I have been particularly quiet as of late on this board due to the uncertainty of what would be the proposed TA and now that I have it, I have been until recently equally uncertain.
What most troubles me most would be the outstations, even though I will not be effected. The IAM calls for “brotherhood†and “unity†while the NC plots to eliminate members’stations. So much for representation during the contract, perhaps those affected fleet service workers could, at least, get a refund on union dues paid? Shamefully, no one seems to have those unfortunate members backs and it is a forgone conclusion regardless of vote. Boss Canale states that if the latest TA is rejected then West will be rolled into the IAM contract, thus those stations are gone and if the TA is accepted then those stations are still gone (and who is going to stop him?). A “Yes†vote will, at least, buy them some time, whereas the alternative provides little time. Sadly and ironically, it “saves†jobs, at least, for the short term.
Pay and benefit package being offered is acceptable, although hardly ideal. It still takes well over a decade to top-out, but as a part-time West ramp agent I am not losing vacation, I gain a pension, I gain a decent raise, I get family insurance, I get sick pay, and most importantly, I get more time on a valid contract during some uncertain times.
Other issues as in the current CIC are worthless as it so poorly written that it would be relatively easy enough to structure any deal by which to avoid the possibility of activating the conditions. For example, if US Airways and United “merge†with multiple buyers once again (which will not be that hard to accomplish given the dollars involved), then we would have the same ruling as Arbitrator Bloch handed down a few months ago. I am also talking to United buddies who think they will be looking at a pay cut during the next round of negotiations. If this is true, then the Easties mantra of “just two moar years†will be closer to four more years or longer. I am not ready to wait 4+ years (on top of the two years I have already been waiting) for what MIGHT be an extra $2/hour, when I could be earning an extra $5/hours during that same period of time. To modify an old cliché, “Better to have 5 in the hand than 7 in the bush (especially 4 years out).â€
Furthermore, the disability coverage is a joke as I barely made anything at US Airways in the first place because the pay is so low, and the disability isn’t going to cover me in income I earn elsewhere. So the company disability will cover me enough to pay the utilities, but not nearly enough to pay the mortgage, insurance, or even food? What good is this?
So count me as an uneasy “Yes†vote and let’s get past this nonsense.
So Votes Jester.
