December Business Agents' Report
SFOMM Technician Oscar Medina Qualifies for Olympic Trials
We have an amazing athlete in our midst! On October 13th, SFOMM Technician Oscar Medina ran the Chicago marathon in 2:18 hours to qualify for the Olympic trials being held in Atlanta this coming February. Oscar, who works at Terminal 1, ran Track and Field at Lakeview High School in Chicago, Class of 2011, then went on to compete at Southern Illinois University afterwards. He has been running marathons competitively for about four years now. We want to send out a big fat congrats to Oscar and wish him good luck at the trials!
B-Scale Pay Proposal Update
On Monday, October 21st, we flew to Chicago to meet with United Airlines senior leadership regarding B-Scale pay. During the meeting, we first presented them with a series of letters from our newer technicians outlining the significant challenges they are having making ends meet in the San Francisco Bay Area. Afterwards, we presented them with a detailed proposal to increase the pay of those folks. We had hoped to receive an answer to our proposal by now but, unfortunately, we have not. We will be sure to pass on any news we receive as soon as we get.
Article 11.M Non-Critical Illness
We have had several questions, along with a recent grievance regarding the Company's policy of auto-designating Article 11.M Non-Critical Illness concurrently with Kin Care when it is requested for a spouse or dependent child of our member. After seeking advice on the matter from Union Counsel, we will be brief and direct on the issue. If you call in Kin Care for your spouse or child, then it is perfectly legal for the Company can run your Kin Care and Article 11.M Non-Critical Illness concurrently. Remember, Article 11.M allows you up to six days of sick leave, with a maximum of two occurrences, for use to care for your sick spouse or dependent child.
Grievance Update
The last scheduled SBA dates for the year were November 12th and 13th. In the preceding weeks, we engaged Labor Relations in several discussions related to the seven open 3rd Step grievances we had identified to have the highest priority. Additionally, we met with our attorney to discuss several of those grievances as well. In the end, this is how things played out:
Two grievances (Seniority Issue and Article 11.M Auto-designation) were withdrawn for lack of merit based on advice of counsel.
Two grievances (Boston Fuel EFS and Trade Day Off OT Overlap) were settled by the Company including issuance of revised 2nd Step answers and all affected members being made whole. Additionally, an eTA system fix has been scheduled for the issue related to the payment of appropriate overtime rates on the overlap between trade day off and an overtime shift.
One grievance (Revised OT Hours Charging) was sustained, pending review by the Airline Division, before implementation of additional eTA system fix so that overtime charging is done correctly for all hours 'accepted or refused'.
The Company indicated that it was not ready to hear one grievance (Improper Pay). Discussions are ongoing with the Airline Division and the Company in order to figure out the next steps on this one. It is likely that face-to-face meetings with the company will have to be scheduled to discuss appropriate remedies before ultimately moving forward with an attempt to arbitrate this grievance. As such, this grievance in now on hold.
In the end, we ended up having two hearings on November 12th, one for a Termination case and one for a contract grievance (Management Doing Protected Work).
We have one upcoming arbitration related to a termination case scheduled for March. We are actively pursuing dates for another contract arbitration (OV Tool Crib). Additionally, there are current internal discussions underway concerning another contract grievance (SFOMM HNL EFS Bypass) at arbitration level, in light of the arbitration decision we received denying a similar grievance (SFOLX HNL EFS Bypass). We expect the Airline Division attorneys to have a decision soon for us on the matter of whether to pursue or withdraw.
A Message from your TMAP Representatives
The Holiday Season is upon us. This time of year can bring all kinds of emotions and feelings that may be difficult to process. It may be that you have a Family function every year that tends to get out of control because of some underlying family tension or emotional distress. Or you have some memories of loved ones who have passed on that become especially hard to deal with at this time of year. Maybe it’s yours or a family member's drinking problem that seems to get worse during the Holidays that is causing you concern. These are just a few of the things that may cause stress and fatigue at this time of year. If you need someone to confide in about different life events that may be affecting your duties at home or at work and would like to seek help with developing a plan to work through some life events, call one of our Member Assistance Professionals. We have helped a lot of technicians find appropriate resources to start the path of recovery from Grief and Loss, Alcohol/Drug Dependency, Relationship problems and many others. The Teamster Member Assistance Program is here to help 24/7/365. If the Holidays have you down, give us a try before it has adverse effects that may be irreparable at work or at home.
SFOOV/MM/GQ/PV - Steve Loone 650-745-5864
SFOPD/RQ/LX/MP - Steve Crummey 650-745-5867
2020 Retirement Seminar Date is Set
The 2020 Retirement Seminar date has been set for Saturday February 8th.
The event will be held at Local 856 in San Bruno. If you are contemplating retiring in the coming year, this event is a must! We will put out more details including time, agenda, and guests in January. In the meantime, make sure to mark your calendars.
Our Commitment to Communication
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 the TeamstersSFO website. 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 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 that all the information gets to our members and 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.
Union History for the Month of December
December 15th, 1921 - A protest by 500 women in Kansas that began earlier in the week – organized in support of striking mine workers and against new anti-labor legislation that forced unions into arbitration and outlawed strikes in the state – swells to 4,000, stretching a mile long. The women, dubbed the “Amazon Army” by The New York Times, disbanded upon hearing that the militia was on its way. Victory came a year later when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Kansas anti-labor laws unconstitutional.
December 3rd, 1946 - In Oakland, California, 130,000 workers from 142 unions – including workers from factories, industries, services, retail stores, transportation systems, and more – declare a “work holiday” and walk off their jobs in support of striking department store clerks and in opposition to police intervention that was facilitating strike breaking activity. The Oakland General Strike lasted for two days.
December 8th, 1993 - President Bill Clinton signs the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) into law, stating that it “will promote more growth, more equality, better preservation of the environment, and a greater possibility for world peace.” In reality, NAFTA has done the opposite: costing jobs and lowering wages, increasing inequality, and compromising environmental and consumer protections.
We must never forget!
Quotes
Every advance in this half-century--Social Security, civil rights, Medicare, aid to education, one after another--came with the support and leadership of American Labor — Jimmy Carter
Today in America, unions have a secure place in our industrial life. Only a handful of reactionaries harbor the ugly thought of breaking unions and depriving working men and women of the right to join the union of their choice. I have no use for those -- regardless of their political party -- who hold some vain and foolish dream of spinning the clock back to days when organized labor was huddled, almost as a hapless mass. Only a fool would try to deprive working men and women of the right to join the union of their choice — Dwight D. Eisenhower
No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country. By living wages I mean more than a bare subsistence level --I mean the wages of decent living — Franklin D. Roosevelt
Special Message from the SFO Committee
On behalf of the entire SFO Committee, we want to take some time to wish all of you a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year! We hope that all of you get to enjoy some time with your families and that none of that sacred time is clouded by distractions related to the job. Happy Holidays Folks!
Happy Holidays Folks!
