JCBA Negotiations and updates for AA Fleet. **New and improved 2.0 version**

[WeAAsles]

Weekly Update

March 30, 2018

This week I flew to Washington DC to Participate in a briefing by the Association Executive Committee. I was added to the Negotiations Committee along with my fellow presidents Sidney Jimenez (MIA), Jennifer Platt (SFO), Kevin Sullivan (DCA), and the two standing member's William Fa (DFW), Tim Hughes (BOS). This completes the full 6 in the negotiations committee.

We were briefed on the last sessions and also the incident involving Executive VP Johnsen reportedly storming out of negotiations. We expressed concerns with regards to our perspective title groups that each of us represents.

In our hub, with the company proposal, we would see Deicing immediately disappear and title II auto shop and facility maintenance completely outsourced within five years. With the company promise of no job loss, I would see it as untruthful.

The company's effort of a video sales pitches are relentlessly trying to sway you on their substandard proposal. We must remind ourselves of all the broken promises by our company throughout the years.

It seems that the bullet points that the company has shared with our members have not been passed as formal proposals to the negotiations committee and some items never discussed. If the company is truly committed to its team members then they must return to the table and negotiate with our committee.

In ending, we had our first membership meetings this last Thursday and I would like to thank everyone who was able to attend.

Your officers at TWU local 512 are committed to you and your safety. We wish you a very Happy Easter and Happy Passover.

Safety on the Ground leads to Safety in the air.

Fraternally,
Juan Elvira
President
TWU Local 512

 

[bob@las-AA]

 

[gulfcoast1]

Our unions are trying to negotiate a JCBA. That is the reality we are in right now. This forum is a place to comment on their progress. But comments in support of not having a union, etc. make no sense here. And Weez has already shown the difference between union and non-union compensation. We have it much better than our non-union counterparts at other companies.

As far as healthcare and some of the previous comments go. I think most hospitals are required to treat anyone who needs treatment and it does not matter where they are from or if they think they are going to pay the bill later. As a full time employee, I would prefer the LUS medical, but as NYer has pointed out, the company, led mostly by LUS, has moved most employees to the LAA plan. I can understand the IAM wanting to fight for it, and I make no prediction on how it will end.

I think the most shocking thing is losing 5000 jobs as members retire. This should not be allowed to happen. The unions should flight this because job protection is their primary responsibility. Even the members who originally saw the $$ and were ready to sign are having second thoughts after they heard this number.

Now mostly what I am hearing is most would vote no if it came to a vote which it sounds like it will not. I don't understand why the company is trying to sell it on Jetnet with a large negative reaction. The company just added a new VP and say they plan to buy a lot more new planes? It sounds like they have a lot of money for these things but not employees?

There should be an earnings meeting nest month and I think an annual meeting soon. Maybe the negotiating team can go and ask why they have money for so many new VP's and planes and not enough for those of us who maintain and load them?

 

[The Watcher]

Why should LUS give up its healthcare when it survived three rounds of concessions in two different bankruptcies?

It survived the JCBA with the US/HP merger in 2008.

It survived the 2014 Section 6 CBA.

The healthcare survived the worst of times when US was on the brink of extinction.

Who cares what other groups have, the don’t negotiate for the Association and vice versa.

It’s a $6,500 hit for some on the LUS side.

It baffles my brain why the healthcare has to go when this company is posting record profits.

Wake up people!

 

[gulfcoast1]

Why should LUS give up its healthcare when it survived three rounds of concessions in two different bankruptcies?

It survived the JCBA with the US/HP merger in 2008.

It survived the 2014 Section 6 CBA.

The healthcare survived the worst of times when US was on the brink of extinction.

Who cares what other groups have, the don’t negotiate for the Association and vice versa.

It’s a $6,500 hit for some on the LUS side.

It baffles my brain why the healthcare has to go when this company is posting record profits.

Wake up people!

If you are responding to me, I specifically said I understand why the IAM would flight for it and make no prediction on how it will end. I also say that as a full time employee I would like to have it.

The primary focus of unions has always been job protection, and I think that should be the main focus of the fight after seeing the company proposal. I support unions and agree with almost everything you say.

 

[The Watcher]

Of course jobs security is the most important item.

But I don’t want to see anyone take a $6,500 a year paycut.

 

[WeAAsles]

If you are responding to me, I specifically said I understand why the IAM would flight for it and make no prediction on how it will end. I also say that as a full time employee I would like to have it.

The primary focus of unions has always been job protection, and I think that should be the main focus of the fight after seeing the company proposal. I support unions and agree with almost everything you say.

gulfcoast don’t let anyone convince you that you shouldn’t have the better/ lower cost medical.

Of course everything from the Medical to improvements in wages, retirement and other compensation areas including jobs has a price to the Company. But the Company to me can’t get away from the fact that they “chose” to divert 10 BILLION dollars since the merger to buying back AAL shares. And why I’m really not interested in striking any concessionary deal myself.

A birdy told me the cost to do away with the IAM Medical for their members comes out to a savings of 15 Million for the Company. And to extend the IAM medical out to all Association Members is a cost to the Company of 39 Million.

Again Management and the BOD authorized TEN BILLION DOLLARS of the Airlines cash go to Wall Street.

