IBT/CWA Negotiating - Supplemental Retirement Plan!

usa1

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Oct 6, 2008
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APRIL BARGAINING UPDATE 2013

Your IBT/CWA Association Negotiating Committee met this month in Tempe, during the period of April 16th thru the 18th.

On Tuesday, April 16th, we met with the company and gave them proposals for Article 18- Sick Leave, Article 32- Call Monitoring. The company gave us proposals on Article 6- Overtime, Article 7- Overtime Reservations and Article 34- General and Miscellaneous. We also gave the company a proposal for a Pension Plan. We advised the company that our members expressed a desire for an added pension plan to supplement their retirement. We wanted to make sure that our members had a guaranteed benefit that they could count on when they reach retirement age. We also advised the company that this pension plan would not be in the control of the company and that the union would be a partner in the oversight of the funds. We also reached a tentative agreement on Article 30- Safety and Health. We ended the day discussing counter proposals.

On Wednesday, April 17th, we continued to go over counter proposals and prepare for the following day.

On Thursday, April 18th, we gave the company a proposal on Article 36- Compensation. We gave the company a wage chart that would bring us an industry standard wage. We advised the company that we have earned record profits and should no longer be living on a wage with little increase from our 1999 contract rates. The company passed proposals on Article 18- Sick Leave, Article 24- Shift Definitions and Premiums and Article 32- Call Monitoring. We ended the session discussing future dates for negotiations.

Keep in mind we do not give specifics right now on each article because they can change in each session of bargaining and until we have a final tentative agreement to vote on, the proposed language can change often and we do not want to cause any confusion.

The next scheduled bargaining session is in Tempe, Arizona on June 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th.
 
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Dont let the ibt touch any pension money, most of their plans are in serious trouble, that has been posted all over the M&R union thread and over on the AA board.
 
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Dont let the ibt touch any pension money, most of their plans are in serious trouble, that has been posted all over the M&R union thread and over on the AA board.

Good advise .....
 
US Airways customer service had their defined pension plan terminated, AA had theirs frozen. US Airways has only been putting 3% into our 401k for many, many years. Basically we can not now, or ever retire. Now we merge with AA. Their plan is underfunded. I guess we will work forever to fully fund theirs. I surly hope they come up with something fair before we merge?
 
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Most on the US CWA side will not be able to retire for another 15 years.
 
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Is this what a supplemental retirement plan looks like?

Following Tuesday’s hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, AMR and American Airlines filed a revised plan of reorganization(287 pages) and disclosure statement(510 pages) Wednesday afternoon to incorporate what happened at the hearing,

The versions we have on hand don’t highlight the changes. We know that a lot of the discussion Tuesday focused on what AMR and American chairman, president and CEO Tom Horton will get, so we took a look at that language first.
And in doing so, we find that the documents now spell out more fully what Horton will get when he steps down as president and CEO in addition to the $19,875,000 in cash and benefits promised in a Feb. 13, 2013, letter of agreement.
The previous disclosure statement said:

“The Chairman Letter Agreement also confirms that at the Closing of the Merger, (i) AMR shall recognize all service credited to Mr. Horton under the Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan for Officers of American Airlines, Inc. (the “SERP”) prior to the Closing; and (ii) Mr. Horton shall be fully vested in his accrued benefits under the SERP.”
The revised disclosure statements adds this paragraph to the above language:

“Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, New AAG is to assume all of the Debtors’ retirement plans, including the SERP. The SERP benefits cover 74 current officers and recent retirees. Approximately 40% of the outstanding SERP benefits were funded prior to the Commencement Date, and such funds are held in trust for the beneficiaries. No benefits have been funded by the Debtors subsequent to the Commencement Date. Mr. Horton’s benefit under the SERP aggregates approximately $4.5 million, of which approximately $2 million is in trust for his benefit.”

AAG is American Airlines Group, the new name for AMR after it exits bankruptcy and merges with US Airways. The Commencement Date is the day the companies entered bankruptcy, Nov. 29, 2011.

http://aviationblog....anization.html/

AAG is American Airlines Group, the new name for AMR after it exits bankruptcy ... then merges with US Airways? If I read that correctly, AAG is the new AMR coming out of BK. So LLC is merging into new AAG. Therefore US Airways employees over 55 due PBGC can start drawing and keep working!!! That's probably our supplemental ret. plan!!!
 
APRIL BARGAINING UPDATE 2013

Your IBT/CWA Association Negotiating Committee met this month in Tempe, during the period of April 16th thru the 18th.

On Tuesday, April 16th, we met with the company and gave them proposals for Article 18- Sick Leave, Article 32- Call Monitoring. The company gave us proposals on Article 6- Overtime, Article 7- Overtime Reservations and Article 34- General and Miscellaneous. We also gave the company a proposal for a Pension Plan. We advised the company that our members expressed a desire for an added pension plan to supplement their retirement. We wanted to make sure that our members had a guaranteed benefit that they could count on when they reach retirement age. We also advised the company that this pension plan would not be in the control of the company and that the union would be a partner in the oversight of the funds. We also reached a tentative agreement on Article 30- Safety and Health. We ended the day discussing counter proposals.

