Technicians Update

Technicians Update
March 5, 2021
United 328

Brothers and Sisters,

Attached is the link to the latest update from the NTSB on the incident involving United 328.
https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/DCA21FA085.aspx

 As a reminder; while this is public information from the NTSB, if you are approached by anyone asking for your opinion or views; you should not to make any statements or comments that could be misconstrued as an official position by you or the company. Additionally; you should not make any statements or comments on any social media platforms.

We will continue to keep you updated as information becomes available.

 
In Solidarity,

 
Chris Moore
International Representative, Airline Division
International Brotherhood of Teamsters

February Business Agents' Report

 Secondary RIF Results Delayed

We have been waiting for the results of the secondary RIF since the end of November. The secondary RIF includes those that came back from leaves after the original RIF was underway, those that had subsequent FRD corrections and any folks who had an award rescinded for any reason (primarily FRD and A&P License issues). We were informed that some of the individuals who had rescinded awards were subsequently 'recalled' and told to report to a new area. We have taken steps to make sure that those individuals are immediately returned to their original Bid Area and schedule, pending results of this secondary RIF. The reason for this is very simple: They have not had the opportunity to 'officially' exercise their Seniority as part of the Article 6 Reduction in Force, so they cannot be moved from their Bid Area or schedule. Additionally, those folks who have the Seniority to stay on the property after they exercise their seniority are going to be absorbed, meaning that they will not bump anyone out of the station. So, a valuable permanent recall position cannot be given to them or it will reduce the number of folks being brought back from the street or the system. With our numbers at SFO taking such an enormous hit, we can't very well lose additional positions because of clerical errors! So, if you are one of these individuals who have been moved erroneously, let your RIF Coordinator know to make sure that you are sent back to your original Bid Area.

We understand that the end result dictates that there are some individuals on the property waiting RIF results who do not have the Seniority to hold a permanent position. That is not due to any shenanigans. They are here because they have not yet been afforded their right to exercise their seniority. The reality of the situation is that the Company furloughed way more people out of SFO than they should have on the 1st RIF, then made a bunch of incorrect Line Station Bid Awards to folks with only one license which had to be rescinded; then had to go back and change a bunch of incorrect FRD dates which also meant more rescinded awards, then filled vacancies during the 1st RIF, which led to grievances, a subsequent LOA to address, and a RIF redo for a bunch of folks which led to some additional furloughs. Then the company started almost immediately doing permanent recalls here at SFO to address the fact that they sent out too many people in the first place! Add to that the passing of the new PSP that resulted in UAL dropping everything else they were doing so they can get the temp recall done! Talk about an absolute quagmire!

If you are one of the individuals awaiting the results of the secondary RIF, which we are told will be out any day, and you do not hold the Seniority to prevent Involuntary Furlough, the most likely scenario will be that you will be given your contractually mandated 14-day furlough notice after the Secondary RIF results are published and then you will be given an offer of temporary recall to commence immediately afterwards.

And now we wait for the next PSP!

Temporary Recall is Nearly Completed

Now that the temp recall is nearly complete, we would like to welcome folks back to SFO. To say that our membership has been through a lot the past few months seems to be the understatement of all time. The decision to take the temp recall could not have been an easy one to make for many folks. At our core, no matter what trials we endure, people tend to want to get back to some sense of normalcy. And getting yanked back and forth across the country surely does not help folks in their quest to get some balance back into their lives!

Those of you that had to separate from families to commute to another location had it especially tough. The decision to make that move and leave families back here to minimize your family’s disruption was obviously extremely difficult. And that decision had to be made having hope and faith that you could eventually get back to SFO at some point without having any idea whether or not or when it would happen.

We understand that this particular recall is only temporary. But we want you to know that we will continue to fight in every way possible to make sure that there are sufficient jobs here at SFO so that anyone out there in the system or on furlough who wants to come back permanently can do so.

Some of you were also fortunate enough to be permanently recalled as well. In fact, UAL was in the middle of a batch of permanent recalls at SFO before the second PSP hit. We expect permanent recalls to continue going forward and look forward welcoming more of you back on a permanent basis.

Healthy Airport Ordinance Update

As we mentioned in our November briefings and email blasts, on November 10th the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed the Healthy Airport Ordinance (HAO). This ordinance amended the Health Care Accountability Ordinance (HCAO) for the Quality Standards Program (QSP) for all employers at SFO, including UAL, so that they must now offer a health care plan to all employees and their families at no cost.

TeamstersSFO Locals 856/986 worked with partner unions for some time to help get this ordinance to the finish line and we are grateful for all of that hard work.

In order to comply with the ordinance, United Airlines is now offering a Kaiser Plan B which meets the platinum-equivalent ordinance requirements. There is a special SFO tile on the Your Benefits Resource (YBR) website which allows folks to switch over to the new no-cost plan for employees and their dependents. This choice will remain open to all employees until February 15th, so if you have not done so, please make sure to navigate over to the YBR site as soon as you can. The effective date for the new health benefits is March 21st, 2021.

