Fleet Service update 12/15/06

[libertybell]

It appears USA management has determined to attempt to negotiate directly with IAM members rather than at the bargaining table with the authorized Negotiating Committee. This in fact may border on an “unfair labor practice†which we are exploring with our own legal counsel. It certainly is an attempt to divide our membership (both east & west) to accept less then what you told us thru the IAM survey.

The Company in direct meetings with employees have misrepresented, misstated, and withheld the “true proposal†made in your behalf from your Committee to the Company.

As a policy, we are reluctant to normally make public a proposal, as it is subject to change thru the bargaining process, and this is true with the current proposal, which in fact is not the Negotiating Committees first proposal but represents its last and most recent.

The Company has falsely complained to your Committee that we are attempting Section 6 bargaining… and they should count their lucky stars it is not, because if we were in Section 6 bargaining we would be taking a “Strike Vote†and setting a “Strike Date†in response to their pathetic actions.

The Company has refused to give us a counter proposal, and they have rejected our proposal in your behalf “out of handâ€. They have insisted that we make another proposal… which if we were to respond to that request would result in your committee bargaining against ourselves. That will not happen.

Your Negotiating Committee is unified and prepared to return to bargain when the Company has a proposal to present in your behalf at the bargaining table.

Stay strong, unified and don’t be divided into groups by phony Company issues or other misrepresented issues by those with a narrow or selfish focus.

It will take all of us both East and West to achieve our goals and all should be respected and treated in a fair fashion in the end result. That’s what a Union is all about.

In solidarity, I remain

S.R. (Randy) Canale
President and Directing General Chairman

 

[diogenes]

"The Company has falsely complained to your Committee that we are attempting Section 6 bargaining… and they should count their lucky stars it is not, because if we were in Section 6 bargaining we would be taking a “Strike Voteâ€￾ and setting a “Strike Dateâ€￾ in response to their pathetic actions."


Uhhhh where was the strike prep and the strike talk when US fleet coughed up concessions? Even though US was in BK, strike was an option.

Just never a serious threat.

Just like it isn't now.

 

[smallstFSA]

This update from the IAM is rather vague unless you know particulars. Anybody care to shed some light. JR

 

[NevadaHP]

well it seems some mgmt personnel are trying to get the ramp back under control, in PHX they have had some J-Line walks. so mgmt went into the break rooms and spilled what was going on in negotiations and threw their spin on things. making the IAM look bad in PHX.

What Mr Canale should really be doing if hes serious about a strike is not to extend an interim transition agreement that hurts 600 west employees in LAS and dual cities across the system. Hes doing the company a favor and extending this stupid transition agreement and like he states the company wont respond in negotiations. WTF??

 

[barbeetantrums]

This update from the IAM is rather vague unless you know particulars. Anybody care to shed some light. JR

Here is what happened from an eye-witness. 700UW would say, "Let me educate you." For the past 2 weeks or so, PHX ramp has held a fod walk at a gate with upwards of 100 people at a time. We don't want trash getting sucked in an engine so we volunteer to pick trash off the ground at a certain gate. The other day, we had our union-mandated 30-minute lunch on the tarmac. About 100 or so rampers sat on the tarmac and enjoyed the cool, sunny weather. Managers showed up and they were invited to eat. In both instances, management has told us to disburse and used threats against these innocent get-togethers.

Anyhoo, Anthony Mule and other management officials have told the fleet service agents of what the company offered in negotiations. Believe me, what was proposed by management was not acceptable.

 

[smallstFSA]

Thanks for the info. I can't believe the IAM would even hint at something resembling a strike. The time for something like that would have been around T-giving or X-mas and there is no time for the latter. Good luck to everyone employed or furloughed. JR

 

[Hope777]

Here is what happened from an eye-witness. 700UW would say, "Let me educate you." For the past 2 weeks or so, PHX ramp has held a fod walk at a gate with upwards of 100 people at a time. We don't want trash getting sucked in an engine so we volunteer to pick trash off the ground at a certain gate. The other day, we had our union-mandated 30-minute lunch on the tarmac. About 100 or so rampers sat on the tarmac and enjoyed the cool, sunny weather. Managers showed up and they were invited to eat. In both instances, management has told us to disburse and used threats against these innocent get-togethers.

