CWA Files for Representation Election

[737823]

Even Congress said they didnt intend the law to be retroactive, so I think the lawmakers who wrote and passed the bill would know more than a judge who was in AA's pocket.

When the court rules against the union, they're in the company's pocket; when they rule in the unions favor suddenly justice is served

Josh

 

[700UW]

“This legal action is based on inaccurate statements by American Airlines and its willful misrepresentation of federal aviation law, despite hearing from the law’s authors, Senators Reid, Rockefeller and Harkin, that the law does not apply to the agents’ election,” Rusher said.

 

[john john]

He's not a "Texas judge," he's a federal district court judge in Texas. There's a world of difference.

http://apsa6001.org/...ly_.23.2012.pdf

A letter signed by 121 members of Congress urged American Airlines CEO Tom Horton to stop delaying our representation election, which they said was lawfully enjoined when CWA filed for the election on Dec. 7, 2011.
“We are disappointed that you sought a legal injunction instead of proceeding with the union representation election once the statutory requirements for holding that election were met by the Passenger Service Agents,” the lawmakers wrote in the July 23 letter, which disputed American Airlines contention that a law passed in February 2012 should be retroactive to the CWA filing, the basis for its legal claims.
http://apsa6001.org/?p=883

 

[eolesen]

How many of the signatures are from reps desperately pandering for campaign contributions from the AFL-CIO and others unions?

If it wasn't an election year, they wouldn't be seeking the publicity.

 

[john john]

desperately pandering

Yea it’s about the money

 

[john john]

If the agents wanted to pay dues to the AFA during bankruptcy in the hopes that the union would moderate their pain, then they should have voted in your union before AA filed its Ch 11 petition, not after.






As an aside,

If the passenger service agents at AA vote in CWA no dues until a contract is ratified

 

[eolesen]

Yea it’s about the money

With politicians, it's always about the money...

 

[FWAAA]

When do changes to agents' wages and benefits begin? Someone posted a while back that 500 of them took an early out offer.

 

[john john]

http://letterstotheeditorblog.dallasnews.com/2012/08/american-airlines-is-wearing-down-their-gate-agents-the-customer-facing-representatives-of-the-airlines.html/
American Airlines is wearing down their gate agents — the customer-facing representatives of the airlines
As a longtime customer of American Airlines, I am shocked and dismayed by the shabby treatment of its gate agents in their bid to organize a union and gain representation in the current bankruptcy.

 

[eolesen]

Odd, my experience since the filing has been the exact opposite. Most agents seem to be doing just fine. They didn't take pay cuts, and won't.

Massive layoffs? Management had already reduced staffing levels via attrition, and its not yet clear how many (if any) agents are going to be impacted by outsourcing airport handling (versus attrition). Even there, agents have always had the same opportunity for a transfer as the TWU does.

Increases in benefits? Agents have already been paying the same rates as management, which is the surviving benefits plan.

The biggest change will be the 401K, for those hired before 1999 who weren't already participating in it voluntarily. Any agent hired since then didn't have a pension option.


All in all, the agents seem to have fared pretty well so far.

Most of the pro-union folks I know of were somewhat bitter high seniority folks just waiting for an excuse to leave.

My guess..... The type of folks the CWA is counting on to carry the representation vote are the ones most likely to say :$%# it and take the buyout.

 

[john john]

Massive layoffs?

http://apsa6001.org/?p=919
The SWRO in Tucson closed Aug. 24, and many agents wanting to take the voluntary separation package were forced to either quit or go home-based because the company is short headcount in reservations.

 

[eolesen]

More great spin from APSA.... they comment on the APFA's buyout, and lament system protected agents getting more than non-protected. Well, that's what seniority buys you. An agent with 5 years doesn't deserve what someone with 15 years should get.

With the SWRO, CRO and ERO closings, no res agents were furloughed -- all had the opportunity to go home based or relocate. Home based is a different pay scale, but admittedly, you're also not incurring the cost of commuting to work, lunch, laundry, etc... With gas closing in on $4 a gallon in the lower cost of living places, that adds up quickly.

Fact is, everyone had a choice to stay employed, which is more than what the junior guys at TUL or AFW are facing.


The SJU, HNL, ERO, CRO, and SWRO were original AA offices. That's five. In the case of the ERO, CRO, and SJURR, those offices were closed when the leases came up for renewal. AA didn't own the space. I'm assuming the same holds true for HNLRR.

The count of nine in nine years also includes the three former TWA offices in LAS, ORF and STL which were closed in 2003.

The ninth is a big fuzzy. It could be the short-lived DUB office (never staffed by US workers, thus the CWA wouldn't have represented them) or it could be the also-short-lived DTRO. which was consolidated with the SRO just 20 miles away. No US based workers lost jobs with those closures.

Either way, the fact remains that AA closed those offices for one reason and one reason only: call volumes have plummeted and there's no reason to keep as many call centers open when you had 2 or 3 of the 7 wings at the SRO vacant.

It's not because they were outsourcing jobs to India (which both UA and DL did) or Latin America (which US did). And there's no union that can protect call center jobs when call volumes fall.

 

[Kev3188]

Where were the DTRO, ERO, and SRO?

 

[eolesen]

Where were the DTRO, ERO, and SRO?

DTRO = Dallas Res Office (south of downtown Dallas near Redbird Airport)
ERO = Eastern Res Office (downtown Hartford)
CRO = Central Res Office (downtown Cincinnati)
SRO = Southern Res Office (next to DFW airport)
SERO = Southeast Res Office (near RDU airport)
SWRO = Southwest Res Office (near TUS airport)

Like most other carriers who were around before 1990, call centers were dispersed due to time zones and telecomm costs. As the telcos consolidated, do did the call center industry.

Add in the use of the internet for routine stuff like gates, times, schedules, and fare shopping, and the demand for call centers shrinks. It's happened in just about every industry that was using telesales 20 years ago.

 

[john john]

All in all, the agents seem to have fared pretty well so far.

So it is your belief that the passenger service agents will receive and have the same if not better pay benefits work rules and scope then the union groups