Anybody have any info about the new manager of DFW?

[Bob Owens]

What is CS

Change of Shift. -shift swap.

 

[Bob Owens]

At AA with the TWU, we have nothing in the contract for CS's. The pilots and FA's do. AA has been very liberal with the CS policy but they can change it whenever they want to since it's a company policy. The pilots and FAs also have respective jumpseat policy's in their contract so we will never get those seats to no rev anywhere.
The TWU did manage to get uniforms in the contract, but we have to pay for those, I believe it's worth $300 million while the APA AND APFA get 12 pts a year from AA to buy uniforms. That's the difference from competent unions and the TWU

Another thing you can thank Don for. We tried to get CS language after the 2010 rejection.

 

[700UW]

Shift Swaps are big at US, people will definitely vote no if that isnt in a JCBA when the time comes.

 

[Bob Owens]

And just to clarify...it helps out a lot of employees as well.

Yea working 80 hours a week is a real help.

Recently read the 2011 FAA report on Fatigue in Aircraft maintenance. After reading it I have to wonder if AA is trying to see how far they can go before they kill a lot of people. Everything that the report says to do to minimize fatigue risk AAs policies and contract language is the exact opposite. From just one week of vacation, to 7.5 hours between shifts, to written policies where they will discipline mechanics on midnights if they nod off even on break. Aa has said that even if a guy goes out to his car on his unpaid half hour break and they catch him they may terminate him, so instead of using the unpaid time to catch a mini nap and recharge they would rather that he fight what his body is telling him he needs and to then go out and work in an impaired state on planes that people fly on. They wont even let a guy sleep in his car after shift before he drives home, they would rather force him to drive than let him nap on company property. It was amazing to see how they have incorporated everything the FAA says they should not do into their policies and contracts. Whats laughable is how the FAA says that its the mechanics responsibility to make sure he is well rested, then they do everything they can to undermine the mechanics ability to negotiate a livable wage. What really blew my mind was that China has incorporated more anti fatigue measures than AA. So sadly from a fatigue standpoint the work being done in China is more likely being done by a better rested mechanic than one in the US.

Think about this, the FAA study cites that mechanics should get 4 weeks of vacation a year and not work more than 6 days in a row, at AA a mechanic would not see four weeks until after 20 years and AA routinely schedules guys to work ten shifts in a row. For the first five years mechanics at AA only get one week of vacation. Keep in mind that they do not get any Holidays off either, so for the first five years they work 51 weeks five nights per week, the FAA recommends at least four weeks, not one. By the time a mechanic at AA gets to the recommended allotment of Vacation he will have worked over a years worth of hours more than the FAA recommends. Basically when it comes to fatigue and safety for Aircraft Maintenance AA gets an "F". So all the rest is fluff, they really don't care about safety at all. If they did they would not work so hard at doing everything they can to burn out their mechanics, from the long hours, minimal time off, short swings to a pretty constant barrage of threats of layoffs which on top of all the rest adds stress to those who would be affected by the threatened RIF. It really is troubling.

 

[Topcat187]

Check the history of a few of these new management types....quite a few did time at Northwest and we all know what wonderful labor relations they had with employee's.......Going to be a wonderful corporate culture at the "New" American....

so I guess they want to run another airline into the ground like they did at NWA....

 

[IORFA]

I think pilots have to buy all uniform pieces for what it's worth.

 

[eolesen]

The CS policy is a benefit, just like FCFS. It is not a contractual item. Therefore it is pretty much the same across the board with the exception that CSM's and Managers can do a little tweaking in their own department.
 
I think it is standard that you have to show up to work 50% of the time.

Just to clarify, both CS and travel are considered a privilege, not benefits. Benefits can't be withdrawn for discipline; privileges can.

50% was the standard, so that you didn't have senior employees giving away all their shifts but keeping their health and/or travel, and also tying up a slot on the shift bid and the seniority list.

 

[AANOTOK]

You are 100% correct, E...my bad

 

[john john]

At AA with the TWU, we have nothing in the contract for CS's. The pilots and FA's do. AA has been very liberal with the CS policy but they can change it whenever they want to since it's a company policy. The pilots and FAs also have respective jumpseat policy's in their contract so we will never get those seats to no rev anywhere.

The TWU did manage to get uniforms in the contract, but we have to pay for those, I believe it's worth $300 million while the APA AND APFA get 12 pts a year from AA to buy uniforms. That's the difference from competent unions and the TWU

The CWA/IBT Association filed a grievance with the company when the company try to suspend swaps for calling of sick and no shows. The company lost in arbitration. Shift Swap are contractual in the CWA Passengers Service contract
SYSTEM BOARD OF ARBITRATION AIRLINE CUSTOMER SERVICE EMPLOYEE )
ASSOCIATION – CWA and IBT, -and-
US AIRWAYS, INC, Re: Shift Trades Suspension Dispute.
Homer C. La Rue Ron Harbinson Dan Smith
For the Union
Joshua D. McInerney, Esq.
For the Company
Karen Gillen, Esq. Director & Associate General Counsel
System Board of Arbitration
Neutral Referee Company Member Union Member
Barkan, Neff, Handelman and Meizlish, LLP 360 South Grant Avenue P.O. Box 1989 Columbus, OH 43216-1989
US Airways, Inc. 111 West Rio Salado Parkway Tempe, AZ 85281
) Union, )
CCompany.
) OPINION AND AWARD
) ) ) ) ) )


AWARD:
Having heard the evidence and the arguments of the parties, the System Board of Arbitration rules as follows:
1. Section F of the Company’s Commitment to Success Attendance and Performance CSAPP (“CSAPP”), which provides that shift trades will not be approved for a specified time frame when an employee calls in sick for a scheduled shift trade on two or three occasions in a 6 month period, violates Article 5.T.
2. The Union’s grievance is sustained in its entirety.
3. The Company is ordered to cease and desist from suspending employees’ shift trade rights or refusing to approve shift trades under the attendance control program as set forth in Section F of the CSAPP.
Date:
September 28, 2010 Columbia, MD
Homer C. La Rue Neutral Referee On Behalf of a Majority of the System Board of Adjustment

 

[MetalMover]

Yea working 80 hours a week is a real help.