The San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) and the San Francisco Department of Public Health (DPH) will be conducting a webinar to help educate employees on the new standards and answer questions on February 10th at 11am. If you are interested in attending, you can go to the SFO CONNECT website for information and instructions on how to register at sfoconnect.com/about/news/webinar-quality-standards-program-employees.

Again, please make sure to get to the YBR website in order to change over from your current medical plan to the new Kaiser Plan B no-cost option!

 California Kin Care Update

On December 1st, 2018, UAL first implemented the policy under which they would unilaterally designate the first six days (or half of the annual accrual) of an employee's sick leave as Kin Care, even over the objection of the employee. The Union felt that this was a clear violation of California Labor Code Section 233 and immediately filed grievances against the practice. Those grievances had to be placed on hold while we navigated the excruciatingly slow complaint process with the State of California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DSLE), as we were seeking a determination by the state as to the validity of UAL's practice under the Labor Code.

In September of 2020, we were notified by the State that UAL was claiming that they were exempt from the California Kin Care because they were providing sick time under an ERISA Trust. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) sets minimum standards for most voluntarily established retirement and health plans in private industry to provide protection for individuals in these plans. This is a move that the company tried to make about a decade back, but that ultimately failed after they were sued by the pilots. They apparently feel that they have their ducks better aligned to pass ERISA-compliance scrutiny this time out.

The State has informed us that this claim will be thoroughly investigated and that it will determine what action to take against UAL if the findings are that they are non-compliant. But we were also warned that this process has likely been severely extended by the Company's actions.

In the meantime, as we reported to you in November, Teamsters 856/986 co-sponsored legislation with Assembly Speaker pro Tem Kevin Mullin that amended Labor Code Section 233 regarding Kin Care usage to say that "...the designation of sick leave taken for these reasons shall be made at the sole discretion of the employee”. The bill took effect on January 1st, but the Company is refusing to comply based on the reason given above. We had hoped that the company would comply, given the unambiguous verbiage of the new law, but they have chosen to fight it out.

There has been an et al grievance generated based the company's non-compliance with the new amendment to the law, but we will have to wait until we get the response from the State before we can put it in front of an arbitrator. There is simply no getting around that fact.

Ironically, the company has not chosen to ignore the Kin Care law completely because Kin Care is still being offered. They are only ignoring the part that says that you get to choose when to designate it.

We will be sure to keep you informed of any further developments on this issue.

The Grievance Tracking System

The IBT Airline Division Grievance Tracking System has replaced our old paper system of grievances. The GTS is an automated, internet-based program which creates, stores, processes, prints, and tracks all Airline Division grievances. We have been transitioning to the GTS at SFO for some time, beginning with Shop Steward training offered last year. The system offers a comprehensive search capability and is designed to enable us to capture every piece of information we need about every grievance so that our records are complete and organized and so that everyone involved in the grievance process, from Stewards to Chief Stewards to the Business Agents has everything related to a particular grievance immediately available. Additionally, we have access to all of the grievances across the entire system.

We have now completely phased out the use of paper grievances and are now requiring all Stewards to enter grievances into the GTS. If you are a Steward and have not yet been trained in the GTS, please reach out to your Chief Steward. Please do not use the old paper grievances anymore.

 Grievance Update

We have scheduled continued discussions with the Company regarding the SFO Heavy Check grievance on February 8th and 22nd. This will be followed by another date in March, if necessary. If no settlement is reached with the Company, the case will be arbitrated on April 15th.

We will also be starting initial dialogue next week with the Company concerning the open 3rd Step grievances at SFO. These discussions will be conducted in anticipation of the commencement of contract-case System Boards of Adjustment hearings in the near future.

We will be sure to keep you posted of any new developments going forward.

Labor History

February 3rd, 1941 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules unanimously in United States v. Darby to uphold the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which banned certain types of child labor, established a minimum wage, and set a maximum workweek at 44 hours.

February 2nd, 1977 - Legal secretary Iris Rivera is fired for refusing to make coffee for her employer. A Chicago-based advocacy group, Women Employed, led a series of public actions against her firing and eventually Rivera got her job back.

January 29th, 2009 - The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 is the first bill signed into law by President Barack Obama, restoring the protection against pay discrimination that was stripped away by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. The wage gap continues.

Famous Quotes

We draw our strength from the very despair in which we have been forced to live. We shall endure - Cesar Chavez

We have come too far, -- struggled too long, -- sacrificed too much and have too much left to do, -- to allow that which we have achieved for the good of all to be swept away without a fight. And we have not forgotten how to fight -  Lane Kirkland

That we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just - Abraham Lincoln

Please Stay Safe Folks! In Solidarity,

Mark DesAngles                    Javier Lectora

Business Agent                     Business Agent
Local 986                                 Local 856

Please click here to view a printable version of this report.

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.

Click here for a printable version of this report.

