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

[NYer]

History lesson for all concern

http://web.archive.org/web/20051230172215/http://www.cwa.net/

https://www.cwa-union.org/news/entr...association_reaches_agreement_with_us_airways

CWA Q&A about their TA and the Medical:

"All work groups will keep their current medical plans and contributions in 2016. Before the 2017 annual enrollment period, the CWA/IBT Association Bargaining Committee will prepare and present to the Company an alternative health insurance plan. The Company has signed a Letter of Agreement stating that we will meet to review and consider that plan. If we are unable to agree on an alternate option, employees will have the LAA health insurance options for 2017. If better plans cannot be negotiated in 2016, everyone goes to the AA plan with a 21% employee cap on the total cost burden of insurance in 2017. There are multiple LAA options for LUS employees who are now choosing among those plans, some of which are more expensive and some of which are not."

 

[NYer]

I really do know which way it will go, but, if it does go the seperate sec 6 for both sides then the mediator will still try to get a JCBA done after that, you guys won't be done for 10 years. I don't think they will do that, I think a mediator will be focussed on a JCBA right out of the bag, JMO...

They will, but there are 3 separate Association and at some point in Section 6 the progress of each group will have a different track and even separate mediators.

 

[swamt]

If that's your example than it is wholly different than our current situation but similar to the IAM situation prior to JCBA negotiations.

In both those instances there were open negotiations taking place while the mergers were finalized, which needed to close as a standalone before moving on to joint agreements.

At LUS, the Association was certified in April 2015, while the IAM standalone was ratified the July prior, as they needed to close that out before starting to prepare for joint talks.

Our current situation has both the TWU and IAM with ratified deals that allowed everyone to move towards a joint contract. At this point, and with the UA example, once a joint negotiation commenced it didn't revert back to standalone negotiations.

With all that said, then what happens when Sept 2018 (amendable date for the AA'ers hit and BTW when is the new amendable date for the LUS'ers??? Could that be a trigger for nego separate agreements first then move onto JCBA???

 

[swamt]

1. Yes, Association would be bargaining in section 6, not TWU for CBA and IAM for CBA. However, I do believe Association could negotiate for the separate cba's. Hope this makes sense!
2. In our 14 negotiations, both MX and Fleet were in mediated talks and we both came out together, NMB knew this.

P. Rez

And there you have it, all answered...

 

[WeAAsles]

CWA Q&A about their TA and the Medical:

"All work groups will keep their current medical plans and contributions in 2016. Before the 2017 annual enrollment period, the CWA/IBT Association Bargaining Committee will prepare and present to the Company an alternative health insurance plan. The Company has signed a Letter of Agreement stating that we will meet to review and consider that plan. If we are unable to agree on an alternate option, employees will have the LAA health insurance options for 2017. If better plans cannot be negotiated in 2016, everyone goes to the AA plan with a 21% employee cap on the total cost burden of insurance in 2017. There are multiple LAA options for LUS employees who are now choosing among those plans, some of which are more expensive and some of which are not."

Talk has been that other groups have a “me too” if any group at AA secures a better Medical plan or better Medical plan rates?

I don’t recall reading anything like that in either the CWA or APFA Agreements? Don’t know about the Pilots?

I do agree with what Gary basically said that each group negotiates and should be concerned about themselves and that shouldn’t be our concern. Pilots have a 16% contribution and we want the same. Will we get that? If the Association has cheaper Medical will any other groups get that? History says no probably to both.

 

[NYer]

With all that said, then what happens when Sept 2018 (amendable date for the AA'ers hit and BTW when is the new amendable date for the LUS'ers??? Could that be a trigger for nego separate agreements first then move onto JCBA???

Both become amendable September 12, 2018

 

[NYer]

And there you have it, all answered...

It was answered, it just wasn't believed.

 

[WeAAsles]

They will, but there are 3 separate Association and at some point in Section 6 the progress of each group will have a different track and even separate mediators.

Perhaps if it gets that far. But as P. Rex told you yesterday no group will accept to move forward on a full TA to send out to the Membership until ALL the Groups are also ready to step out of the rooms.

