Fleet Service topic IAM 141

[freedom]

Yes you can and you can be terminated on the spot, guess you forgot about AA's Pilot union getting fined $45 Million for a sickout.

Read your CBA, it prohibits a wildcat strike and airlines have used the courts to punish unions for sickout, AA and UA both did.

you misread me , i was in agreement with your prior post .

 

[700UW]

Oh ok, just look at what Alaska did in SEA, laidoff all the ramp and outsourced it.

 

[Hey.. Chill Out]

Thanks 605, but I don't understand your post.

First of all, what are FIELD 2 stations? You emphasized the 56 departures, so you are concerned for the guys out West here no?

Have they clearly stated that it was just be a simple transition, or would they re-negotiate some language?

I think our union would have enough sense to blindly accept a BANKRUPTCY contract designed for the US AIR system.

 

[605AW]

Oh ok, just look at what Alaska did in SEA, laidoff all the ramp and outsourced it.



Alaska Airlines Contracts With Menzies Aviation For Seattle Ramp Services
5/13/2005 3:15 a.m.


SEATTLE — As part of a continuing cost-management initiative to secure the airline's future, Alaska Airlines has contracted with Menzies Aviation to provide ramp services at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Effective immediately, the move means the loss of 472 ramp service positions in Seattle held by company employees. Ramp services include loading and unloading baggage, and guiding aircraft to and from airport gates.

Alaska Airlines currently contracts with outside companies to provide ramp services in 41 of the 56 cities it serves. The decision to work with a service provider in Seattle is projected to save the airline more than $13 million annually.

"A decision of this kind, impacting people who have served this company well, is extremely difficult," Alaska's CEO Bill Ayer said. "But the ongoing turmoil in the airline industry, coupled with high fuel prices and pressure from low-cost carriers, puts us in a position where we must continue to find ways to reduce the cost of running our airline.

"Our success working with providers in other cities gives us confidence that we can continue moving Seattle customers' bags reliably while reducing our operating costs significantly," Ayer said.

The decision came after a lengthy evaluation process in which Alaska Airlines considered numerous options for saving money while improving the efficiency of the airline's ramp services. In addition to requesting proposals from outside providers, the airline conducted talks over a period of 20 months with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) to discuss contract changes focused on achieving a more market-competitive rate for delivering these services to customers. "Unfortunately, we were unable to achieve a contract approaching the savings available from service providers," said Ed White, Alaska's vice president of ground operations.

"To ease the transition for affected employees, we are working with the IAM to offer a more lucrative severance package than that specified in the current contract," White said. In line with the severance offered to management, maintenance and fleet service employees last year, this package would include two weeks of base pay for each year of service; a cash bonus of $3,000 to $15,000 based on length of service; one year of company-paid health care coverage; and travel benefits for the employee and eligible dependents; in addition to a nine-week extension of current wages and benefits, as required by law. The airline also will provide information on outplacement assistance, career counseling, retraining resources and opportunities with other local employers.

Employees impacted by the Seattle decision will have the option to receive full company severance while applying for jobs with the new service provider.

Still under negotiation with the IAM is the contract covering more than 450 ramp service, air freight and supply agents in the state of Alaska; nearly 140 air freight and supply agents in Seattle; and 13 supply agents in Los Angeles, Oakland, Phoenix, Portland and San Francisco. The airline plans to participate in mediated sessions with the union this summer focused on reaching an agreement with this bargaining unit.

Menzies Aviation is a global provider of ground handling services to more than 500 airline customers at some of the world's busiest airports. The company provides ramp services for Alaska Airlines in Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, San Jose and at all Mexican airports the airline serves.

This report may contain forward-looking statements that are intended to be subject to the safe harbor protection provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results or performance to be materially different from those indicated by any forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "forecast," "may," "will," "could," "should," "expect," "plan," "believe," "potential" or other similar words indicating future events or contingencies. Some of the things that could cause our actual results to differ from our expectations are: the competitive environment and other trends in our industry; changes in our operating costs including fuel, which can be volatile; our ability to meet our cost-reduction goals; labor disputes; economic conditions; our reliance on automated systems; increases in government taxes and fees; actual or threatened terrorist attacks, global instability and potential U.S. military actions or activities; insurance costs; changes in laws and regulations; liability and other claims asserted against us; operational disruptions; compliance with financial covenants; our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; third-party vendors and partners; continuing operating losses; our significant indebtedness; and downgrades of our credit ratings and the availability of financing. For a discussion of these and other risk factors, see Item 7 of the company's Annual Report for the year ended Dec. 31, 2004, on Form 10-K. All of the forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the risk factors discussed therein. These risk factors may not be exhaustive. We operate in a continually changing business environment, and new risk
factors emerge from time to time. Management cannot predict such new risk factors, nor can it assess the impact, if any, of such new risk factors on our business or events described in any forward-looking statements. We disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date of this report to conform them to actual results.