December Business Agents' Report

SFOMM Technician Oscar Medina Qualifies for Olympic Trials

We have an amazing athlete in our midst! On October 13th, SFOMM Technician Oscar Medina ran the Chicago marathon in 2:18 hours to qualify for the Olympic trials being held in Atlanta this coming February. Oscar, who works at Terminal 1, ran Track and Field at Lakeview High School in Chicago, Class of 2011, then went on to compete at Southern Illinois University afterwards. He has been running marathons competitively for about four years now. We want to send out a big fat congrats to Oscar and wish him good luck at the trials!
B-Scale Pay Proposal Update
On Monday, October 21st, we flew to Chicago to meet with United Airlines senior leadership regarding B-Scale pay. During the meeting, we first presented them with a series of letters from our newer technicians outlining the significant challenges they are having making ends meet in the San Francisco Bay Area. Afterwards, we presented them with a detailed proposal to increase the pay of those folks. We had hoped to receive an answer to our proposal by now but, unfortunately, we have not. We will be sure to pass on any news we receive as soon as we get.

Article 11.M Non-Critical Illness
We have had several questions, along with a recent grievance regarding the Company's policy of auto-designating Article 11.M Non-Critical Illness concurrently with Kin Care when it is requested for a spouse or dependent child of our member. After seeking advice on the matter from Union Counsel, we will be brief and direct on the issue. If you call in Kin Care for your spouse or child, then it is perfectly legal for the Company can run your Kin Care and Article 11.M Non-Critical Illness concurrently. Remember, Article 11.M allows you up to six days of sick leave, with a maximum of two occurrences, for use to care for your sick spouse or dependent child.

Grievance Update
The last scheduled SBA dates for the year were November 12th and 13th. In the preceding weeks, we engaged Labor Relations in several discussions related to the seven open 3rd Step grievances we had identified to have the highest priority.  Additionally, we met with our attorney to discuss several of those grievances as well. In the end, this is how things played out:

Two grievances (Seniority Issue and Article 11.M Auto-designation) were withdrawn for lack of merit based on advice of counsel.

Two grievances (Boston Fuel EFS and Trade Day Off OT Overlap) were settled by the Company including issuance of revised 2nd Step answers and all affected members being made whole. Additionally, an eTA system fix has been scheduled for the issue related to the payment of appropriate overtime rates on the overlap between trade day off and an overtime shift.

One grievance (Revised OT Hours Charging) was sustained, pending review by the Airline Division, before implementation of additional eTA system fix so that overtime charging is done correctly for all hours 'accepted or refused'.

The Company indicated that it was not ready to hear one grievance (Improper Pay). Discussions are ongoing with the Airline Division and the Company in order to figure out the next steps on this one. It is likely that face-to-face meetings with the company will have to be scheduled to discuss appropriate remedies before ultimately moving forward with an attempt to arbitrate this grievance. As such, this grievance in now on hold.

In the end, we ended up having two hearings on November 12th, one for a Termination case and one for a contract grievance (Management Doing Protected Work).

We have one upcoming arbitration related to a termination case scheduled for March. We are actively pursuing dates for another contract arbitration (OV Tool Crib). Additionally, there are current internal discussions underway concerning another contract grievance (SFOMM HNL EFS Bypass) at arbitration level, in light of the arbitration decision we received denying a similar grievance (SFOLX HNL EFS Bypass). We expect the Airline Division attorneys to have a decision soon for us on the matter of whether to pursue or withdraw.

A Message from your TMAP Representatives

The Holiday Season is upon us. This time of year can bring all kinds of emotions and feelings that may be difficult to process. It may be that you have a Family function every year that tends to get out of control because of some underlying family tension or emotional distress. Or you have some memories of loved ones who have passed on that become especially hard to deal with at this time of year. Maybe it’s yours or a family member's drinking problem that seems to get worse during the Holidays that is causing you concern. These are just a few of the things that may cause stress and fatigue at this time of year. If you need someone to confide in about different life events that may be affecting your duties at home or at work and would like to seek help with developing a plan to work through some life events, call one of our Member Assistance Professionals. We have helped a lot of technicians find appropriate resources to start the path of recovery from Grief and Loss, Alcohol/Drug Dependency, Relationship problems and many others. The Teamster Member Assistance Program is here to help 24/7/365. If the Holidays have you down, give us a try before it has adverse effects that may be irreparable at work or at home.

SFOOV/MM/GQ/PV - Steve Loone  650-745-5864

SFOPD/RQ/LX/MP - Steve Crummey  650-745-5867

2020 Retirement Seminar Date is Set

The 2020 Retirement Seminar date has been set for Saturday February 8th.

The event will be held at Local 856 in San Bruno. If you are contemplating retiring in the coming year, this event is a must! We will put out more details including time, agenda, and guests in January. In the meantime, make sure to mark your calendars.

 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.

Union History for the Month of December

December 15th, 1921 - A protest by 500 women in Kansas that began earlier in the week – organized in support of striking mine workers and against new anti-labor legislation that forced unions into arbitration and outlawed strikes in the state – swells to 4,000, stretching a mile long. The women, dubbed the “Amazon Army” by The New York Times, disbanded upon hearing that the militia was on its way. Victory came a year later when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Kansas anti-labor laws unconstitutional.

December 3rd, 1946 - In Oakland, California, 130,000 workers from 142 unions – including workers from factories, industries, services, retail stores, transportation systems, and more – declare a “work holiday” and walk off their jobs in support of striking department store clerks and in opposition to police intervention that was facilitating strike breaking activity. The Oakland General Strike lasted for two days.

