December 4, 2015
To the Membership,
By now I expect that all of you are aware that the TWU/IAM Association and American engaged in the opening of negotiations for a joint collective bargaining agreement (JCBA). The opening of the meeting was initially delayed by the late arrival of Robert Isom. Once the meeting began, the Association leadership, Sito Pantoja and Harry Lombardo, expressed their discord regarding the treatment of their “collective” union’s members. Both union leaders also made it very clear to American that the Association is expecting a negotiating process that recognizes the years of sacrifices union members have made, both personally and financially, which have led to American’s record profits.
Sadly, American came to the meeting with no written proposal in hand. Unfortunately it seems they did not feel compelled to exchange any offer of good faith, in order to set the tone for a collaborative negotiation. American did continue to express the company’s wage offer of what is now Delta +3%, and they stated that they had a willingness to accept current contract language, along with being open to adding minor changes where they felt they made sense. American also announced, as has been the case with their other negotiations, that their chief negotiator will be Jerry Glass of F&H Solutions, an extension of the Law Firm - Ford & Harrison. While not an attorney, Jerry Glass has a long history of negotiating labor agreements for Doug Parker: just Google “Jerry Glass or F&H Solutions” for more information. The unions negotiating teams and the Association leadership were prepared and American was given a presentation of the union’s opening positions. While the Associations presentation was not a comprehensive section six proposal, it clearly articulated nearly all of the negotiating committees positions on the JCBA. In some areas of the presentation the Association chose not to spell out the specifics of the union’s position, and in other areas the proposal definitively expresses the expectation of the Association.
In the end, I do not know how long these negotiations will take, but I do expect them to be difficult. I still consistently hear from our member’s expressing their concern that morale continues to erode, and for every day that a JCBA is not reached, and then ratified, things are only getting worse. A long protracted negotiation is not good for us as union members, and it certainly is not in the best interest of American. All of us want improved union/management relations and a contact that we can be proud of, but that change can only come from in the form of a JCBA. In the end, this Agreement will not be grounded on whether pay is Delta +7 or Delta +3, but what is found written into every other page of the JCBA.
Remain Unified,
Gary Peterson
President
To the Membership,
By now I expect that all of you are aware that the TWU/IAM Association and American engaged in the opening of negotiations for a joint collective bargaining agreement (JCBA). The opening of the meeting was initially delayed by the late arrival of Robert Isom. Once the meeting began, the Association leadership, Sito Pantoja and Harry Lombardo, expressed their discord regarding the treatment of their “collective” union’s members. Both union leaders also made it very clear to American that the Association is expecting a negotiating process that recognizes the years of sacrifices union members have made, both personally and financially, which have led to American’s record profits.
Sadly, American came to the meeting with no written proposal in hand. Unfortunately it seems they did not feel compelled to exchange any offer of good faith, in order to set the tone for a collaborative negotiation. American did continue to express the company’s wage offer of what is now Delta +3%, and they stated that they had a willingness to accept current contract language, along with being open to adding minor changes where they felt they made sense. American also announced, as has been the case with their other negotiations, that their chief negotiator will be Jerry Glass of F&H Solutions, an extension of the Law Firm - Ford & Harrison. While not an attorney, Jerry Glass has a long history of negotiating labor agreements for Doug Parker: just Google “Jerry Glass or F&H Solutions” for more information. The unions negotiating teams and the Association leadership were prepared and American was given a presentation of the union’s opening positions. While the Associations presentation was not a comprehensive section six proposal, it clearly articulated nearly all of the negotiating committees positions on the JCBA. In some areas of the presentation the Association chose not to spell out the specifics of the union’s position, and in other areas the proposal definitively expresses the expectation of the Association.
In the end, I do not know how long these negotiations will take, but I do expect them to be difficult. I still consistently hear from our member’s expressing their concern that morale continues to erode, and for every day that a JCBA is not reached, and then ratified, things are only getting worse. A long protracted negotiation is not good for us as union members, and it certainly is not in the best interest of American. All of us want improved union/management relations and a contact that we can be proud of, but that change can only come from in the form of a JCBA. In the end, this Agreement will not be grounded on whether pay is Delta +7 or Delta +3, but what is found written into every other page of the JCBA.
Remain Unified,
Gary Peterson
President
