February 2018 Business Agents' Report
Teamsters License Protection Program
As aviation maintenance professionals, we all take safety very seriously. Unfortunately, there are times when, due to circumstances we sometimes cannot control, we might find ourselves in a position where we are accused of or have actually violated FAR’s. The Teamster License Protection Program is open to both licensed and unlicensed technicians at no cost to the employee and offers legal counsel for FAR violations.
A Letter of Investigation (LOI) is issued by the FAA in those cases where the FAA believes a technician may have violated one or more FAR’s. An LOI can be issued in cases where there has not yet been self-disclosure using a TSAP (TechOps Safety Awareness Program) report or where a TSAP report was rejected by the TSAP Event Review Committee (ERC). If a technician receives an LOI from the FAA, he or she should immediately contact the Business Agents. The Business Agents will then discuss the circumstances surrounding the LOI with the technician, contact the program administrator, then make a decision about contacting outside legal counsel to assist. If the case is to be referred to an attorney, the technician will need to draft a response, explanation, or justification for the work that the FAA is investigating which will be used by the attorney as a basis to answer the LOI.
The attorney may have questions or need additional information that may be requested by phone or email. A letter will be sent from the attorney to the technician explaining the arrangement of legal representation through the Union.
The attorney will then help the technician craft their response to the FAA to make sure the situation is clearly explained. In many cases, the LOI response ends the investigation. However, should the FAA decide to continue to an informal conference, the technician, Business Agents and the program administrator will discuss the next steps with the attorney.
If the decision is made by the program administrator to proceed to the informal conference step with the FAA, the attorney will help prepare the technician for the meeting and will be present in person or via conference call for the meeting.
If the matter cannot be resolved at the informal conference and the FAA proceeds with a certificate action before the NTSB, the technician, the program administrator, and the attorney will decide the best course of action. Should the parties decide to go in front of the administrative law judge for a hearing, the attorney will represent the technician at the proceedings.
Of course, we hope you never find yourselves on the receiving end of an LOI. But if you do, we will do our best to make sure your rights are protected throughout the process.
Teamsters Joint Council 7 Day at the Ballpark
The annual Teamsters JC7 Day at the Oakland Coliseum will occur on July 21st, between the Oakland A’s and the San Francisco Giants. If you do not yet have tickets and are interested in attending, please contact your Chief Steward as soon as possible because they are selling out fast. Tickets are $35 and they include access to the Teamsters Joint Council 7 pre-game party and barbeque.
We will also be raffle off a pair of tickets at the June 21st Craft meeting at Local 856 with proceeds going to the TeamstersSFO Solidarity fund. The price for the raffle tickets is $10 or 3 tickets for $20. See your Shop Steward or Chief Steward for raffle tickets. We hope to see you there!
Pre-Retirement Seminar at the MOC
Thanks to all of you who attended the annual Pre-Retirement Seminar held at the MOC on Saturday, February 17th. Members received a wealth information from Member Assistance Representatives Steve Loone and Steve Crummey and listened to presentations from Kaiser Permanente and Fidelity Investments personnel. We received a ton of positive feedback from members who attended, and we look forward to keeping this going as an annual event. Thanks to all of our volunteers for their help making sure things went smoothly and special thanks to Steve Loone and Steve Crummey for putting it all together!
Did You Know: Girl Scouts Gift of Caring Program
The Girl Scouts Gift of Caring Program is a great way to support military personnel and Girl Scouts at the same time!
During the cookie program, customers can donate money directly to Girl Scouts, which will then be used to purchase cookies that are sent to organizations that bring comfort to the women and men serving in the armed forces. There are several ways to donate but we recommend talking to your local Girl Scout cookie salesperson and asking how you can help support our troops deployed overseas. For those of you who want to make larger donations, visit your local Girl Scout Troop’s website and look for the Gift of Caring Program information. Thanks again to Technician Lou Kostura for the info!
Labor History for the Month of February
February 19th, 1910 - The Philadelphia Rapid Transit trolley company fires 173 workers – all members of the Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees of America – and replaces them with scabs from New York City. Street battles, demonstrations, and a general strike ensued in the city that lasted for 57 days.
February 7th, 2008 - A huge explosion and fire at the Imperial Sugar refinery northwest of Savannah, Georgia, kills 14 and injures 38 people. The explosion was fueled by massive accumulations of combustible sugar dust throughout the packaging building. An investigation by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board stated that the explosion had been “entirely preventable,” noting the sugar industry had been aware of the risk of dust explosions since 1926.
We must never forget!
This Month’s Labor Quotes
In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, as 'right-to-work.' It provides no 'rights' and no 'works.' Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining... We demand this fraud be stopped. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Strong, responsible unions are essential to industrial fair play. Without them the labor bargain is wholly one-sided. The parties to the labor contract must be nearly equal in strength if justice is to be worked out, and this means that the workers must be organized and that their organizations must be recognized by employers as a condition precedent to industrial peace. - Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis
Stay Informed
The communication process is an extremely important part of what we do to represent our folks here at SFO, as we have outlined 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 the TeamstersSFO website. We feel 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 the TeamstersSFO website and click on the ‘email signup’ tab to get on the list.
Additionally, the Chief Stewards hold weekly meetings 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 work area on every shift have Shop Steward representation and that the Shop Steward give, at a minimum, weekly briefings to his/her crew so all the information gets to our members and that our members have the opportunity to ask questions.
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 the TSAP program. 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 whenever you can.
As always, stay informed!
In Solidarity
Mark DesAngles Javier Lectora
Business Agent Business Agent
Local 986 Local 856