December 8th, 1993 - President Bill Clinton signs the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) into law, stating that it “will promote more growth, more equality, better preservation of the environment, and a greater possibility for world peace.” In reality, NAFTA has done the opposite: costing jobs and lowering wages, increasing inequality, and compromising environmental and consumer protections.

We must never forget!

Quotes

Every advance in this half-century--Social Security, civil rights, Medicare, aid to education, one after another--came with the support and leadership of American Labor — Jimmy Carter

Today in America, unions have a secure place in our industrial life. Only a handful of reactionaries harbor the ugly thought of breaking unions and depriving working men and women of the right to join the union of their choice. I have no use for those -- regardless of their political party -- who hold some vain and foolish dream of spinning the clock back to days when organized labor was huddled, almost as a hapless mass. Only a fool would try to deprive working men and women of the right to join the union of their choice — Dwight D. Eisenhower

No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country. By living wages I mean more than a bare subsistence level --I mean the wages of decent living — Franklin D. Roosevelt

Special Message from the SFO Committee
On behalf of the entire SFO Committee, we want to take some time to wish all of you a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year! We hope that all of you get to enjoy some time with your families and that none of that sacred time is clouded by distractions related to the job. Happy Holidays Folks!

Happy Holidays Folks!

January 2018 Business Agents' Report

Happy New Year
We hope that all of you had a fabulous Holiday Season!

Although 2017 posed many challenges, we are proud of what we were able to accomplish and that our members now enjoy the best contract in the industry.

As is normally the case, during the transition to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, there have been some implementation issues and also some areas where we disagree with the Company in terms of contract interpretation. We have been working to get those issues resolved and we will actively pursue the grievance process right on up to Arbitration in all areas where we believe that the Company is misinterpreting the CBA. In fact, in January we completed five System Board of Adjustment hearings for contract cases and are fully prepared to take those to Arbitration if we have to. Additionally, we are in constant dialogue with the Company in an effort to find resolution whenever possible on any outstanding issues or grievances. Eventually, we will get these issues resolved one way or another.

We would like to now point to the many gains that we have attained over the last decade. Think back to how it was back then. We all lived it together. No pension. Bottom of industry in wages. Four OT shifts max for a month. Not even an inkling of what a Trade Day consisted of nor what a HRA account was. No ability to bid to another crew or another shift even though you had the seniority because you had to wait for some magic opening to occur. Layoff after layoff. We remember very clearly the despair we all felt back then. It was like being stuck in quicksand.

But we have turned the corner. And we are thankful for where we are now and also gratified for the work your Grievance Committee, Safety Committee, Member Assistance, and TSAP representatives do every day on your behalf. Of course, there are those that like to sit in the corner and throw darts at the Union or, more specifically, throw darts at those of us that have dedicated our lives to fighting for the membership. All while they contribute nothing except bitterness, hypocrisy, and worse, outright lies. As we are both individuals who believe in Unions and who have both continuously served as a Shop Stewards through three Unions, we see this bunch as the worst and most cynical to ever to come along. They have willingly partnered with known Union Busters to advance their agenda and they have happily recruited dues objectors and other union-haters to their cause. Then, they want to assert that they are the keepers of true Unionism and that only they will fight on your behalf to get you that elusive perfect contract that you have always wanted if you would only put your trust in them. Despite their assertions, the Union does not write a Collective Bargaining Agreement. It is negotiated and, as such, there will never be any such thing as a perfect contract. But, that being said, there is no doubt as to what we have been able to attain. There is simply no better contract in the industry. Top of the industry in wages with a pension, an HRA, Day Trades, 20+ shifts of OT eligibility, to name just a few. Whether you want more time off or more opportunity to work overtime, you are covered. Like the saying goes, “the proof is in the pudding.” It is our understanding that the process of distributing the new contract books to the membership has begun. We hope that each of you will take the time to read your contract very carefully. Then take a moment to reflect on how things used to be.

New Craft Meeting Hours
As you may have seen posted, we have changed the hours at our monthly Craft Meetings to the following:

Midnight Shift Meeting – 0700
Swing Shift Meeting – 1130
Day Shift Meeting – 1500

This change will allow us to focus more on floor visits on all three shifts throughout Craft Day so that we can answer questions, address concerns, and also just say ‘hello’. Going forward, a group consisting of the Business Agents, Coordinator, Area Chief Steward, Area Safety Rep, Member Assistance Representative, and TSAP ERC member will be visiting each of the four primary work locations (Line, Backshops, Airframe, and Jet Shop) on a rotating basis. In January the group visited various crews out on the Line on all three shifts and had an opportunity to speak to many folks. Thanks to all for your feedback.

SFOTeamsters.com Transition is Complete
We have completed the transition to the new website. Please visit SFOTeamsters.com and take a look around. You will find information regarding your local committee personnel, communication updates and a variety of important member resources and forms.

