Representatives from the Airline Division along with representatives from Local 769 met with members in MCO for two days last week. Craft meetings were held on August 2nd and floor visits occurred on August 3rd. In attendance for the Local were President Josh Zivalich, Secretary Treasurer Roly Piña and Business Agent Tommy Esposito. In attendance for the Division were Director Joe Ferreira, me, Chris Moore, Bob Fisher, and Mike Moats.

Yesterday Principal Officers met with the Airline Division to determine the structure of negotiations moving forward. The one question survey showed an interest in opening the entire Agreement rather than focusing on limited issues. With that in mind, and after much discussion, it was determined that there will be nine rank and file negotiators for the upcoming round of bargaining. Seven of the nine will come from the larger cities with one representative for the ground equipment/facilities group and one representative from the smaller line stations. In addition, subject matter experts will join the committee as needed to provide guidance on their respective needs. The Principal Officers also decided that one Business Agent from each Local would be welcome to attend. Professionals that will be attending such as lawyers, economists and actuaries were also discussed and will be provided to the committee for use on your behalf.

The survey is now closed. Thank you to all that participated. The results will be compiled and shared with the Principal Officers in Washington D.C. next week.

United informed the IBT that they were amending the current sick leave policy. We informed the company that this is their policy, and we did not agree to the amendments. We don’t believe the policy is fair or just, and we will do everything to make sure local laws and the CBA are followed.

Questions have begun to arise regarding the upcoming reset slated to go into effect on December 5th of this year. The questions are centered around when the measurement period begins specifically in regard to the Definitions provision 1.d. According to the provision the first measurement period began six months prior to December of 2018. All subsequent measurements must be completed prior to December 5th of the appropriate year in order that any increases can be processed in a timely manner to ensure compliance with the LOA.

Reminder Survey and Contract Proposals Brothers and Sisters, This is a reminder to complete the survey regarding the direction your Rank and File Negotiating Committee will take on your behalf. The survey will close on June 24th. The link for the survey is:

This is a reminder to complete the survey regarding the direction your Rank and File Negotiating Committee will take on your behalf.

The link for the survey is, https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8XMPH2W

Last week representatives from the Airline Division met with representatives and members at the SFO Base. This a first opportunity for our new Director Joe Ferreira and Deputy Director Greg Unterseher to meet with United Airlines Technicians and Related in their new roles. Also, in attendance besides myself, were Mike Moats Division Representative in charge of Benefits at UA, Eastern Region Rep Bob Fisher, Central Region Rep Chris Moore, and staff Attorney Stephanie Spanja. On Tuesday the 10th we first met with the Business Agents, the Grievance Committee, as well as Safety and TMAP Reps, before heading out to the Base to talk with stewards and members assigned to swing shift. On the 11th we met with stewards and members assigned to both the midnight and day shifts.

Representatives from the Airline Division were notified on Friday, April 8 that United Airlines has finalized plans for outsourcing narrow-body heavy maintenance work to MRO facilities in Columbia and El Salvador. Thirty-two Airbus Aircraft remain parked due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

By now you’ve all seen the news that Delta Tech Ops employees are receiving 4% raises in May along with increases to premiums and a reduction in the length of time to reach the top of the scale.

This is good news for a several reasons, including that the announced increase will help during bargaining for the amended CBA and the increases will be captured as part of the formula of the reset language in December. Also, it will help to address the Technician shortage that is unfolding along similar lines industry wide, to what transpired with the Pilots just a few years ago.

The bargaining survey and contract proposal forms are live now. It is especially important that a high percentage of members complete the survey. The higher the percentage that takes the time to complete this survey does two things. First it helps your rank-and-file committee better determine your priorities and second an overwhelming response shows the company, as a group, we are ready to enter bargaining solidly together.

As you are aware, in accordance with the CBA provision we sent notice to the company of our intent to bargain a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The company acknowledged receipt and set up a call with me and Bob Fisher from the Airline Division this afternoon.

As a reminder the industry reset took place last year providing a 7.2% increase. The next reset analysis will take place in December of 2022 and a reset analysis will occur annually thereafter. New rates were provided last year which became effective December 6, 2020. Per paragraph 2 of the LOA, since the basic hourly rates/scales from the one-time adjustment exceed the basic hourly rates in Appendix A planned for December 5, 2021, these adjusted scales supersede.

Please click on the link below to read the letter to UAL management regarding N95 mask usage.

https://teamsterair.org/sites/default/files/uploads/letter_re_n95_respirator_requirements.pdf

Due to the charge levied against it by the IBT, United Airlines is reviewing the fairness of the RAP process. If you've been accepted into the RAP, you will now have until October 15th until personal leaves begin. In addition, we are hopeful that the time on leave will be drastically reduced or eliminated, and that you will be able to retire from a RAP without penalty. As this develops further, including any outcome on several different lawsuits, we will update you.

As reported late last week, yesterday evening we filed charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of the membership that applied for religious or medical exemptions to the mandatory vaccination policy. You can read the charges here.

Many Teamster members have applied for medical or religious exemptions from United Airlines (UA) vaccine mandate. If you are one of them, you may have already been contacted by UA about its offer of accommodations. Others may be contacted by the company in upcoming days.