July Business Agents' Report
UAL Sends Out WARN Notices
While we had started to be encouraged by a temporary flattening of the pandemic curve and an uptick in travel nationwide, recent developments make it clear that we can no longer hopeful for less severe outcomes with respect to the airline industry. United Airlines has now made it clear that there will be a significant number of folks impacted by the reorganization of the company into a much smaller entity in the near term.
There is simply no getting around the fact that with 500 aircraft parked around the system, the resulting reduction in volume of work across the system, and particularly at SFO, is staggering. Add to that the decision to do two lines each of heavy checks at Orlando and Houston, and to no longer do heavy checks in Airframe, and it is no surprise that SFO will be severely impacted.
As such, the Company sent out WARN notices this week to a significant portion of our folks here at SFO. We want to be clear that receiving a WARN notice does not necessarily mean that you will be furloughed or even be affected by movement caused by a furlough.
As of this writing we still don't fully know the number of folks that will be directly impacted. As you know, there are several efforts underway that can potentially mitigate how many people are directly affected by furloughs, including the VSP and PCL programs.
We remain fully committed to making sure that any actions that the Company takes regarding maintenance work, furlough mitigation efforts, or personnel decisions at SFO are done so with adherence to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Currently, the IBT has been working with the Company to produce a set of documents with explanations, including FAQ's, based on Article 6 (Reduction in Force) and LOA 19 (Exercise of RIF Options). This effort has been ongoing, and we expect those documents, along with others we are preparing, to be ready soon.
We understand that there are a lot of questions out there on the floor. Rest assured, we are working diligently to answer all of your questions. To that end, we will be conducting briefings regularly throughout SFO on all three shifts starting soon and we will continue to do so right on up to October. Until then, please be patient, folks.
These are extremely challenging times for us all, but we will get through this together. We always have. Please stay safe!
Pathetic Displays Over and Over Again
There is no doubt that this pandemic has hit us all hard. It has brought with it a boatload of challenges, starting with the most obvious: How do we keep our families safe! As if that is not enough, folks with kids are struggling with decisions about childcare and unknowns related to the upcoming school year. Add to that the uncertainty of potential furloughs during this period of mass unemployment and it is no surprise that anxiety levels on the floor are enormous.
One of the things our many years of experience has taught us is that, unfortunately, there are always going to be folks who spend most of their time sitting in the corner throwing darts at those who choose to serve. We do not speak of those members who might express disappointment with one provision of the contract or another after a long hard-fought negotiation. That is inevitable. We speak of the others. The ones who have literally spent their entire careers at UAL running guerilla campaigns against one Union or another. Some of these characters have been at it 20-plus years and long ago lost their moral compass. They will twist facts and outright lie with no hesitation because they learned a long time ago that there is no accountability in their game. They know that a lot of folks will just take them at their word, no matter what they say. They routinely preach as fact unrecognizable versions of the truth. They don't care whether or not their actions hurt the membership.
But nothing is more pathetic than when those individuals choose to capitalize on the anxieties of our members at a time when our folks are dealing with so much. It is a pretty disgraceful display.
This is one of those times when solidarity is paramount. But we are sorry to say that it has become an inevitable certainty that when a crisis hits our members and people are stressed to the max, the bottom feeders will come out. It is the standard playbook. We have all seen it before. Over and over. They seek to divide us for their own gain. And they could care less that they do so at a time when our members face historical challenges. This is what they do.
Let's talk about some real facts. This ALTA bunch does not represent a single member of any employer anywhere. Not one.
Yes, we know, some of these people supported a previous Union and never got over the membership rightfully choosing to move on from that bad experiment. We get it. But don't walk around this property like we should all be looking back at those few short years as the golden age of technicians. That is far from the truth. We all went through it and we all have the scars to prove it.
Unionism is a by no means an easy nor perfect endeavor. Negotiating a contract within the Railway Labor Act is a particular challenge. Companies can string out negotiations for years, which costs members more every day that goes by. The longer the process goes on, it forces the calculus between what you will gain and what you will lose. In the end, there will always be some compromise and some disappointment. Anyone who tells you different is either lying or in denial. But you surely gain as well. And we have gained a lot since the Teamsters came on the property. Of that there is no doubt. So, please stop trying to tell us how good we had it back in 2006.
We will continue to work hard every day for the membership while you do not and then say you are.
Backshops Chief Steward Elections
The ballots for the Backshops Chief Steward election between John Laurin and Maurice McDonald have been mailed by BallotPoint. Any members who do not receive a ballot by July 20th should call Lisa Hensel at (650)266-7702. The window for duplicate ballots will be open between the hours of 8:30am - 4:30pm from Monday July 20th thru Wednesday July 22nd.
The deadline to cast your ballot will be 12pm on Wednesday July 29th.
The ballot count will be conducted on Wednesday July 29th at 12:00pm -12:15pm. Please refer to your IBT Bulletin Board for details.
We understand that there is a lot of things going on right now but we strongly urge you to exercise your right to vote and be heard.
Kin Care Update
After the Company changed the policy regarding California Kin Care so that it was auto designated for all sick time, we filed a complaint with the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) arguing that the company violated CA Labor Code Section 233. We subsequently worked with an attorney from the State throughout a lengthy interview and document submittal process that was finally completed on April 10, 2020. We are currently awaiting a final decision by the State. There are several grievances currently on hold pending this decision.
Additionally, the Teamsters have been working the issue on the legislative front. On January 29th, 2020, Assembly Member Kevin Mullin introduced Assembly Bill Number 2017 (AB2017) to clarify the language of Labor Code Section 233 so that Kin Care can only be designated at the employee's discretion. The Teamsters co-sponsored the bill, which went through committee and was awaiting a final vote in March before COVID-19 hit.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed both of these potential resolutions to this issue, we fully expect to get this situation remedied one way or another. We will report back as soon as we hear anything further.
Grievance Update
Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, all System Board hearings across the system have been cancelled until further notice. For SFO, this means that our April 21st-22nd and July 15th-16th dates have already been cancelled and, because of the recent resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the pending furloughs, our October 14th-15th dates may be in jeopardy.
The IBT has been working with the company on a process to allow for virtual hearings but even if we do get all of the details hammered out, this process will be used solely to do termination hearings initially which, rightfully so, must be our top priority right now..
In the meantime, we continue to work with Labor Relations to find remedies for any of the 3rd Step (System Board of Adjustment level) grievances that we can. 1st and 2nd Step grievances will continue normally through the process until they reach 3rd Step.
One important thing that we should mention is that any grievances regarding contract language that are currently in-process do not simply go away if the member transfers, retires or is furloughed. That is not how the process works.
The normal process of grievance evaluation at each step of the process will continue without regard to the status of the employee who filed the grievance or without regard for whether or not the aggrieved individual is still on active status.
Thus, if your grievance has merit, it will continue through the process.
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