BAQ 113 – Calibration Technician Matrix
We have still been receiving questions about ‘grandfathering’ rights regarding several BAQ’s for technicians on the Seniority list prior to 2011 ratification of the stand-alone agreement. In order to clarify the issue, we are going to explain the qualification process for the two most questioned BAQ’s. The first is BAQ 113 – Calibration Technician. Because it had been an established practice that a Trade test would be administered to qualify for this BAQ, the following matrix was discussed and implemented with respect to ‘grandfathering’ requests submitted through the eBids website for BAQ 113:

1)    The Technician has previous documented work experience in Bid Area 113; the BAQ request is approved with no further action required or,
2)    The Technician has previously documented work experience in Bid Area 116 – Tooling Repair Technician prior to June 1, 2017 (SFO - prior to 116/113 split); the BAQ request is approved with no further action required or,
3)    The Technician has previously documented experience in Bid Area 123 - Avionics Shop Technician; the BAQ request is improved with no further action required or,
4)    The Technician has previously documented work history as a Mechanic - Radio Shop with the associated job code 6030 – 24; the BAQ request is approved with no further action required or,
5)    When the Technician does not meet any of the requirements noted above for the 113 BAQ, ‘request a trade test’ function will be administered to determine qualifications

We hope that this information will help clear up any questions regarding BAQ 113 ‘grandfathering’.

BAQ 117 – Electric Harness Shop Technician
The other BAQ that we would like to address is BAQ 117 – Electric Harness Shop Technician. Again, because of a prior established trade test practice, an appropriate matrix was developed to address ‘grandfathering’ practices for technicians on the Seniority List prior to 2011. It is as follows:

1)    The Technician has previous documented work experience as a Bid Area 117 – Electric Harness Shop Technician; the BAQ request is approved with no further action required or,
2)    The Technician has previous documented work experience in the former SFOEC electrical shop; the BAQ request is approved with no further action required or,
3)    The Technician has previously documented work history has a Bid Area 104 - Avionics Technician (Airframe or Line Maintenance); the request is approved with no further action required or,
4)    The technician has previous documented work history as a Bid Area 123 - Avionics Shop Technician; the BAQ request is improved with no further action required or,
5)    When the Technician does not meet any of the requirements noted above for the BAQ 117, ‘request a trade test’ function would be administered to determine qualifications.

We want you to know again that the matrices above pertain to ‘grandfathering’ rights afforded to technicians who were on the Seniority List prior to 2011 ratification of the previous stand-alone agreement only. All Bid Area Qualifications outside of this ‘grandfathering’ will be administered according to Article 3 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Stay Informed
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 SFOTeamsters.com. Additionally, there are weekly meetings held 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 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. 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 SFOTeamsters.com and click on the ‘email signup’ tab to get on the list. And, 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 TSAP. 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.

As always, stay informed!

In Solidarity,

Javier Lectora
Business Agent
Local 856

Mark DesAngles                   
Business Agent                    
Local 986                               

September/October 2017 Business Agents' Report

Northern California Wildfire Relief
The devastating wildfires in Northern California have taken lives, destroyed homes and businesses, and impacted many of the communities where our members live and work.
Our first priority is our members and their safety. If you have been evacuated from your home, please reply and let us know if you are safe. We are working with Joint Council 7 All Charities Fund, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters' Disaster Relief Fund, and our own Local 856 Solidarity Fund to try and provide assistance to members who have lost their homes. In addition, the JC7 truck has been traveling the area to bring supplies and assistance to evacuees.
To donate to the Solidarity Fund, please make checks payable to: Local 856
Solidarity Fund, and mail to our office – 453 San Mateo Ave., San Bruno, CA,
94066.

If your family has been impacted by the fires or you are looking for local disaster relief organizations to donate to or volunteer with, go to:

http://www.teamsters856.org/california-fire-resources

Thanks to Local 856 Principal Officer Peter Finn and Local 986 Principal Officer Chris Griswold for their generous donations to the relief effort.

We would also like to send a special thanks to the many folks here at SFO who have brought in supplies and cash donations and also volunteered their time to aid in the effort help fire victims and their families. It is extremely gratifying to all of us to witness how consistently the membership steps up to support communities in need whenever there are tragic events such as these.

Teamsters & Union Workers from Across N. America fly to Puerto Rico
On October4th, a large contingent of Teamsters and other Union members from across North America flew to Puerto Rico to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. The hurricane devastated the entire island, leaving its people without food, water, electricity, medical supplies, transportation, and shelter. The group flew on aircraft provided by United Airlines for a trip that lasted two weeks. The large contingent, which included over 70 Teamsters from a variety of Locals across the country, were on the island for two weeks aiding the cleanup, supply distribution, and in any other way they could.

Puerto Rico Se Levanta!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzQUKLmz0L0

Hurricane Harvey Relief Convoy
The Teamsters Union Sept. 8 sent a fleet of 6 of its big rig show trucks to Houston, Texas loaded to the gills with vitally needed supplies for Teamster Hurricane Harvey victims. Teamsters Joint Council 42 President Randy Cammack said "we collected everything from water to baby food to diapers to dog food and drove it from Local 63 in Fontana, California to Houston in 30 hours."

In Houston, Teamsters Local 988 warehoused the donations and began distribution to needy families.

