IAM -- Fleet Service Thread 2/29-3/7

[diogenes]

What profits boil down to is superior management and a superior team. WN has that, and they are profitable year in and year out.

The old and new US have been burdened with substandard management for two decades. Given the opportunity, the team delivers outstanding results, but you can beat a dog only so long before he turns on you.

Poor decisions are expensive - you need only look in your own past to understand that.

What is happening at US is labor is subsidizing poor management decisions.

Y'all can't change the management team, but you can stop the subsidy.

If you don't, it's more of the same. If you do, the ship may go down. Or you may get some needed change.

Take a chance.

 

[pjirish317]

What profits boil down to is superior management and a superior team. WN has that, and they are profitable year in and year out.

The old and new US have been burdened with substandard management for two decades. Given the opportunity, the team delivers outstanding results, but you can beat a dog only so long before he turns on you.

Poor decisions are expensive - you need only look in your own past to understand that.

What is happening at US is labor is subsidizing poor management decisions.

Y'all can't change the management team, but you can stop the subsidy.

If you don't, it's more of the same. If you do, the ship may go down. Or you may get some needed change.

Take a chance.

Very well said!

 

[west fleet]

Thanks for the answer, but if I am reading it right, how could it be a fair proposal ? and why would our NC committee propose such a profanity. I thought we made it clear we didnt want another concessionary contract.

I hope section 6 works for us.

 

[bagchucker]

What exactly is the "helping hand" agreement. Who thought it up, and when was it implemented?
I have never heard of it before? In my station, we work 1 "west metal" a/c a day. When we first started after the merger, a few of us had to go to HP W/B class. Since all a/c are ACARS now, would we still be considered "contractors" for HP? Because that is essentially what we were prior to the "One Certificate". There are no "West" Fleet Service agents here. Can we just ignore the "helping hand" agreement? Is there a copy of this agreement around somewhere? Can someone post it?

I was unaware that there was a "helping hand" agreement in place. It is pure B.S. It is doing the company a favor is what it is! It is saying that we are aware that we are breaching our contracts to help out the company until they can get their s**t straight. NOT. They can't help us out with a combined contract, yet they want us to step over the boundaries of the contracts and do things that we are not supposed to. This company doesn't do us any favors, we need to stop doing them favors.

 

[bagchucker]

I spent some time working on the PHX ramp in '06-'07 and during the first part of that time frame, our Fleet Svc. bid included exclusive lines to work East metal A/C. It was actually nice lines to bid, so it went senior due to 10-hour shifts/3 days off. They have since removed that part of the bid I believe. Anyway, folks in LAX that handle both East and West still have it divided. The old HP crew still handles West metal... The old USAir crew handles the East metal even though there is a combined operation there now, with one ops room and shared gates.

 

[pjirish317]

This is straight from the union's proposal to the company.

The first 3 sick days used paid at 50% and decremented at 50%. All days after the first 3 are paid at 100%. So for 5 sick days you would be paid 3.5 days. Now on 1/1/2009, the first 5 sick days used in a calendar year at 50%. So in this instance, paid for 2.5 days. So the same time off sick a year later you lose 1 days pay? I understand the "calendar year" part. But if you do not call in sick at all, then BOOM, sick for 5 days, paid 2.5 days. Who did the math on that? canoli? It just does not make any sense.

 

[diogenes]

Regarding sick days, I am unaware of other Fortune 500 companies treating them as US does, which is total disrespect for employees.

Does anyone know if other companies do this?

 

[Harry Callahan]

I sure know of none & for me that is one very sore subject :angry:

 

[Tim Nelson]

I really think the west needs to see a copy of the east contract since many of them have no idea what's in it. For starters, if any west agents want to know certain things about the east contract then ask here. Last count, I think there were 22 benefits the west would lose. The only plus would be pay for 3 west stations out of 25.

regards,
Tim Nelson
IAM Local Chairman, 1487, Chicago

 

