January 2018 Business Agents' Report

Happy New Year
We hope that all of you had a fabulous Holiday Season!

Although 2017 posed many challenges, we are proud of what we were able to accomplish and that our members now enjoy the best contract in the industry.

As is normally the case, during the transition to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, there have been some implementation issues and also some areas where we disagree with the Company in terms of contract interpretation. We have been working to get those issues resolved and we will actively pursue the grievance process right on up to Arbitration in all areas where we believe that the Company is misinterpreting the CBA. In fact, in January we completed five System Board of Adjustment hearings for contract cases and are fully prepared to take those to Arbitration if we have to. Additionally, we are in constant dialogue with the Company in an effort to find resolution whenever possible on any outstanding issues or grievances. Eventually, we will get these issues resolved one way or another.

We would like to now point to the many gains that we have attained over the last decade. Think back to how it was back then. We all lived it together. No pension. Bottom of industry in wages. Four OT shifts max for a month. Not even an inkling of what a Trade Day consisted of nor what a HRA account was. No ability to bid to another crew or another shift even though you had the seniority because you had to wait for some magic opening to occur. Layoff after layoff. We remember very clearly the despair we all felt back then. It was like being stuck in quicksand.

But we have turned the corner. And we are thankful for where we are now and also gratified for the work your Grievance Committee, Safety Committee, Member Assistance, and TSAP representatives do every day on your behalf. Of course, there are those that like to sit in the corner and throw darts at the Union or, more specifically, throw darts at those of us that have dedicated our lives to fighting for the membership. All while they contribute nothing except bitterness, hypocrisy, and worse, outright lies. As we are both individuals who believe in Unions and who have both continuously served as a Shop Stewards through three Unions, we see this bunch as the worst and most cynical to ever to come along. They have willingly partnered with known Union Busters to advance their agenda and they have happily recruited dues objectors and other union-haters to their cause. Then, they want to assert that they are the keepers of true Unionism and that only they will fight on your behalf to get you that elusive perfect contract that you have always wanted if you would only put your trust in them. Despite their assertions, the Union does not write a Collective Bargaining Agreement. It is negotiated and, as such, there will never be any such thing as a perfect contract. But, that being said, there is no doubt as to what we have been able to attain. There is simply no better contract in the industry. Top of the industry in wages with a pension, an HRA, Day Trades, 20+ shifts of OT eligibility, to name just a few. Whether you want more time off or more opportunity to work overtime, you are covered. Like the saying goes, “the proof is in the pudding.” It is our understanding that the process of distributing the new contract books to the membership has begun. We hope that each of you will take the time to read your contract very carefully. Then take a moment to reflect on how things used to be.

New Craft Meeting Hours
As you may have seen posted, we have changed the hours at our monthly Craft Meetings to the following:

Midnight Shift Meeting – 0700
Swing Shift Meeting – 1130
Day Shift Meeting – 1500

This change will allow us to focus more on floor visits on all three shifts throughout Craft Day so that we can answer questions, address concerns, and also just say ‘hello’. Going forward, a group consisting of the Business Agents, Coordinator, Area Chief Steward, Area Safety Rep, Member Assistance Representative, and TSAP ERC member will be visiting each of the four primary work locations (Line, Backshops, Airframe, and Jet Shop) on a rotating basis. In January the group visited various crews out on the Line on all three shifts and had an opportunity to speak to many folks. Thanks to all for your feedback.

SFOTeamsters.com Transition is Complete
We have completed the transition to the new website. Please visit SFOTeamsters.com and take a look around. You will find information regarding your local committee personnel, communication updates and a variety of important member resources and forms.

BAQ 113 – Calibration Technician Matrix
We have still been receiving questions about ‘grandfathering’ rights regarding several BAQ’s for technicians on the Seniority list prior to 2011 ratification of the stand-alone agreement. In order to clarify the issue, we are going to explain the qualification process for the two most questioned BAQ’s. The first is BAQ 113 – Calibration Technician. Because it had been an established practice that a Trade test would be administered to qualify for this BAQ, the following matrix was discussed and implemented with respect to ‘grandfathering’ requests submitted through the eBids website for BAQ 113:

1)    The Technician has previous documented work experience in Bid Area 113; the BAQ request is approved with no further action required or,
2)    The Technician has previously documented work experience in Bid Area 116 – Tooling Repair Technician prior to June 1, 2017 (SFO - prior to 116/113 split); the BAQ request is approved with no further action required or,
3)    The Technician has previously documented experience in Bid Area 123 - Avionics Shop Technician; the BAQ request is improved with no further action required or,
4)    The Technician has previously documented work history as a Mechanic - Radio Shop with the associated job code 6030 – 24; the BAQ request is approved with no further action required or,
5)    When the Technician does not meet any of the requirements noted above for the 113 BAQ, ‘request a trade test’ function will be administered to determine qualifications

We hope that this information will help clear up any questions regarding BAQ 113 ‘grandfathering’.

BAQ 117 – Electric Harness Shop Technician
The other BAQ that we would like to address is BAQ 117 – Electric Harness Shop Technician. Again, because of a prior established trade test practice, an appropriate matrix was developed to address ‘grandfathering’ practices for technicians on the Seniority List prior to 2011. It is as follows:

1)    The Technician has previous documented work experience as a Bid Area 117 – Electric Harness Shop Technician; the BAQ request is approved with no further action required or,
2)    The Technician has previous documented work experience in the former SFOEC electrical shop; the BAQ request is approved with no further action required or,
3)    The Technician has previously documented work history has a Bid Area 104 - Avionics Technician (Airframe or Line Maintenance); the request is approved with no further action required or,
4)    The technician has previous documented work history as a Bid Area 123 - Avionics Shop Technician; the BAQ request is improved with no further action required or,
5)    When the Technician does not meet any of the requirements noted above for the BAQ 117, ‘request a trade test’ function would be administered to determine qualifications.

We want you to know again that the matrices above pertain to ‘grandfathering’ rights afforded to technicians who were on the Seniority List prior to 2011 ratification of the previous stand-alone agreement only. All Bid Area Qualifications outside of this ‘grandfathering’ will be administered according to Article 3 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Stay Informed
The communication process is an extremely important part of what we do to represent our folks here at SFO and, as we have been outlining for quite some time, we have been blasting out the BA Report along with any other communication we get from the Airline Division or the International to anyone who registers at SFOTeamsters.com. Additionally, there are weekly meetings held with the Shop Stewards to pass on any important informational items that may come up during the month. It is crucial to our process that every area on every shift have Shop Steward representation and that the Shop Steward give, at a minimum, weekly briefings to his/her crew so that all the information gets to our members. We feel that it is essential for all of our members to be engaged and informed at all times. Therefore, we encourage all of you to spread the word to your fellow technicians to go to SFOTeamsters.com and click on the ‘email signup’ tab to get on the list. And, most importantly, we urge you to also consider getting more involved. Every month, on the last Thursday, we hold Craft Meetings at Local 856. At these meetings, the membership hears reports from the Business Agents and other members of the SFO Committee on Grievances, Safety, Member Assistance, and TSAP. Additionally, all members have an opportunity to ask questions and to bring up topics for discussion. Check your IBT Bulletin Board for dates and times and make it a point to stop by.

As always, stay informed!

In Solidarity,

Javier Lectora
Business Agent
Local 856

Mark DesAngles                   
Business Agent                    
Local 986