Anyhoo, Anthony Mule and other management officials have told the fleet service agents of what the company offered in negotiations. Believe me, what was proposed by management was not acceptable.

I can tell you what Anthony Mule told a bunch of 20+ year employees over the Summer in EWR. WE (the Company) want ramp employees here for a J O B, Not a career!

 

[barbeetantrums]

I can tell you what Anthony Mule told a bunch of 20+ year employees over the Summer in EWR. WE (the Company) want ramp employees here for a J O B, Not a career!

Imagine if Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Juan Montoya told their pit crews that they didn't want them to make a career out of their jobs. Then imagine if they hired a bunch of losers off the street that resembled the result of a recruiting fair at the Jerry Springer show. Yeah. :down:

Mule told us that they want to pay everyone regardless of station size to receive Class I pay but the increase would be stretched out in intervals over an 18-month period. They also want to have the option of contracting out work. How about a small pay increase before being furloughed? Yeah. :down:

Mule is a heartless piece of dirt.

 

[wings396]

"Mule told us that they want to pay everyone regardless of station size to receive Class I pay but the increase would be stretched out in intervals over an 18-month period. They also want to have the option of contracting out work. How about a small pay increase before being furloughed? Yeah."

That is exactly what took place with the smaller east stations, with the IAM watching from the sidelines. There were a few MLE (Mainline Express) stations that got a raise that lasted about 6 months before there jobs were outsourced. When the IAM show came to town, they boasted how hard they fought for this raise, and how great it was that it would boost our severence and unemployment rates once we lost our jobs... :blink:

Let's see, a raise in pay and unemployment that will last for about a year VS a job that would have kept a paycheck coming in for years to come at a lower rate...I would have passed on the raise, which was only temporary in exchange for keeping my job.

 

[Tim Nelson]

"The Company has falsely complained to your Committee that we are attempting Section 6 bargaining… and they should count their lucky stars it is not, because if we were in Section 6 bargaining we would be taking a “Strike Voteâ€￾ and setting a “Strike Dateâ€￾ in response to their pathetic actions."
Uhhhh where was the strike prep and the strike talk when US fleet coughed up concessions? Even though US was in BK, strike was an option.

Just never a serious threat.

Just like it isn't now.

Unfortunately, Canale is big on hot air and many East siders have been annoyed at his goofy rhetoric and unprofessionalism of personal attacks against the other side of the table, while at the same time not delivering 'squat' to his members, except for lay offs and more stations contracted out. The west will figure this out also since Canale never delivers.

Here's my spin and personal opinion on the matter.

Canale wants you to believe him but as he runs his mouth about the other side he holds back what was presented to him from your company. That's unfair for him to speak about the other side but then say 'can't tell ya' because of some flimsy BS excuse. And he should come clean about his position on the '22' and negotiations.

I became familiar of what was presented and although it is not acceptable, it seemed like a good start in negotiations by the company.

Canale has been around the negotiations team too long and so he must think that 'fair minded' people believe everything that comes out of his lips. He only puts out what he wants you to beleive. For instance, he put out the company's first proposal [which I agree was a joke] but hides other communicated info. He'd have you think your company doesn't want to give you squat. No wonder why the company is finally letting its employees know of the inaccuracies and absurdities from the IAM. Now the IAM is bringing up goofy strike talk. Geez, these guys need a clue and need to start doing their freakn J.O.B.! Its members wait over a month for a freakn update and all Canale gives them is a '2 paragraph #### fit' on paper. Puh Leeesssseee! Enuf of the hissy fit and start talking in a professional way to your members and start giving them real information instead of Hemingway is a jerk stuff.