[NevadaHP]

ok helping hand agreement specifics, I have. Chandlee agreed to it, Canale OKd it!!! The helping hand agreement in simple terms was for cities that had both east and west employees employed in them, that if one side or the other needs help in "emergency situations or irregular operations" they could help the other side out. Well in vegas mendenhall and chandlee let the company FORCE the WEST agents to run all connects off of inbound east flts and the east employees will run the locals, west will run all bags on west flts, nice helping hand agreement, NOT!! Their have recently been situations in LAS where the east employees have gone home for the night and there needs to be planes remoted in, and the west agents are forced with threats of insubordination and termination if they dont remote the east a/c into the gate. along with this agrement the east agents were offered to come back to work for the company in small west stations under the west agreement at their pay seniority but day one bidding seniority. At the febuary membership meeting in LAS Canale said the agreement was in writing and he would be getting us a copy of it, well were still waiting. We have asked several times that this agreement be revoked and the union continues to tell us that as long as the company continues to bargain in good faith it will still be there. Are they bargaining in good faith Randy? Numerous grievances have been filed and they seem to only find the circular file cabinet. Please someone from the District tell randy to keep all work seperate we cant run one ariline until we have one contract. Randy got the message in vegas but since he only shows his face every 3 yrs he wont have to worry he'll be out of office soon.

 

[Tim Nelson]

ok helping hand agreement specifics, I have. Chandlee agreed to it, Canale OKd it!!! The helping hand agreement in simple terms was for cities that had both east and west employees employed in them, that if one side or the other needs help in "emergency situations or irregular operations" they could help the other side out. Well in vegas mendenhall and chandlee let the company FORCE the WEST agents to run all connects off of inbound east flts and the east employees will run the locals, west will run all bags on west flts, nice helping hand agreement, NOT!! Their have recently been situations in LAS where the east employees have gone home for the night and there needs to be planes remoted in, and the west agents are forced with threats of insubordination and termination if they dont remote the east a/c into the gate. along with this agrement the east agents were offered to come back to work for the company in small west stations under the west agreement at their pay seniority but day one bidding seniority. At the febuary membership meeting in LAS Canale said the agreement was in writing and he would be getting us a copy of it, well were still waiting. We have asked several times that this agreement be revoked and the union continues to tell us that as long as the company continues to bargain in good faith it will still be there. Are they bargaining in good faith Randy? Numerous grievances have been filed and they seem to only find the circular file cabinet. Please someone from the District tell randy to keep all work seperate we cant run one ariline until we have one contract. Randy got the message in vegas but since he only shows his face every 3 yrs he wont have to worry he'll be out of office soon.

Do you know who filed the grievance? You can email me here
It's very important to get this paperwork. There are no letters of agreement to this up on the IAM website. If you can't find paperwork then I don't have any problem as a Local Chairman filing the grievance in ORD regarding LAS [sorry JM] and getting documentation through step 3.
This is why we are trying to kick Randy out of office. His little side deals with the company are killing us.
Tell JM to show you a copy of the grievance, and all step 3 decisions must be shown to your LC quarterly. If you can't get anything from him then email me and I'll take care of this greivance involving LAS from ORD.

regards,
Tim Nelson
IAM Local Chairman, 1487, Chicago

 

[roadtrip]

I really think the west needs to see a copy of the east contract since many of them have no idea what's in it. For starters, if any west agents want to know certain things about the east contract then ask here. Last count, I think there were 22 benefits the west would lose. The only plus would be pay for 3 west stations out of 25.

regards,
Tim Nelson
IAM Local Chairman, 1487, Chicago

Here you go westies read it carefully East Contract
Take 2 tylenol before so you start to read so you dont get a headache from all the run arounds you will have to follow in this contract its a real POS on languge protection. Dont even get me started on the shi-t benefits and outragous health premiums for familys. The 60 day rule or class 2 rate system and the list goes on.

 

[Henderfuzz]

Further research on helping hand and east guys working west planes in cities that never had west agents. Its basically like we are a contractor working those flights much like we do when we work express flights.
So I doubt theres much that can be done about those cities.
We do have times when its used At DFW as well but its a rare occassion and most guys are very reluctant to do it. I would like to see it end though.

 

[west fleet]

I dont understand the sick policy the NC proposed as it appears to be going backwards and the 60 day rule will still affect those who are on furlough now. The small west cities are being timebombed and doomed if I am reading everything correctly. This is not the company proposal, I am reading this from the NC proposal and it has been stated as fair and modest.

 

[Hadenough]

How can we get rid of the helping hand agreement? And whats the plan for the future

This post was the very first time I had ever heard of the "Helping Hand Agreement". I had no idea what anyone was talking about until I read more about it here. Apparently I have been working quite a few of these "West Metal" flights a week. The only thing I every knew that was different was the fact that the A/C had different tail numbers for the A320's and that there was a parts bin box inside the front bin. They are treated no differently than any other flight that I work throughout the day.