On Wednesday, April 17th, we continued to go over counter proposals and prepare for the following day.

On Thursday, April 18th, we gave the company a proposal on Article 36- Compensation. We gave the company a wage chart that would bring us an industry standard wage. We advised the company that we have earned record profits and should no longer be living on a wage with little increase from our 1999 contract rates. The company passed proposals on Article 18- Sick Leave, Article 24- Shift Definitions and Premiums and Article 32- Call Monitoring. We ended the session discussing future dates for negotiations.

Keep in mind we do not give specifics right now on each article because they can change in each session of bargaining and until we have a final tentative agreement to vote on, the proposed language can change often and we do not want to cause any confusion.

The next scheduled bargaining session is in Tempe, Arizona on June 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th.

"We also advised the company that this pension plan would not be in the control of the company and that the union would be a partner in the oversight of the funds."

Do not allow the union to touch your pensions. The ibt pensions are in real danger right now, Hoffa has already agreed to cut bennies paid out to retiries. Don't fall for the BS stay long away from any union controlling your pensions. Not only that, but you guys better do your homework about the teamsters funds and RULES in order for you to receive bennies. You can't go back to work in certain fiels and pull from your pensions. Plus, the way the teamsters are controlling their pensions there will be nothing left of the pensions when you need it, it all over the news people do some research...
 
APRIL BARGAINING UPDATE 2013

Your IBT/CWA Association Negotiating Committee met this month in Tempe, during the period of April 16th thru the 18th.

On Tuesday, April 16th, we met with the company and gave them proposals for Article 18- Sick Leave, Article 32- Call Monitoring. The company gave us proposals on Article 6- Overtime, Article 7- Overtime Reservations and Article 34- General and Miscellaneous. We also gave the company a proposal for a Pension Plan. We advised the company that our members expressed a desire for an added pension plan to supplement their retirement. We wanted to make sure that our members had a guaranteed benefit that they could count on when they reach retirement age. We also advised the company that this pension plan would not be in the control of the company and that the union would be a partner in the oversight of the funds. We also reached a tentative agreement on Article 30- Safety and Health. We ended the day discussing counter proposals.

On Wednesday, April 17th, we continued to go over counter proposals and prepare for the following day.

On Thursday, April 18th, we gave the company a proposal on Article 36- Compensation. We gave the company a wage chart that would bring us an industry standard wage. We advised the company that we have earned record profits and should no longer be living on a wage with little increase from our 1999 contract rates. The company passed proposals on Article 18- Sick Leave, Article 24- Shift Definitions and Premiums and Article 32- Call Monitoring. We ended the session discussing future dates for negotiations.

Keep in mind we do not give specifics right now on each article because they can change in each session of bargaining and until we have a final tentative agreement to vote on, the proposed language can change often and we do not want to cause any confusion.

The next scheduled bargaining session is in Tempe, Arizona on June 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th.
Company making profits and they are only asking for an "industry standard wage". Pretty pathetic.
 

[background=transparent]Are Unions Too Cozy With Management[/background]
[background=transparent]At least in the case of the flight attendants and the mechanics I have gotten some feedback that many are less than happy about the job that APFA and the TWU are doing representing their interests. Did labor have a strong enough voice at the table? All three unions knew about and approved the $20 million bonus for Tom Horton. All three unions readily agreed to place language in the labor agreements “gagging” employees from complaining about excessive management bonuses. Some are of the opinion that inserting “gag” order language was a quid pro quo for the American Airlines reimbursing APFA $5 million for bankruptcy financial consultants and $2 million to pay investment banking firm Jefferies & Co. American also refunded to the TWU over $2.7 million in bankruptcy related expenses. At least in the case of the TWU, I came into possession of union form LM-2 which is a required annual report to the Department of Labor. Total TWU expenditures were $45.6 million versus $44.8 million in receipts. The point is that $2.7 million is not an insignificant number for the TWU.[/background]
[background=transparent]Top management at all the unions receives a designation A-5 travel pass. With this perk, APFA president Laura Glading and her family can travel first class anyplace, anytime and have priority that can bump a full fare passenger. Ms. Glading can retire at the end of her term with this benefit intact. Her predecessor, Tommy Hitto-Blake retired with A-5 travel. At the time it was kept secret from union membership. Why keep it hidden if there is nothing underhanded going on.[/background]
[background=transparent]I also came into possession of a number of TWU form L-10’s which are disclosures of gifts or perks that American Airlines doles out to union officials. I discovered thousands of dollars in free airline travel, meals, and even baseball tickets. Also, top TWU officers are appointed for life and not elected like counterparts at APA and APFA. If an appointment lacks accountability to those to whom you are to represent, then it becomes little more than a sinecure.[/background]
[background=transparent]Woven all together, a case can be made for an incestuous relationship between union management and executives at American Airlines. Top union officials make $200,000 or $250,000 or more exclusive of perks and benefits worth many thousands more. With these “cushy” jobs does there exist a lack of incentive for these agents of the workers to fight their hardest for them. Judging by the results of the latest rounds of labor negotiations, it is at least a possibility.[/background]