IMO, Canale is setting you folks up to think you aren't going to get squat so that when he agrees to throw out the grievance and allows the company to give its fleet service members a hefty wage increase, it will make it look like he kicked butt since he is manufacturing the bar set low. THis is nothing new. It's the IAM way. I can hear it now, "WE fought like hell for you guys and got the best contract in the industry." In the meantime, wait for another sellout where you question why in the world you have the IAM in the first place. And when a contract is signed it will be big on IAM protections, not necessarily employee protections. This might mean a hangup if US AIRWAYS doesn't include language making future Delta employees dues payors.

regards,

 

[diogenes]

Here's a little notion of how well IAM is representing fleet.

US Airways has recalled more than 750 employees, including:
63 pilots
~ 300 flight attendants
> 200 mechanics and related employees
> 100 reservations and customer service agents

Who's missing from that list?

 

[700UW]

Last time I checked not one union at US Airways has control of how the company staffs the operation.

Nice attempt to blame the IAM, maybe fleet should have learned to vote no, since your group has not met a concession it did not like, and maybe if you all unionized way before 1995, you would have better protection.

It should have not taken three votes to unionize.

 

[roadtrip]

Canale wants you to believe him but as he runs his mouth about the other side he holds back what was presented to him from your company. That's unfair for him to speak about the other side but then say 'can't tell ya' because of some flimsy BS excuse. And he should come clean about his position on the '22' and negotiations.

Tim the way I see its my opinion is that Fleet service is being held hostage by the IAM not the company. The "22" are one of the main problems in talks with the company. The company will not accept a return of the "16" that is being demanded by "Big Tony" so the 7000 plus workers will continue to suffer from the bone headed move those 22 clowns made back in Feb of 06. What surprises me is the fact the international has not stepped in to get a deal going with the company. With all the dues they could be bringing in from wage increases offered by the company. Since the union continues to put out no concrete information on what the company has offered to date always hiding with the "I can't tell ya" the the workers are listening to the company and not the union. I would say everyone should hope for a large bottle of vasaline in the Christmas stocking this year. I think we are all going to need a good lube if "Big Tony" succeeds in getting the "16" back in giving concessions back to the company screwing the other 7000 workers.

 

[wings396]

Here's a little notion of how well IAM is representing fleet.

US Airways has recalled more than 750 employees, including:
63 pilots
~ 300 flight attendants
> 200 mechanics and related employees
> 100 reservations and customer service agents

Who's missing from that list?

Not to mention that all of the above listed returned to work at the same rate of pay that they were furloughed with. I still can't believe that the IAM let that 60 day furlough crap get by to begin with. How the Hell could they even present that to the membership when it wasn't inflicted upon any other workgroup on the damn property.
Why didn't the company try to pass that crap off to any other group? They must have known that the IAM would present any garbage to their members that the company came up with. As I already know, someone here is about to chime in with their usual line..."Your brothers and sisters voted it in". Sure they did, since non of the Yes voters were going to get furloughed. I would have to imagine that this 60 day furlough crap is the one and only time any unionized workgroup has ever had something like this happen. Get furloughed due to outsourcing, then come back to work someday for starting wage...Pathetic!!! :down:

 

[Tim Nelson]

Not to mention that all of the above listed returned to work at the same rate of pay that they were furloughed with. I still can't believe that the IAM let that 60 day furlough crap get by to begin with. How the Hell could they even present that to the membership when it wasn't inflicted upon any other workgroup on the damn property.
Why didn't the company try to pass that crap off to any other group? They must have known that the IAM would present any garbage to their members that the company came up with. As I already know, someone here is about to chime in with their usual line..."Your brothers and sisters voted it in". Sure they did, since non of the Yes voters were going to get furloughed. I would have to imagine that this 60 day furlough crap is the one and only time any unionized workgroup has ever had something like this happen. Get furloughed due to outsourcing, then come back to work someday for starting wage...Pathetic!!! :down:

It appears to me that the 60 day furlough is exclusive to the IAM fleet which suggest it might have been the IAM's "idea" with intent to 'seniority cleanse'.

regards,