Jester
Veteran
The attendance policy is just that... a company policy. Similar to the employee handbook of conduct and ethics. Unfortunately, contract negotiations cannot encompass all. You are right that many employees have lost their employment due to the attendance policy, however, many have been terminated due to "serious misdemeanors", drug and alcohal test results, fighting, harrassment, etc. that all fall under company policy. IMO... if you were to total them all they would not exceed the jobs lost to outsourcing Fleet Service work (a contractual issue) . Both the former and current teams you mention are aware company policies and contractual language are two different entities. Both, cannot and will never be, encompassed into one CBA. If that is the expectation... there is no leadership team within any union that will fullfill that dream.
I'm willing to bet Jester we have lost more jobs to outsourcing (language covered under the CBA) than to the company's policies.
For the betterment of the membership... it's time to get away from the finger pointing and move forward with realistic expectations. IMO... There is so much to fix and make right. Let's get started. Let's choose our battles wisely and fix what we can.
ograc
Respectfully, this is why I thought you were a poor candidate, as I said so a few months ago... you would be willing to give-up before even trying. During discussions, everything is up for negotiations, and to say simply, "Company Policy," well, why not just have a "Company Policy" to determine wages, insurance, seniority, and various other job related issues? Look at the FAs who negotiated something important to them on flying stand-by which was in conflict to "Company Policy"... are you telling me that the Attendance Policy we have is the same policy that the pilots, FAs, and office people are using?
Yes, I would be curious and to how many jobs were lost during outsourcing since the Attendance Policy has been in place. It wouldn't surprise me if 500 FSAs having lost their jobs due to the Attendance Policy, as PHX has lost easily a hundred over the years. I doubt the IAM knows or cares... so long as the dues keep coming-in from a new employee or old employee, the money just spends all the same.