 

[AANOTOK]

Why should LUS give up its healthcare when it survived three rounds of concessions in two different bankruptcies?

It survived the JCBA with the US/HP merger in 2008.

It survived the 2014 Section 6 CBA.

The healthcare survived the worst of times when US was on the brink of extinction.

Who cares what other groups have, the don’t negotiate for the Association and vice versa.

It’s a $6,500 hit for some on the LUS side.

It baffles my brain why the healthcare has to go when this company is posting record profits.

Wake up people!

Damn Watcher, OK. We know, we know all about it. Gulfcoast, me and many others have stated it should stay. Why do you constantly throw jabs at people who want it to stay but wont put Vegas odds on it. Direct all your anger at the NC and make sure it’s never brought back for a vote. Chastise them if they do.

Maybe you need to wake up!

 

[The Watcher]

I threw no jab.

Rehashing the reality of what it has survived.

Lots of posters on here don’t care about the LUS healthcare and pension.

They blame the IAM and it’s members for the lack of parity, it’s not any IAM members’ fault nor the IAM itself.

We’ve had two contracts since our last bankruptcy, unfortunately LAA TWU members are still under a Chapter 11 CBA.

Plenty of jabs towards the LUS people for what we negotiate and work under.

 

[WeAAsles]

Damn Watcher, OK. We know, we know all about it. Gulfcoast, me and many others have stated it should stay. Why do you constantly throw jabs at people who want it to stay but wont put Vegas odds on it. Direct all your anger at the NC and make sure it’s never brought back for a vote. Chastise them if they do.

Maybe you need to wake up!

Putting odds on it if we give odds like NYer has that there’s “no way” it survives is just first incredibly rude for those who read here and maybe need and rely on that Medical as it is.

And second IMO it feeds right into the Company’s hands. It telegraphs to them what they feel the majority will go for and from there they can tailor a proposal that we will badger our Negotiators to accept.

They just did it in their videos BTW. They added a whole bunch of cash items in that they weren’t showing any interest in offering at the table with Alex and Sito. That was a shift off the Johnsen incident and they’re now feeling US out. (Read the Jetnet comments)

I have to also wonder how you and I might feel if the Company told us now that they’re raising our yearly Medical cost by $6000 (Worst case scenario) but they’re only offering us 24 cents an hour to pay for it? ($500)

 

[The Watcher]

Someone gets it and sees the big picture.

 

[WeAAsles]

There’s a lot of thing I’m not exactly keen on in the Company’s offer but the first one has to start with Wages just for the fact that we work to earn a paycheck.

Just on wages alone AA has said 3% above the current “Delta” Top of Scale. I got a better idea. Let’s look over at UAL instead. They have a Union and a contract. Give us 3% above the rate they’re going to get in December on DOS and keep it 3% above till the end of their deal with a one time adjustment (equal to even) when they agree to their next contract.

That would be $32.17 DOS. And I don’t find that unreasonable for the fact the industry has a better PS plan than us?

$34.30 in 2021 and that would put us over $35 at the end of a 5 year deal.

But the Company can shove it on their current wage offer which puts us behind UAL.

 

[WeAAsles]

IAM side Catering needs to be kept and/or Freight and Mail needs to be added into all of their Hubs as replacements. Or I just honestly don’t understand the need to remove any of those jobs.

Deicing on the TWU side. Many of us have long memories of when that was a Aircraft Maintenance function and then was voted over to Fleet.

Is the Company expecting to find a quality Company to perform that seasonal work at a low cost? The US Job Market is tightening and eventually I don’t see who will be interested in staffing those positions?

Is it maybe also a liability issue that concerns Management? Pass the buck on that issue onto someone else like they have with Cabin and Cargo hold Security searches?

 

[Traymark]

Why should LUS give up its healthcare when it survived three rounds of concessions in two different bankruptcies?

It survived the JCBA with the US/HP merger in 2008.

It survived the 2014 Section 6 CBA.

The healthcare survived the worst of times when US was on the brink of extinction.

Who cares what other groups have, the don’t negotiate for the Association and vice versa.

It’s a $6,500 hit for some on the LUS side.

It baffles my brain why the healthcare has to go when this company is posting record profits.

Wake up people!

Welcome back 700

Look, it’s been thrown around time and again how “ it survived this and that”

The rest of the story is:
It only survived because the peeps that had it
We’re the Lowest Paid in the industry by many multiples.
The lower cost health insurance was the one thing you got.

It’s no different than 2003 when we gave everything back to AA EXCEPT OUR PENSION.

They got that too in the end, sort of.

So it’s a $6500 cut for LUS
Ok
The pilots and flight attendants both agreed to go to the LAA health insurance

They both got increased 401k COBTRIBUTIONS for it,

This is not hard.

Make our 401k Contribution 12%.
Deal, everyone is made whole. Move along.

 

[The Watcher]

Were not the lowest paid at all.

Pilots etc who cares what they agreed too or any other groups.

And getting more money for their retirement has zero to do with increase in healthcare costs.

It’s money they can’t even spend till the retire.

They don’t negotiate for any other group.

And Pilots, Flight Attendants, CSA and RES didn’t have the same insurance as IAM represented employees only had it.

Glad to see you are a proud member of the IGM gang.