2019 National Safety Council Labor Division Spring meeting

Keri Martin, Mike Valladares and Ralph Ortiz attended the National Safety Council (NSC) Labor Division Spring meeting in Kansas City from April 28th to May 1st, 2019. The Labor Division of the NSC is comprised of labor unions that meet and discuss safety issues in various industries.  The purpose of the Labor Division is to be the conduit for safety-focused information sharing and idea exchange with other Unions and its members and to discuss safety issues with other safety professionals who share the same job responsibilities, have experienced the same challenges and can share their thoughts and ideas to help Unions and its representatives develop solutions. 

During the four days of the Labor Division meeting, various committee meetings, education sessions, networking and Union caucuses were scheduled. On the Transportation committee, chaired by Ralph Ortiz, Safety & Health topics discussed included availability of chemical resistant gloves for use with Skydrol, concerns related to employees working alone or in isolated areas, aircraft tow tractors and other powered industrial trucks lacking a fall protection system, First Aid Kits that meet the ANSI standards, new hearing testing equipment being used by some Airlines, and fuel freeze testing labs that may lack proper safety protections.

At the IBT Caucus, they also met with Teamsters representatives from Local 1150 (Sikorsky) Local 2727 (UPS mechanics) and Local 455 (DEN - UA) and Local 781 (ORD) to discuss ongoing safety and health issues and challenges each representative is dealing with.

Educational sessions presented at the Labor Division meeting included:

◊     Social Media and Harassment: A Trade Perspective. 

◊     How to effectively communicate safety & health to members. 

◊     Communcating safety and health with young and new workers. 

◊     Working with OSHA Labor Liaisons. 

◊     Violence at work are safety hazards too. 

Fed-OSHA labor liaisons from regions 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 &10 provided OSHA updates and current activities.

VEBA 2017 Arbitration Decision – What it means to you

As you have no doubt heard, the arbitrator ruled in our favor on the 2017 VEBA grievance. In sustaining the grievance, the arbitrator declared that, “The Company violated Article 16.G.2.d when it capped the VEBA contributions in 2017 by a total of 1560 hours per employee. Any employee who worked more than 1560 hours in 2017 between April 1st and December 31st, 2017 while in active employment will be made whole with respect to VEBA contributions.” What it means for you is exactly that. If your compensable hours for 2017 totaled more than 1560 between April 1st and December 31st, you are owed $1.20 per hour for every hour over 1560, up to a total of 2080 hours max. As an example, if you worked a lot of overtime and are owed for the full 2080 hours this will mean an additional contribution of 520 hours, at $1.20, or $624 to your VEBA account for the year 2017. As soon as we have any additional information on how the Company plans to implement the process to make our members whole, we will be sure to get that out to you.

MEALP/LUCA ISSUE

We were informed by the Company that those individuals working overtime in conjunction with their regular shift will no longer be afforded the ability to leave ½-hour early and receive pay in-lieu of taking a lunch, as is outlined in Article 17.E. The Company is claiming that this is due to the California meal period requirements under California Labor Code Section 512. Frankly, we do not agree with the Company’s assertion that that this section of the Labor Code should apply to overtime shifts covered by our CBA and we consider it to be more of an eTa programming issue. That being said, there are ongoing discussions related to the matter and we are hopeful that we can get an acceptable resolution as soon as possible.

In the meantime, however, if you are working a 4-over in conjunction with your regular shift and are not being allowed to leave ½-hr early using MealP you should insist on taking your full lunch 2 hours into the shift. If you are working 8-hour Hold Over Overtime in conjunction with your regular shift and are not being allowed to leave ½-hour early using MealP you should insist on taking a lunch after two hours and again after 6 hours of overtime. If any management person denies you any of your lunches, we want you to immediately contact your Shop Steward of Chief Steward.

2019 Scholarship Recipients attend May Craft Meeting

Several of this year’s scholarship recipients along with their proud parents attended the May Dayshift Craft meeting held on May 30th at Local 856 in San Bruno. Scholarship checks were presented by Local 856 Principal Officer Peter Finn and Local 986 Airline Division Coordinator Clacy Griswold. The meeting had a decidedly festive atmosphere thanks to their presence and we sincerely appreciate everyone coming out.

Raffle Drawings held at May Craft Meeting

We also held two prize drawings at the May Dayshift Craft Meeting for the Harry Beier Benefit Raffle and the Giants Ticket Raffle benefiting the TeamstersSFO Solidarity Fund. The winner of the Samsung 55-inch Flat Screen TV was Johnny Kong from SFORQ and the winner of the August 10th pair of Giants tickets was Kevin Grover from SFOGX. Thanks to all of you who participated.

