't have come down to this. The CWA/IBT should have had policing language in the contract as measured with technology, sign in sheet given to steward, whatever. Instead there is nothing and once again the workers are going to have to police it instead of having it in black and white.
I can hear it now, the union saying, it's the workers fault. There may even be pressure not to report infractions. Workers will lose overtime.

In the meatime, I bet the policing is very 'tight' regarding dues. Now that policing is in the contract.

regards,

 

[awausairtech]

Call the IBT. See what you get they need to know what you need to help you.(Thats What You Pay Dues For)!!!!!!!
(Please contact me at [email protected] or Bernadette McCulloch at [email protected] or (202) 437-1705 if you have any questions.)
You pay the dues let them work for you.
I do not know if this is the right # and e-mail but it will get you on the right track.

 

[BrutallyHonest]

Call the IBT. See what you get they need to know what you need to help you.(Thats What You Pay Dues For)!!!!!!!
(Please contact me at [email protected] or Bernadette McCulloch at [email protected] or (202) 437-1705 if you have any questions.)
You pay the dues let them work for you.
I do not know if this is the right # and e-mail but it will get you on the right track.

She doesnt have time for paying members, she is to busy trying to add dues monies by getting the mechanic and related under the ibt. They are promising everything. The funny part is all the promises arent in the current mechanic contract with the ibt at AW. No cheap healthcare, no pension, no great hourly wage rate. The Usairways line mechanics are less than a buck an hour and have been through 2 bankruptcies. All of the AW mechanics without A&Ps are 4 to 7 bucks an hour less than Usair mechs. Really makes one wonder what the great advantage would be.

 

[PhxMama]

sorry to quote you....
the original poster states we all "have a vote".....well we do not!! We have negotiators that are "voting" for us...now I am not saying that they are doing all bad but some of the very few updates we get are not very positive and we shake ou heads and wonder why, why and why...? When we ask "why" we get very generic reasons...there has never been any indication from the CWA/IBT group that there will ever be a vote on transition items....and to this day...almost a year later...no one is even sure what those items are that are being talked about!

I think many were upset that the IBT/CWA association did not allow agents to vote on the transition items but it was the best we could do in terms of coming to any agreement. I agree 100 percent that communication is lacking(to say the least) but keep reading www.flyteamsters.org for updates. Also ww.cwa.net will give the same info. I am awaiting the newest updates from 4and 5 of April to see what has been negotiated at these mts. Contact your shop stewards for current info and any questions feel free to pm and I will try to get them answered.