Teamster Local Unions whose trucks made the Houston trip included Joint Council 42, Joint Council 7, Local Unions 63, 542, 630 and the truck jointly owned by Las Vegas Teamster Locals 14, 631 and 986.

Teamster members and retirees donated the lion's share of the needed supplies.
Teamster drivers volunteered to drive the trucks and had highway patrol escorts through California, Arizona and New Mexico.

https://quik.gopro.com/v/2Km0TCqghq/

SFOOV Safety Committeewoman Kasi Tkaczyk Receives Award

On September 22nd, 2017 at the National Safety Council Labor Division meeting in Indianapolis, IN, at the awards luncheon, Kasi Tkaczyk received the NSC Labor Division “Award of Merit” for outstanding service to safety. The award recognizes the individual’s meritorious service to safety, working to prevent accidents, promote safety, encourage and stimulate effective safety efforts within the Union and with management in the workplace.

Since Kasi joined the Teamsters SFO Ground Safety Committee in July 2010, she has worked tireless to ensure that United Airlines in OV provides a safe and healthful workplace. Kasi has dedicated many hours over the last seven years on projects such as full tank entry, proper use, setup and inspection of scaffolding used in the WiFi project, getting United to build various Aircraft access stands, working to ensure annual evacuations drills are scheduled in OV and relentlessly working to make sure that United provides annual hearing testing to workers in OV.
Kasi’s spirit, dedication and perseverance to safety and health exemplify her commitment to working and helping protect our Teamster Union Brothers and Sisters. Congrats Kasi!

Local 856 Thanksgiving Meetings

For members in the SF Bay Area Local, 856 will be having Thanksgiving meeting on November 2nd at 6pm. The meeting will be held at the Best Western Grosvenor Hotel located at 380 South Airport Blvd in South San Francisco. Kaiser Permanente will be on hand to provide free on-site flu shots starting at 5pm.

For members in the Sacramento area, the Thanksgiving meeting will be held on November 16th at 6pm at the International Association of Aerospace Workers Local Lodge 946 located at 2749 Sunrise in Rancho Cordova.

Please join us for giveaways, raffles, and prizes!

Additionally, we will be collecting unwrapped toys and non-perishable foods at both meetings to donate to the San Mateo Central Labor Council hardship fund to assist Union families in need this year.

All contributions are appreciated!

A Message from your TMAP Representatives
The Holiday Season is fast approaching. This time of year can bring all kinds of emotions and feelings that may be difficult to process. It may be that you have a Family function every year that tends to get out of control because of some underlying family tension or emotional distress. Or you have some memories of loved ones who have passed on that become especially hard to deal with at this time of year. Maybe it’s yours or a family members drinking problem that seems to get worse during the Holidays that is causing you concern. These are just a few of the things that may cause stress and fatigue at this time of year. If you need someone to confide in about different life events that may be affecting your duties at home or at work and would like to seek help with developing a plan to work through some life events, call one of our Member Assistance Professionals. We have helped a lot of technicians find appropriate resources to start the path of recovery from Grief and Loss, Alcohol/Drug Dependency, Relationship problems and many others. The Teamster Member Assistance Program is here to help 24/7/365.

If the Holidays have you down, give us a try before it has adverse effects that may be irreparable at work or at home.

SFOOV/MM/GQ/PV - Steve Loone 650-745-5864
SFOPD/RQ/LX/MP - Steve Crummey 650-745-5867

Labor History for the Month of October
October 28th, 1879 - Union organizer and anarchist Luisa Capetillo is born in
Ariecibo, Puerto Rico. She organized tobacco and other agricultural workers in Puerto Rico and later in New York and Florida. In 1916 she led a successful sugar cane strike of more than 40,000 workers on the island. She demanded that her union endorse voting rights for women. In 1919, three years before her death, she was arrested for wearing pants in public, the first woman in Puerto Rico to do so. The charges were later dropped. October 30th, 1912 - Little Falls, New York, mounted police attack striking textile workers – mostly immigrant women and girls – beating some of them unconscious. The police chased the fleeing workers to their strike headquarters, continuing their assault, ransacking the building, destroying their union charter, and arresting the entire strike committee. Despite this, the workers saw the strike through until January 1913, when they won an agreement that included reinstatements, wage increases, and other demands.

We must never forget!
Labor Quotes
The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little -Franklin D. Roosevelt

Every day, try to help someone who can't reciprocate your kindness - John
Wooden, college basketball coach

Stay Informed
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. Additionally, there are weekly meetings held 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 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. 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. And, 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 TSAP.

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.
As always, stay informed!

In Solidarity                               
Mark DesAngles               Javier Lectora
Business Agent                Business Agent
Local 986                         Local 856

August Business Agents' Report

Hurricane Harvey devastates Texas
The devastation that has been caused by Hurricane Harvey is hard to imagine. We want to take a minute to send out our thoughts and prayers to our Brothers and Sisters in Texas. We sincerely hope that they and their families are safe. We urge you all to take a moment to donate some money to the relief efforts if you can.

