March/April Business Agents' Report
For Workers Memorial Day, April 28th, a Statement from Mr. Hoffa
In the United States, Canada, and many other countries, Workers’ Memorial Day is when we remember and honor our fallen brothers and sisters in the labor movement. It is a time to look back and mourn for workers killed and injured on the job, as well as a time to look ahead and rededicate ourselves to the fight for safe workplaces.
Last year, many working men and women throughout the United States and Canada, including Teamsters, were killed and injured on the job due to unsafe conditions. On behalf of all 1.4 million Teamsters, I ask that each of you take a few minutes to remember these workers.
Forty-nine years ago, Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), promising every worker the right to a safe job. Decades of struggle by workers and their unions resulted in significant improvements in working conditions. Unions won regulations, standards and other protections that have made workplaces safer for all workers. Union contracts have also given workers a voice on the job.
The toll of workplace injury, illness and death remains enormous. Some Teamsters within the union’s 22 trade divisions and conferences, both in the private and public sectors, are particularly at risk, suffering very high rates of job injuries and fatalities. Roadway incidents continue to be the leading cause of on-the-job fatalities and truck drivers suffer more on-the-job fatalities than any other individual occupation. Ergonomic hazards cripple and injure hundreds of thousands of workers every year and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) occur in one out of three (31%) injury and illness cases requiring days away from work in 2017, without corresponding standards to prevent them. Many people have no union protections, like the workers at XPO from California to Florida to New York who are demanding that XPO respect their rights. Among them are many Hispanic and immigrant workers, who often work in the most dangerous jobs, are exploited by employers, and often are afraid to speak out. Many public sector workers also have no OSHA protection. Hundreds of workers are fired or harassed by their employers each year simply for voicing job-safety concerns or reporting injuries. Although there are dozens of whistleblower protection and anti-retaliation laws on the books, some are simply too weak and others are just not aggressively enforced due to insufficient funding of the regulatory agencies charged with enforcement. As such, whistleblower and anti-retaliation provisions are not adequately protecting workers who try to exercise their legal rights to speak out on workplace safety issues. In a policy memo1, OSHA instructed its inspectors to start investigating—and in many cases, to cite employers for violations—when the inspectors find practices that discourage workers from reporting injuries.
On this Workers’ Memorial Day, we need to join hands to seek stronger safety and health protections and better standards and enforcement. To quote Mother Jones, a small woman but a giant in the American labor movement, “Mourn for the dead and fight like hell for the living!”
Samsung 55-inch Flat Screen TV Raffle
The TeamstersSFO Committee is currently selling raffle tickets for a Samsung 55” Flat Screen. All proceeds will go towards helping member Harry Beier and his family, who find themselves in a time of great need right now. The tickets are selling for $10 each or 3 for $20. You can purchase tickets by contacting your Shop Steward or Chief Steward. The raffle ticket drawing will be held at the Dayshift Craft Meeting at 3pm on May 30th at Teamsters Local 856. You need not be present to win.
Giants Tickets Raffle
The TeamstersSFO Committee is also currently raffling off a super-sweet pair of tickets right behind home plate for the San Francisco Giants versus the Philadelphia Phillies on August 10th, 2019, at Oracle Park in San Francisco. All proceeds will go to the Solidarity Fund. The raffle tickets are selling for $10 each or 3 for $20. Again, you can purchase tickets by contacting your Shop Steward or Chief Steward. The drawing will be held at the dayshift Craft Meeting at 3pm on May 30th, 2019, at Teamsters Local 856. Again, you need not be present to win. We would like to give a very special thanks to Pete Poncia, a Technician in the Landing Gear Shop, and a great Union Brother, for kindly donating these tickets!
2019 Teamsters 856/986 Scholarship Recipients
We would like to send out congratulations to all the recipients of the Teamsters 856/986 Scholarship awards for 2019.
