CWA / Management meeting 1/29/04
CWA'ers met with management representatives from Reservations, Operations and Labor Relations at our regular monthly meeting on January 29. Present for CWA were all local presidents: Chris Fox – 13302; Tina Perry – 13301; Louie Rocha – 9423; Betty Grove – 4404 Acting; James Root – 3641; Becky Gerald – 3640; John Tyler – 3140; Pam Terry – 2000; John Hanson – 1171; Tim Yost and Velvet Hawthorne – staff; Nick Manicone – attorney; and Rick Braswell – staff.
The following is the list of issues presented by CWA. Management did not present issues for discussion (No, the "new business plan" was not presented):
Pro-rata work at combined US Airways/United SFO Club – The SFO Club is scheduled for shut-down. Our contract provides that US Airways passenger service work that is combined due to an alliance with another airline (United in this case) will be assigned to US Airways employees on a pro-rata basis. However, management says the SFO US Airways Club work is not being combined with the United Club because US Airways Club members are not being offered access to the United Club – they are simply losing the SFO US Airways Club. Both parties are continuing to check the facts in this case.
WorkBrain issues - CWA'ers and management involved in the roll-out of WorkBrain will meet in BOS next week to discuss issues related to the program. BOS is the first WorkBrain station and next week is the first "live buffer" week for the program.
Corporate Policy Changes – CWA'ers objected to several provisions in the new Corporate Policy Manual distributed to employees. We stated that CWA would present a detailed, formal objection to several parts of the Manual (possibly in conjunction with other unions), but we took advantage of this meeting to present three serious issues that either violate past practice or evidentiary standards in the grievance/arbitration process, or just plain don't make sense in the modern workplace:
Management screening the employment of family members or domestic partners of US Airways employees' to determine if the family member's employment is a "conflict of interest" for the US Airway employee – way out of line;
Management randomly requiring employees to fill out a report listing their own, or other employees', "violations" of corporate policy – a fishing expedition designed to produce self-incrimination or (unsubstantiated) information about co-workers;
The recently instituted program of encouraging employees to anonymously report their co-workers to an "800" number for any real or imagined infraction – a type of system notoriously open to abuse by management or disgruntled individuals with an axe to grind.
Management at the meeting said they were not familiar with these Corporate Policy programs and would seek guidance before responding to our three issues and to the formal, written objections we submit.
Arbitration List – CWA'ers and management agreed to take further steps to clear out the backlog of cases awaiting arbitration. We agreed to set two "Global Settlement" meetings in the very near future to try to settle many of the cases listed for arbitration. CWA'ers also made several corrections to management's arbitration database.
Grievance process: timing out and deployment for 3rd level and Arbitration – CWA'ers reviewed several management practices that, in our view, are excessively bureaucratic and hinder the resolution of grievances rather than facilitate the process. Management felt most of their practices were justified, but we agreed to review several of the procedures going forward.
California FMLA – CWA'ers questioned whether US Airways has a plan for notification and implementation of the new California paid-FMLA program. CWA'ers described the outlines of the law, along with the requirement that employees be notified of the new program by management. Management present was unfamiliar with the program but committed to get back to us with their information on it.
Dividend Miles understaffing – CWA'ers presented data that understaffing at the DMSC has led to an avalanche of unanswered e-mails from Dividend Miles members (We're talking thousands and thousands of unanswered emails). This is in spite of management's use of excessive overtime and their suggestions that they will go to mandatory overtime to answer the e-mails. CWA'ers pointed out that there are over thirty DMSC reps on furlough and the obvious solution is to recall reps and eliminate the understaffing. Management present said they will dig into the situation and get back to us.
Notification to union of recalled reps and agents – Management has begun providing the union with more timely data on the number and location of recalled employees. The management list provided following this meeting shows that 223 agents and reps have been recalled from furlough since July last year.
CWA policy is to keep you informed of all meetings with management.
