September 2019 Business Agents' Report
Shop Steward Training Held at Local 856
On Wednesday, July 31st, we held training for our UAL Shop Stewards at Local 856 in San Bruno. Over 50 UAL Stewards from all over SFO were in attendance to hear presentations on Conflict Resolution, FMLA, and Internal Organizing.
The presenters for the training were attorneys Susan Garea and Andy Baker from the Beeson, Tayer and Bodine Law firm and Local 856 Director of Organizing Chris Rosell. The training allowed the Stewards the opportunity to connect with each other, build solidarity, share experiences and information and partake in lively discussions about critical issues affecting our membership. We are grateful to all of the Stewards who were able to come out and participate. They definitely brought their A-game.
UAL Shop Stewards from SFO attend training on July 31st, 2019
Thanks to all of the members of the TeamstersSFO Committee for their help in getting our Stewards to the event and to Local 856 Principal Officer Peter Finn, Local 856 Office Manager Lisa Hensel and the rest of the staff over at Local 856 for all of their help in making sure the training went off without a hitch. Special thanks to Susan Garea, Andy Baker, and Chris Rosell for sharing their wealth of knowledge and experience with our Stewards!
We look forward to continuing our effort to make sure you have the best representation possible at all times.
Attorney Andy Baker from Beeson Tayer and Bodine presents on the topic of FMLA
HRA/HSA Arbitration Decision Update
Arbitrator Berger denied the Unions request for interest earnings on the HRA/HSA 2017 payouts. The Airline Division forwarded spreadsheets outlining all HSA/HRA adjustments to all of the systems Business Agents and we have forwarded the spreadsheets for SFO and SMF to the Chief Stewards so that individual members can check to see if the amounts shown as the difference between their ‘actual’ and ‘owed’ 2017 HSA/HRA contributions are correct.
The adjustments will occur automatically, and no action will be required on your part. However, if you worked more than 1560 hours between April 1st and December 31st, because of overtime, and you were not compensated VEBA hours beyond the company-imposed 1560 cap, you should reach out to your Chief Steward so that you can check the spreadsheet and verify that your hours were adjusted correctly.
Additionally, the Airline Division is working with the company in order to provide a source through payroll to verify contributions, but that work is not yet complete.
We will continue to send out updates as the situation unfolds.
2019 Hoffa Scholarship Awards
The 2019 Hoffa Scholarship Award winners were revealed last week, and we are happy to announce that we had three winners here at SFO.
$1000 awards were made to Bryan Ngo, Son of SFOOV R&E Technician John Ngo and to Dylan Lopez, Son of SFOMM Line Technician Jonathan Lopez. Additionally, Jan Truong, daughter of RQ Technician Minh Trong received one of the top scholarships of $10,000!
Congratulations to all of this year’s recipients!
Hundreds Rally in Sacramento in Support of AB5
On Wednesday, July 10th, Local Teamsters joined other folks in Sacramento to Rally in support of Assembly Bill AB5, which seeks to prevent worker misclassification by employers as independent contractors when they should be classified as employees. The bill, which has widespread support, including by Governor Gavin Newsom, will be coming up on the floor of the State Assembly soon. Thanks to all of our folks who participated. They really turned up the volume in the hallways of the Capital Building!
2019 Joint Council 7 Day at the Ballpark
On Saturday, August 24th, hundreds of Teamsters showed up to celebrate Teamsters Day at the Ballpark sponsored by Teamsters Joint Council 7. The weather was hot and the links were hotter. Overall, the event was a smashing success and the party outside the game was as fabulous as the game itself (Sorry A’s fans). Thanks to all of our members for their continued support with this event. For those of you who could not make it: There is always next year!
Teamsters, along with friends and family were out in full force on Saturday, August 24th
Technician Gene Durr, Local 856 Principal Officer Peter Finn, Shop Steward Don Stevens, Local 856 Business Agent Kathleen Romero and Local 856 Business Agent Javier Lectora
Grievance Update
The System Board decision was received for one 3rd Step grievance (Progressive Discipline-Skipping Steps) and the Board deadlocked. We discussed the case with counsel and were advised that we could not prevail in arbitration. An opinion letter was drafted for us and we closed the grievance based on that opinion.
Prior to the System Boards the Company settled two 3rd Step grievances by providing revised 2nd Step answers. With the first grievance (Deferred Holidays), the Company committed to make sure that anyone that deferred a holiday while on a 10-hour schedule, and later switched to an 8-hour schedule and used the deferred holiday, would be credited with the two unused hours to their bank. The Company also committed to modifying the eTA program so that all 10-hour deferrals are fully credited to the an employee’s DAT bank so that individuals will no longer be deprived of any hours if they happen to switch from a 10-hour schedule to an 8-hour schedule after they defer a holiday.
Another 3rd Step grievance (50 Divisor-VDAT allocation) also had a revised 2nd Step answer submitted by the Company. The Company committed to using a divisor of 50 when calculating the vacation allocation per Article 9, Paragraph B.
Two cases were heard at System Board on Thursday, August 21st. The first was a termination case and the second involved a first-time AOA security violation and subsequent action by the Company that we feel violated our member’s right to just cause treatment. After additional information requests, the record is now closed on those hearings. We now await the decision. The next System Board hearings are scheduled for November.
We are also awaiting one arbitration decision (EFS Bypass) and are currently seeking agreement for an arbitrator/date for another grievance (Dock 3 Tool Crib) currently at arbitration level.
Union History
June 25th, 1938 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) into law. The FLSA applied to industries whose combined employment represented only about one-fifth of the labor force. In these industries, it banned certain types of child labor, established a minimum wage, and set a maximum workweek at 44 hours.
August 28th, 1963 - 250,000 people participate in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in Washington, D.C. The march—initiated by A. Philip Randolph, president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters—was organized by a coalition of civil rights, labor, and religious organizations. It was here that Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.
July 26th, 1990 - President George H.W. Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act, a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, like many business organizations, opposed the law, arguing that the costs of the ADA would be “enormous” and have a “disastrous impact on many small businesses struggling to survive.”
We must never forget!
Union Quotes
We can either have democracy in this country or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both - Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis
When morality comes up against profit, it is seldom that profit loses - Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed; those who are cold and are not clothed - Dwight D. Eisenhower
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