Grievance Update

As stated previously, the arbitrator sustained our grievance for the cap on 2017 VEBA contributions. We are currently awaiting an arbitration decision on another grievance (EFS Bypass). We have two grievances at arbitration level that are on hold, pending decisions in related cases: one grievance (Line EFS Bypass) is on hold pending decision of above EFS Bypass case and one grievance (GSE Lead Pay) on hold pending the outcome of a similar grievance from Orlando.

We had an initial discussion with the Company regarding the SFO outsourcing grievances currently at arbitration level and will be scheduling additional discussions in the near future.

As for 3rd Step grievances, we received System Board decisions on the three grievances heard in late March. One grievance (Dock 3 Tool Crib) deadlocked (2 to 2 tie) and was immediately appealed to arbitration. One grievance (BAQ116 work by BAQ128 personnel) was remanded back to the parties for discussions/resolution. In the case of a grievance that is remanded back, the parties must make an attempt to find a resolution. If no resolution is reached, then the most likely outcome is a revision of the decision to reflect a ‘deadlock’ and appeal to arbitration immediately thereafter. One grievance was denied (VAC conversion for FMLA) and is now closed.

Additionally, we must make a correction related to the prior BA Report in April. In it, we stated that we were awaiting System Board decisions for four grievances. In fact, one grievance (progressive discipline) was settled by the Company just prior to the System Boards. This involved the Company providing an amended response to the initial grievance which was acceptable to the Union. Therefore, we were only awaiting decisions on the 3ea above grievances and not four as we previously stated.

As for the remaining 3rd Step grievances, we have our next System Boards scheduled at SFO on August 20th and 21st. We will be engaging Labor Relations in discussions for a potential docket later in July.

As always, if you have any questions about any of the information we have provided above, or about any specific grievance at 3rd Step or arbitration level, please feel free to stop by the Union office for a chat or contact your Shop Steward or Chief Steward.

Fourth of July Message from your Member Assistance Professionals

With the Fourth of July Holiday fast-approaching we felt is necessary to remind you all of the valuable resource that is at your disposal. Our TMAP (formerly EAP) Coordinators offer free confidential services to help out Teamster members and their families identify and resolve personal problems or concerns. They can assist you in developing a plan of action or refer you to appropriate licensed professionals. Some of the issues they can assist with include Alcohol/Drug dependency, Addictive Behaviors, Mental Health, Grief and Loss, Child/Teen Conduct, Domestic Violence, Elder Care, Trauma, and Relationship Concerns. They can also assist with Retirement questions, Workers Compensation, State Disability, FMLA, Reasonable Accommodation, and other state, federal, or Company Benefits. All of these services are free, voluntary, and confidential and cannot be discussed with anyone without written consent from you. If you have a problem or situation that you would like to discuss in private, please call: Steve Loone for MM/GX/PV/OV 650-745-5864 or Steve Crummey for Jet Shop/Backshops 650-745-5867

Labor History

July 6th, 1889 - Striking laborers employed by contractors on street and sewer improvements in Duluth, Minnesota, attempt to break through the police presence protecting scabs doing their work. The police opened fire and a gun battle ensued that resulted in the deaths of four workers and a bystander; many more were seriously wounded. The state militia was called in and drove the workers back with fixed bayonets. Strike leaders were arrested and the police who participated were given gold medals.

July 17th, 1944 - An explosion while loading munitions onto a cargo vessel at the military depot at Port Chicago, California, kills 320 and injures nearly 400 sailors (mostly African-American enlisted men who were part of a segregated unit) and civilians. Following the disaster, many of the surviving sailors refused to resume loading munitions, citing unsafe working conditions. Fifty men were convicted of mutiny and received 15-year sentences. It was the largest mass mutiny trial in U.S. history.

July 31st, 1999 - The Great Shipyard Strike of 1999 ends after steelworkers at Newport News Shipbuilding Inc. ratify a breakthrough agreement which nearly doubles pensions, increases security, ends inequality, and provides the highest wage increases in company and industry history to nearly 10,000 workers. The strike lasted over 16 weeks.

We must never forget!

Labor Quotes

So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work. - Peter Drucker

If hard work were such a wonderful thing, surely the rich would have kept it all to themselves. - Lane Kirkland

When a man tells you that he got rich through hard work, ask him whose.

Don Marquis

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