February Business Agents' Report
New Hire Pay Proposal Update
As we reported to you previously, after much effort, we were finally able to secure a meeting with UAL Senior leadership on October 21, 2019. At that time the first order of business was to share a sample of twenty letters we received from our members detailing the many challenges they were facing living in the Bay Area, where an already high cost-of-living has soared in recent years. We did not proceed with our presentation until everyone in the room read the letters.
Afterwards, we shared a detailed proposal to increase wage rates for folks in the first four years of the Appendix A Scale. We included all relevant financial data with the proposal and asked that the new increases take effect on December 5, 2019.
We thought if the Company was able to read first-hand accounts of all the trials our folks faced, whether it be technicians living in their vehicles, or staying in crashpads with up to 18 other people, or that family of four cramped in a one bedroom apartment in a rough neighborhood, they would see this was a crisis situation that had to be handled with an extreme sense of urgency.
In December, after not receiving any word of a decision, we initiated a follow-up meeting with the Company which took place in mid-January, where Principal Officers Peter Finn from Local 856 and Chris Griswold from Local 986 were in attendance. Unfortunately, the meeting ended without a path to alleviate what we believe is a serious crisis that our newer Brothers and Sisters face. At that time, the principal officers did strenuously reiterate to the Company that the status quo is unacceptable.
We are not sure that the Company has come to recognize this situation as a crisis as we do. Yet, what we do know is that we here new stories every day of those who have had to give up and leave the Company for their sake and their families' sake.
The parties agreed to meet again in the near future. As of this time, dates have been proposed for March and we are waiting for confirmation.
2020 Scholarships are Taking Applications
It's that time of year again folks. If you are interested in obtaining some additional funds to help with your child's college tuition expenses, please make sure to apply for the variety of scholarships available to our members. Right now, there are two scholarship programs currently taking applications, The Local 856-986 Scholarship available exclusively to UAL members at SFO and the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund which is available to all members in good standing. The Local 856-986 Scholarship will be taking applications until March 31st. You can find out more information, including how to apply, by going to our website at TeamstersSFO.com. The James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund will be taking applications until March 2nd. You can also find more information on our website or you can go directly to jrhmsf.org. We will be sure to let you know when additional scholarship programs such as the California Teamsters Hispanic Caucus begin taking applications.
Retirement Seminar Draws a Packed House
On February 8th, over 75 members and spouses packed the Local 856 meeting room to hear valuable retirement information provided by Teamster Member Assistance Coordinators Steve Loone and Steve Crummey along with guest speakers from Kaiser Permanente, Fidelity Investments, and the United Airlines Pension Department. If you are contemplating retirement and were not able to participate, you can still receive information like the Retirement Benefits Guide or get any additional retirement questions you may have answered by contacting Steve Loone or Steve Crummey. Their contact information can be found on the Union Board in your area. Remember, it is never too early to start planning for retirement!
SFO System Board of Adjustment Schedule for 2020
The Airline Division has confirmed the SBA schedule for SFO for 2020. We will host System Boards three times during the year to hear grievance cases that are at the 3rd Step (SBA Level) of the Grievance process where no resolution with the Company can be obtained. The three 2020 dates for SFO are April 21st-22nd, July 15th-16th, and October 14th-15th. If there are any termination cases to be heard, additional dates will be scheduled with the Company throughout the year, depending on timing.
System Board of Adjustment (SBA) Explained
We figured this was a good time to talk about 3rd Step (SBA Level) grievances again. As many of you already know, once a contract grievance is elevated to the 3rd Step by the Grievance Committee, it is the responsibility of the Business Agents to move it forward. That process will likely initially involve direct engagement with Labor Relations and Local Management in order to discuss resolution. If no resolution is reached, we will schedule the grievance for a 3rd Step hearing, which is officially called a System Board of Adjustment (SBA) hearing, per Article 19.D.
At the SBA hearing, the Union will present its case supporting the grievance first and then the Company will present its case against the grievance. The System Board consists of four members, two from the Company and two from the Union. There are generally three possible outcomes for a contract grievance. The first is that the grievance is ‘sustained’. In that case, the Company must enact the appropriate remedy. The grievance can also be ‘denied’, which is rather self-explanatory. In both cases, where the Board sustains or denies the grievance, the ruling of the Board is final and binding. The third outcome is called a ‘deadlock’, whereby the Board cannot reach a majority decision. In that case the Business Agents will consult with counsel to determine whether or not the grievance should be appealed to the 4th Step, which is the Board of Arbitration (Article 20).
Contract grievances that are appealed to arbitration become the responsibility of the Airline Division and will be arbitrated by the IBT staff attorneys or outside counsel. The local Business Agents continue to assist throughout the preparation process for these grievances until they are ultimately heard in Chicago, unless there is mutual agreement on another venue, on the previously agreed upon dates. Arbitration hearings are presided over by a neutral arbitrator, with one member from the Company and one member from the Union also sitting on the Arbitration Board. After presentation of the cases by each side's attorney, in the same order as presented at the SBA, the parties adjourn and await the completion of the stenographer’s report. Once the report is completed and delivered to the parties, the attorney for each side will prepare a final brief outlining all of their arguments. Those briefs are then submitted to the arbitrator to be used in rendering a final decision. Once the arbitrator has rendered a decision, that ruling is final and binding on the parties.
Likewise, if any of our members are terminated for any reason, a grievance is automatically filed on that member’s behalf and it moves directly to SBA Level. The SBA hearing process for terminations is essentially identical to that which is used for contract cases except the Company presents first. If the System Board deadlocks on a termination, the Business Agents will consult with our local attorney as to whether or not to arbitrate. If the decision is made to arbitrate, our local attorney will handle the arbitration and the hearing will be conducted here at SFO.
Union History for the Month of February
February 7, 2008 - A huge explosion and fire at the Imperial Sugar refinery northwest of Savannah, Georgia, killed 14 and injured 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 that the sugar industry had been aware of the risk of dust explosions since 1926.
February 9, 2000 - Boeing engineers and technical workers begin what is to become a forty-day strike over economic issues. At the time, it was the largest white-collar strike at a private company in the U.S. It ended in a victory for the 22,000 workers represented by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA).
February 19, 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.
We must never forget!
Union Quotes
The man who has his millions will want everything he can lay his hands on and then raise his voice against the poor devil who wants ten cents more a day. We do want more, and when it becomes more, we shall still want more. And we shall never cease to demand more until we have received the results of our labor - Samuel Gompers
Never forget, people DIED for the eight-hour workday - Rebecca Gordon
An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics - Plutarch
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.