Alaska and sister carrier, Horizon Air, together serve more than 80 cities through an expansive network throughout Alaska, the Lower 48, Canada and Mexico. For reservations visit alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines newsroom on the Internet at http://newsroom.alaskaair.com.

 

[NETOSETONE]

good question. I will have an informational website up so that all can unpack the issues and where to go from here. Look for it to be up sometime mid/late week.

regards,
Tim Nelson
IAM Local Chairman, 1487, Chicago

Right Tim...................enough of the self-serving comments, let the people decide.

 

[605AW]

Thanks 605, but I don't understand your post.

First of all, what are FIELD 2 stations? You emphasized the 56 departures, so you are concerned for the guys out West here no?

Have they clearly stated that it was just be a simple transition, or would they re-negotiate some language?

I think our union would have enough sense to blindly accept a BANKRUPTCY contract designed for the US AIR system.

I thought so!

 

[Hey.. Chill Out]

You make no sense 605!
Ok so a class 2 is 70-140 flights a day. So what point are you trying to make?

 

[doing it on my knees]

HAHA Graduated in 69?

I seriously need to come out there and work with you guys, I bet it looks like Michael Jacksons thriller video HAHAHHA!

That's funny as hell. I love old time rampers... One once told me he had scabs older than me. Loved that guy.

 

[Hey.. Chill Out]

The old guys in PHX aren't as charming as that guy sounds hahah!

 

[roabilly]

you misread me , i was in agreement with your prior post .

Freedom...

You should know better than to question the IAM !

 

[freedom]

hahaa roll! yes your right , shame on me , and i do believe i'm on top today !

 

[Jester]

Jester, don't you dare copy and paste things I've said in different ways then originally posted as a quote. You combined two quotes into one. It's minor in this case but still completly unacceptable.

So how were you misquoted?

Let's start from the beginning... Just to clarify, did you or did you not personally hear Boss Canale say to the effect that if this TA was rejected, then he threatened to roll West into the existing East contract? A simple yes or no would suffice.

If the answer is "yes", then I didn't misquote you, and if the answer is "no" then you lied or embellished what Boss Canale said. Personally, I think you did hear Boss Canale make the threat, but you object to me using your story against your friend, Tim. I have an exceptional memory, and if you are going to posts in an open forum, then be prepared to defend those posts later if I find them to be contradictory or I might even use them should your posts be supportative of my own arguments. If you cannot handle that, then you may want to find another forum.

Now onto the important topic that I'll ask again... if you are so concerned about those 18 stations, then why are you willling to play brinkmanship with their jobs? You are making some serious assumptions if you don't think Boss Canale can respond on his own and roll West into the current IAM argeement, especially if West votes in favor of the TA (which they will). Tim isn't your savior in this matter; he can't even get into a meeting to discuss the TA with IAM officials so that shows how much pull he has within the organization.

So Questions Jester.

P.S. By the way, will you be supportive of allowing all LAS ramp agents to vote on this TA at convenient time instead of the nonsense of the last vote where the voting was stopped at 8 pm, even though 130 part-time people start their normal shift at 9 pm? That was a clever way to get the full-time people an opportunity to vote while minimizing the vote of the part-time people.

 

[giantfan]

No post really....just on a break and wanted to check out my new avatar to see if I did it right...sorry guys...

 

[roabilly]

Just a reminder to all Fleet…

Please make sure you Vote!

We can not send anyone… Company, or Union a message unless we go to the polls!

As I’ve said earlier…I’m a NO vote…

I will not condemn those who think differently, nor will I engage in debate concerning this.

I place my trust in the collective intelligence of this Fleet Group, East and West…
to render an informed decision regarding this T/A.

I will however say this… the current T/A has been well researched by both the Company and Union…It is designed to “Squeak†by for ratification. They have played on your fears and frustrations, and used them as a tool in these negotiations.

If nothing else… File these tactics in your memory…you will need them again in the future, because they will be recycled into various applicable… business trauma circumstances… again, and again, and again!

You will always , be bargaining for Tentative Agreements from an uncertain…weak…and inferior perspective, if you let your adversaries convince you of that.


P.S. Ms. Shocker... where yew been hidin' ?

 

[Rock Bottom]

Right Tim...................enough of the self-serving comments, let the people decide.

I want you to vote the way that you want to vote, now with that said, wouldn't you like both side of an issue before deciding. You want more info or you wouldn't be on this web site. That's why I'm here.

So far no one has convinced me that this T/A is worth my vote.

I have been foolish and voted for a contract without all the facts. I've learned from those mistakes. One thing I've learned is that sometimes Tim comes across as self-serving, obnoxious person, but something I've learned over the years the issue is not Tim it is the contract and so far Tim has been right about everything that will happen.

Know the past and predict the future.