Labor Day
During our search for some thoughtful words to say about Labor Day we came across an article that we felt did a great job of conveying our sentiments about a day we feel has really started to lose its meaning for a lot of folks. We have decided to reprint the article in its entirety. It was first published in The Atlantic on September 1st, 2014 and was written by Chad Broughton:

When Labor Day Meant Something
Labor Day online specials at Walmart this year “celebrate hard work with big savings.” For brick-and-mortar shoppers near my home in Chicago, several Walmart stores are open all 24 hours of Labor Day. Remember, this is a company so famously anti-union that it shut down a Canadian store rather than countenance the union its workers had just voted in. The fact that Walmart “celebrates” Labor Day should draw laughter, derision, or at least a few eyerolls. But it doesn’t—or at least not many. Somewhere along the line, Labor Day lost its meaning. Today the holiday stands for little more than the end of summer and the start of school, weekend-long sales, and maybe a barbecue or parade. It is no longer political. Many politicians and commentators do their best to avoid any mention of organized labor when observing the holiday, maybe giving an obligatory nod to that abstract entity, “the American Worker.” Labor Day, though, was meant to honor not just the individual worker, but what workers accomplish together through activism and organizing. Indeed, Labor Day in the 1880s, its first decade, was in many cities more like a general strike—often with the waving red flag of socialism and radical speakers critiquing capitalism—than a leisurely day off. So to really talk about this holiday, we have to talk about those-which-must-not-be-named: unions and the labor movement. The labor movement fought for fair wages and to improve working conditions, as is well known, but it was its political efforts that did nothing less than transform American society. Organized labor was critical in the fight against child labor and for the eight-hour workday and the New Deal, which gave us Social Security and unemployment insurance. Union workers sacrificed in America’s historic production effort in World War II and pushed for Great Society legislation in the 1960s. Michael Patrick, a former local Machinists president from Galesburg, Illinois, where I’ve done research, cites his union’s support for Medicare and the Civil Rights Act, now celebrating its 50th anniversary, as among his local’s proudest moments. These were victories that went well beyond the bread-and-butter issues of union members. They were shared achievements worthy of a national holiday for all. As Samuel Gompers, the founder of the American Federation of Labor, wrote in the New York Times in 1910, Labor Day “glorifies no armed conflicts or battles of man’s prowess over man… no martial glory or warlike pomp signals Labor Day.” Rather, “Of all the days celebrated for one cause or another, there is not one which stands so conspicuously for social advancement of the common people as the first Monday in September.” Those shared victories came at a cost. Agitation for anti-trust legislation, shorter workdays and workweeks, and the right to organize was often portrayed as un- American and violently repressed. In 1914, John Kirby, president of the National Association of Manufacturers, called the trade union movement, “an un-American, illegal, and infamous conspiracy.” Anti-labor employers fought against what they saw as incipient communism with strikebreaking, blacklisting, vigilante violence, and by enlisting government force to their side. During the Red Scare of 1919-1921, many states passed blanket sedition laws against radical speech and banned the flying of the red flag. The fiery but pragmatic president of the United Mine Workers, John L. Lewis, spoke to the overwhelming patriotism of union men and women when he said to a Senate Committee in 1933, “American labor stand[s] between the rapacity of the robber barons of industry of America and the lustful rage of the communists, who would lay waste to our traditions and our institutions with fire and sword.” Labor Day began not as a national holiday but in the streets, when, on September 5, 1882, thousands of bricklayers, printers, blacksmiths, railroad men, cigar makers, and others took a day off and marched in New York City. “Eight Hours for Work, Eight Hours for Rest, Eight Hours for What We Will” read one sign. “Labor creates all wealth,” read another. A placard in the following year’s parade read, “We must Crush the Monopolies Lest they Crush Us.” The movement for the holiday grew city by city and eventually the state and federal authorities made it official. The national holiday emerged 12 years later in the face of a federal crackdown on labor. In 1894, at the behest of railroad companies and industrialists, President Grover Cleveland deployed more than 10,000 U.S. Army troops to break the Pullman strike in Chicago—the first truly nationwide strike, which involved more than 150,000 workers from coast to coast. Protesters were jailed, injured, and killed. Amid the turmoil that summer, and as an olive branch, Cleveland signed legislation to make Labor Day a national holiday. Eugene Debs, the leader of the Pullman strike, dismissed the corporate paternalism of industrialist George Pullman, who sought to take care of “our poor workingmen.” The real issue, Debs said, was “What can we do for ourselves?” This—the labor movement's foundational values of selfdetermination and self-reliance—is what makes Labor Day a quintessentially American celebration. Perhaps the main reason Labor Day’s meaning has been lost amid picnics and holiday sales is the decline of unions. Union membership across the country has shrunk to less than one in eight (35.3 percent among publicsector workers and just 6.7 percent among private-sector workers in 2013) from nearly one in four throughout the 1970s. As membership declined, so did public support. According to a just-released Gallup tracking poll, a slim majority of Americans approve of labor unions—down from as high as three out of four in the booming postwar years. In the global, post-industrial era, industrial unions have less clout, and publicsector unions face well-resourced attacks from the right. In some cases, unions have left themselves open to criticism by retreating to the bread-and-butter concerns of its membership like wages and benefits, and by not embracing change, continuous reform and accountability, and an expansive vision of shared progress. Important new campaigns, though, are underway in retail stores like Walmart, in the tobacco fields and slaughterhouses where immigrants toil, and in charter schools where idealistic young teachers soon enough realize that they need a collective voice in the workplace to be treated and paid like professionals. Shoppers this weekend could hardly be blamed for going to Walmart for the latest feather-light flat screen television from China or Mexico—I’ll admit I’m dazzled by the low prices and pixel counts too. Or, better, people could go to Costco, where workers make about twice the Walmart wage, and don’t have to rely on federal benefits like food stamps and Medicaid (which, according to Americans for Tax Fairness, cost taxpayers $6.2 billion a year). In addition, Costco lets its workers unionize while Walmart instructs managers to report union activity or grumblings about wages to the company’s “Labor Relations Hotline.” Holiday shoppers will have to wait until Tuesday, though, because Costco is closed on Labor Day. Its workers are where they should be—at the family barbecue or the parade, celebrating our national holiday.