P. REZVeteran
#1382Yesterday at 8:38 PM
1. Yes, Association would be bargaining in section 6, not TWU for CBA and IAM for CBA. However, I do believe Association could negotiate for the separate cba's. Hope this makes sense!
2. In our 14 negotiations, both MX and Fleet were in mediated talks and we both came out together, NMB knew this.

P. Rez

 

[WeAAsles]

It was answered, it just wasn't believed.

P. Rez

“However, I do believe Association could negotiate for the separate cba's. Hope this makes sense!”

I’m sorry but P. Rez has far more experience through the process than you do. It’s wise to yield to experience.

 

[NYer]

Talk has been that other groups have a “me too” if any group at AA secures a better Medical plan or better Medical plan rates?

I don’t recall reading anything like that in either the CWA or APFA Agreements? Don’t know about the Pilots?

I do agree with what Gary basically said that each group negotiates and should be concerned about themselves and that shouldn’t be our concern. Pilots have a 16% contribution and we want the same. Will we get that? If the Association has cheaper Medical will any other groups get that? History says no probably to both.

We tend to not be concerned with the negatives, just the positives, but they are usually intertwined.

 

[NYer]

Perhaps if it gets that far. But as P. Rex told you yesterday no group will accept to move forward on a full TA to send out to the Membership until ALL the Groups are also ready to step out of the rooms.

P. REZVeteran
#1382Yesterday at 8:38 PM
1. Yes, Association would be bargaining in section 6, not TWU for CBA and IAM for CBA. However, I do believe Association could negotiate for the separate cba's. Hope this makes sense!
2. In our 14 negotiations, both MX and Fleet were in mediated talks and we both came out together, NMB knew this.

P. Rez

You can do that outside mediation, but in mediation, we don't drive that same bus.

There are 3 separate Associations and it would be surprising if they aren't separated, at some point, if this reaches mediation.

 

[WeAAsles]

We tend to not be concerned with the negatives, just the positives, but they are usually intertwined.

I pay the TWU and by de facto the TWU/IAM Association to represent ME. They should only be concerned about representing the groups who compensate them and not groups who have and compensate their own representatives to negotiate for them.

Have you ever seen any communication by any Union during their Contract talks mention worrying about what other groups might want if they were to secure something for their members?

Were Pilots concerned about Baggage Handlers when they negotiated their 401k formula? Should they be concerned about what we want? Of course not.

 

[NYer]

I pay the TWU and by de facto the TWU/IAM Association to represent ME. They should only be concerned about representing the groups who compensate them and not groups who have and compensate their own representatives to negotiate for them.

Have you ever seen any communication by any Union during their Contract talks mention worrying about what other groups might want if they were to secure something for their members?

Were Pilots concerned about Baggage Handlers when they negotiated their 401k formula? Should they be concerned about what we want? Of course not.

If all the union groups in an airline and in the industry stuck together a created a goal for individual negotiations then maybe we could gain more rather than fighting not to lose what others have lost. As it stands, we tend to lose bit by bit because other unions have different priorities and they give up on something that may be important to another group. The airlines capitalize on this while we fight amongst each other and we've been in a battle of death by a thousand cuts because we don't change our methods, we just argue with each other.

If the other groups in the airline had different medical and didn't agree to be pushed into the same bathtub, then the fight for the Association to maintain the current IAM medical would be easier.

 

[NYer]

You did pick up that he said 14 times right? Again I guess this really needs to be repeated. 14 times.

Maintenance and Ramp in P. Rez experience has stayed together 14 times.

You have really just 1 full experience and ultimately that was finalized in Bankruptcy cuts. And unfortunately from what I heard in the former TWU experience the groups were divided even going in.

I think you should be FAR more surprised if the groups were separated frankly.

Not in this case. The opposite would be true.

 

[WeAAsles]

Not in this case. The opposite would be true.

Ok I deleted cause it wasn’t 14 times. He meant 2014. But these are the times that they negotiated at US and 3 of them were in Mediation I was informed.

99, 02, 03, 04, 05, 08 and 14

Through all of those talks they came out together.