Recently read the 2011 FAA report on Fatigue in Aircraft maintenance. After reading it I have to wonder if AA is trying to see how far they can go before they kill a lot of people. Everything that the report says to do to minimize fatigue risk AAs policies and contract language is the exact opposite. From just one week of vacation, to 7.5 hours between shifts, to written policies where they will discipline mechanics on midnights if they nod off even on break. Aa has said that even if a guy goes out to his car on his unpaid half hour break and they catch him they may terminate him, so instead of using the unpaid time to catch a mini nap and recharge they would rather that he fight what his body is telling him he needs and to then go out and work in an impaired state on planes that people fly on. They wont even let a guy sleep in his car after shift before he drives home, they would rather force him to drive than let him nap on company property. It was amazing to see how they have incorporated everything the FAA says they should not do into their policies and contracts. Whats laughable is how the FAA says that its the mechanics responsibility to make sure he is well rested, then they do everything they can to undermine the mechanics ability to negotiate a livable wage. What really blew my mind was that China has incorporated more anti fatigue measures than AA. So sadly from a fatigue standpoint the work being done in China is more likely being done by a better rested mechanic than one in the US.

Think about this, the FAA study cites that mechanics should get 4 weeks of vacation a year and not work more than 6 days in a row, at AA a mechanic would not see four weeks until after 20 years and AA routinely schedules guys to work ten shifts in a row. For the first five years mechanics at AA only get one week of vacation. Keep in mind that they do not get any Holidays off either, so for the first five years they work 51 weeks five nights per week, the FAA recommends at least four weeks, not one. By the time a mechanic at AA gets to the recommended allotment of Vacation he will have worked over a years worth of hours more than the FAA recommends. Basically when it comes to fatigue and safety for Aircraft Maintenance AA gets an "F". So all the rest is fluff, they really don't care about safety at all. If they did they would not work so hard at doing everything they can to burn out their mechanics, from the long hours, minimal time off, short swings to a pretty constant barrage of threats of layoffs which on top of all the rest adds stress to those who would be affected by the threatened RIF. It really is troubling.

Excellent post.
Since airlines are having a tough time hiring qualified mechanics, it seems to me CSing and OT is not a concern anymore.

 

[john john]

Just to clarify,

AWARD:
Having heard the evidence and the arguments of the parties, the System Board of Arbitration rules as follows:
1. Section F of the Company’s Commitment to Success Attendance and Performance CSAPP (“CSAPP”), which provides that shift trades will not be approved for a specified time frame when an employee calls in sick for a scheduled shift trade on two or three occasions in a 6 month period, violates Article 5.T.
2. The Union’s grievance is sustained in its entirety.
3. The Company is ordered to cease and desist from suspending employees’ shift trade rights or refusing to approve shift trades under the attendance control program as set forth in Section F of the CSAPP.
Date:
September 28, 2010 Columbia, MD
Homer C. La Rue Neutral Referee On Behalf of a Majority of the System Board of Adjustment

 

[MetalMover]

Think about this, the FAA study cites that mechanics should get 4 weeks of vacation a year and not work more than 6 days in a row, at AA a mechanic would not see four weeks until after 20 years and AA routinely schedules guys to work ten shifts in a row. For the first five years mechanics at AA only get one week of vacation. Keep in mind that they do not get any Holidays off either, so for the first five years they work 51 weeks five nights per week, the FAA recommends at least four weeks, not one. By the time a mechanic at AA gets to the recommended allotment of Vacation he will have worked over a years worth of hours more than the FAA recommends. Basically when it comes to fatigue and safety for Aircraft Maintenance AA gets an "F". So all the rest is fluff, they really don't care about safety at all. If they did they would not work so hard at doing everything they can to burn out their mechanics, from the long hours, minimal time off, short swings to a pretty constant barrage of threats of layoffs which on top of all the rest adds stress to those who would be affected by the threatened RIF. It really is troubling.

The FAA should mandate a duty time for mechanics instead of hanging posters around the hangar claiming 16 hours of consecutive work is comparable to being legally drunk.
I especially like the poster that says working nights throws one's Circadian Rhythm out of whack. All a mechanics needs is 4 days off in a month to satisfy the FAA.
They mandated the 4 days off rule, they can mandate anything.
And they should try it again since Obama is now mandating that the minimum wage be raised ti $10.10 an hour for airline contract workers. Seems like anything that would benefit the average worker would be well received by the current administration.
 
Oh wait, we have a contract...

 

[john john]

The CS policy is a benefit, just like FCFS. It is not a contractual item.

Shift Swap are contractual in the CWA Passengers Service contract
just like DOH travel


Sorry couldn’t resist

 

[MetalMover]

Shift Swap are contractual in the CWA Passengers Service contract
just like DOH travel


Sorry couldn’t resist

Yes,, but NOT at AA!
CS is NOT CONTRACTUAL.....
 
Maybe it will be when a single carrier contract is negotiated.

 

[700UW]

The US employees wont vote for anything that doesnt contain shift swap language in the CBA.