The recipients of the $1000 Teamsters 856/986 Scholarships are:
Dylan Lopez, Son of SFOMM Line Technician Jonathan Lopez
Paige Thrush, Daughter of Jet Shop Technician Ray Thrush
Riley Savage, Daughter of Airframe General Technician Brian Savage
Camille Starr, Daughter of Jet Shop Technicians Skip and Mary Starr
Lillysvette Joya-Campos, Daughter of Machinist Omar Joya
Lillian Crummey, Daughter of Technicians Steve and Debbie Crummey
Natalie Moresco, Daughter of Base Welder Paul Moresco
The recipient of the $2500 Bernie Fleischer Memorial Scholarship Award is Bryan Ngo, Son of Airframe R&E John Ngo
Congratulations to all these deserving students and their proud parents!
California Teamsters Hispanic Caucus Scholarship
The window is still open to apply for the 2019 Hispanic Caucus Scholarship. This scholarship is open to deserving High School Seniors graduating this year who are a daughter/son of an active Teamster whose dues are current with his/her Local Union and are attending or have been accepted by an accredited University, College, or Trade School. Please see your Shop Steward or Chief Steward to get an application. The application deadline is Friday, June 28th, 2019.
Go buy Technician Brian Tripp’s New Book ‘Briansride’
Briansride is the new book by Airframe R&E Brian Tripp. It chronicles his amazing adventure riding around the world on an old bike back in 2008. Brian has always had a great sense of humor and you will definitely laugh out loud more than a few times reading his book. But you will also come away with a true sense of how defining this experience was in Brian’s life and of just how vast our world is and of how little we all know outside of our own little corner of it. It is a great read, folks. Go buy now. Congratulations Brian!
Grievance Update
We finally got the decision on the MealP grievance. Unfortunately, the Arbitrator ruled against us and denied the grievance. That means that the status quo will continue when it comes to the paid lunches on a 2nd Shift. If you work a second shift during the week, you will continue to get paid meal periods per Article 17.E. If you work a second overtime shift on your RDO, you not receive the paid meal periods.
Our attorney for the HRA/RHA 2017 grievance has informed us that the briefs have been submitted by each sides counsel to the Arbitrator for consideration. The purpose of the briefs is to outline each sides argument in the case based on the testimony offered at the Arbitration hearing. It is customary for the decision to be rendered within 60-90 days from this point. We will let you know when we get the decision.
We are still awaiting decisions for the four grievances (Dock 3 Tool Crib, Progressive Discipline, BAQ116 work by BAQ128 Technicians, VAC conversion for FMLA usage) that were heard on March 26th and 27th. System Board hearings were scheduled for May 14th and May 15th. Beginning several weeks ago, the Union and the Company engaged in discussions regarding the seven grievances that the Union identified for disposition.
The Union agreed to the Company request to push one grievance (Improper premium pay) out to August System Boards while the parties work towards an acceptable resolution. The grievance will be heard in August if there is no agreement beforehand.
The Company settled one grievance (Improper adjusted pay).
Two grievances (Improper I-time hours and Deferred holiday hours) were put on hold pending System Board decisions at other locations in the system.
Two grievances [Kincare 2017 (Not the current Kincare grievance that are on hold pending investigation by the State of California. This was a grievance to convert 2017 N-Time to Kincare) and Incentive program] were withdrawn by the Union.
The discussions on the last grievance (Vacation allocation calculation) continue and it was agreed to schedule another call on the matter. Ultimately, it was agreed that because we had only one remaining grievance of the original seven we identified and we were still discussing resolution, we would cancel the May System Boards. There is a 15-day requirement to disclose exhibits prior to a System Board hearing and there is simply no time left to identify and pursue other grievances this close to the scheduled date.
If you ever have any questions about the grievance process or a specific grievance, please fell free to stop by the Union office for a visit or contact your Shop Steward or Chief Steward.
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 whenever you can.
As always, stay informed!
In Solidarity
Mark DesAngles Javier Lectora
Business Agent Business Agent
Local 986 Local 856