CWA'ers met with management representatives from Reservations, Operations and Labor Relations at our regular monthly meeting on January 29. Present for CWA were all local presidents: Chris Fox – 13302; Tina Perry – 13301; Louie Rocha – 9423; Betty Grove – 4404 Acting; James Root – 3641; Becky Gerald – 3640; John Tyler – 3140; Pam Terry – 2000; John Hanson – 1171; Tim Yost and Velvet Hawthorne – staff; Nick Manicone – attorney; and Rick Braswell – staff.
The following is the list of issues presented by CWA. Management did not present issues for discussion (No, the "new business plan" was not presented):
Pro-rata work at combined US Airways/United SFO Club – The SFO Club is scheduled for shut-down. Our contract provides that US Airways passenger service work that is combined due to an alliance with another airline (United in this case) will be assigned to US Airways employees on a pro-rata basis. However, management says the SFO US Airways Club work is not being combined with the United Club because US Airways Club members are not being offered access to the United Club – they are simply losing the SFO US Airways Club. Both parties are continuing to check the facts in this case.
WorkBrain issues - CWA'ers and management involved in the roll-out of WorkBrain will meet in BOS next week to discuss issues related to the program. BOS is the first WorkBrain station and next week is the first "live buffer" week for the program.
Corporate Policy Changes – CWA'ers objected to several provisions in the new Corporate Policy Manual distributed to employees. We stated that CWA would present a detailed, formal objection to several parts of the Manual (possibly in conjunction with other unions), but we took advantage of this meeting to present three serious issues that either violate past practice or evidentiary standards in the grievance/arbitration process, or just plain don't make sense in the modern workplace:
Management screening the employment of family members or domestic partners of US Airways employees' to determine if the family member's employment is a "conflict of interest" for the US Airway employee – way out of line;
Management randomly requiring employees to fill out a report listing their own, or other employees', "violations" of corporate policy – a fishing expedition designed to produce self-incrimination or (unsubstantiated) information about co-workers;
The recently instituted program of encouraging employees to anonymously report their co-workers to an "800" number for any real or imagined infraction – a type of system notoriously open to abuse by management or disgruntled individuals with an axe to grind.
Management at the meeting said they were not familiar with these Corporate Policy programs and would seek guidance before responding to our three issues and to the formal, written objections we submit.
Arbitration List – CWA'ers and management agreed to take further steps to clear out the backlog of cases awaiting arbitration. We agreed to set two "Global Settlement" meetings in the very near future to try to settle many of the cases listed for arbitration. CWA'ers also made several corrections to management's arbitration database.
Grievance process: timing out and deployment for 3rd level and Arbitration – CWA'ers reviewed several management practices that, in our view, are excessively bureaucratic and hinder the resolution of grievances rather than facilitate the process. Management felt most of their practices were justified, but we agreed to review several of the procedures going forward.
California FMLA – CWA'ers questioned whether US Airways has a plan for notification and implementation of the new California paid-FMLA program. CWA'ers described the outlines of the law, along with the requirement that employees be notified of the new program by management. Management present was unfamiliar with the program but committed to get back to us with their information on it.
Dividend Miles understaffing – CWA'ers presented data that understaffing at the DMSC has led to an avalanche of unanswered e-mails from Dividend Miles members (We're talking thousands and thousands of unanswered emails). This is in spite of management's use of excessive overtime and their suggestions that they will go to mandatory overtime to answer the e-mails. CWA'ers pointed out that there are over thirty DMSC reps on furlough and the obvious solution is to recall reps and eliminate the understaffing. Management present said they will dig into the situation and get back to us.
Notification to union of recalled reps and agents – Management has begun providing the union with more timely data on the number and location of recalled employees. The management list provided following this meeting shows that 223 agents and reps have been recalled from furlough since July last year.
CWA policy is to keep you informed of all meetings with management.
In addition to the time clock part of it, you will be able to do shift swaps and bid via the computer without having to fill out paperwork.