SFO Grievance Committee Election Update
On July 27, 2017 the following nominations for the Grievance Committee positions were accepted at the class and craft meetings:

Grievance Committee Coordinator
Fred Wood
Harry Beier (Withdrew on Aug 1, 2017)

Grievance Committee Secretary
Mark Gabriel

Line Chief Steward
Greg Sullivan

Jet Shop Chief Steward
Deborah Ward-Crummey

Airframe Chief Steward
Dale Mitchell

MPA Chief Steward
Joanne Asing

Back Shop Chief Steward
John Laurin
Geoff Wik (Withdrew on Aug 2, 2017)

Because of the subsequent withdrawals by Harry Beier and Geoff Wik, the nominees for all positions were unopposed. Therefore, the sole nominees have been deemed elected by acclamation. The new 3-year terms will begin on September 5th. Congratulations to all the nominees. Thanks for all your dedication to the membership.

September Craft Meeting Canceled
Due to the TeamstersSFO Steward training which will occur at the end of September, the September Craft meeting has been canceled. Thank you for your understanding. We look forward to seeing all the Stewards in Tahoe for a great weekend of education and celebration of your efforts on behalf of the membership.

Article 5 Filling of Vacancies
The Company distributed a letter indicating that the provisions of Article 3.E.3.a. have been satisfied. That is, the 180-Day Period to submit for any BAQ for which you are ‘grandfathered’ has officially now come to a close. This means that the normal process for sorting Vacancy Bid Awards as described in Article 5.D.1.a. has begun. However, since the Company has not yet completed all ‘grandfathering’, we have been assured that any technician whose name appears on a Closed Bid list in the incorrect Sort Order because the Company has not yet correctly approved a BAQ to which he or she is entitled will have his Sort Order corrected. We have had several cases like this already and, to date, they have all been corrected. Please reach out to your Chief Steward if you find yourself in this predicament.

BAQ 113- Calibration Technician Correction
In the January 2017 BA Report we listed Bid Area 113 as one of the BAQ’s for which our folks were entitled. Subsequently, we realized that this Bid Area was one that always had required a Trade Test. Therefore, we must make the correction and remove BAQ 113 from the list. Sorry for any confusion that we caused.

Stay Informed
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. Additionally, there are weekly meetings held 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 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. 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. And, 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 TSAP. 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.

As always, stay informed!

In Solidarity, 

Mark DesAngles                            Javier Lectora
Business Agent Local 986        Business Agent Local 856

June/July Business Agents' Report

Chief Steward Nominations and Elections
Nominations for Chief Steward positions for the Airframe, Jet Shop, Backshop, and Line Chief Steward positions will be accepted at the July Craft Meeting this week. The positions will run for a three-year term. The timeline for the election process is as follows: Thursday, July 27th – Nominations Friday August, 4th – Ballots mailed Monday, August 14th-Thursday, August 17th – Duplicate Ballot Request window Friday, September 1st – Ballots due by 6pm (US Mail only) Monday, September 5th – Ballot Count at 10:30am Please refer to your local Union Bulletin Boards for more information

Human Resource Meetings at Willis Tower
On Thursday, July 6th, all Business Agents from around the system met with the new HR team for United Airlines at Willis Tower in Chicago. The purpose of the meeting was to introduce the Business Agents to the new HR structure and areas of responsibility and to provide contact information for the various HR personnel. In addition, the Business Agents engaged the Company as to several ongoing issues important to our members with the hope of arriving at resolution. There was a conversation about Article 5 – Filling of Vacancies with the Business Agents raising several issues that were occurring across the system. After our discussion on the topic, the Company suggested that it would be beneficial to form a process improvement team that would include the IBT in order to work out difficulties with the BAQ’s and the eBid System. The IBT will designate two Business Agents to assist this committee. Another issue discussed was in regards to the badging difficulties being experienced by members across the system and the reporting date delays that are occurring as a result. The Company agreed to put together a guideline for local administrative personnel to use for assisting our members who are successful bidders across the system in their efforts to obtain the necessary badging and so that there is a consistent application by administrative personnel at all United locations, which so far has not been the case. Another subject that was discussed was the Return-to-work process. The Business Agents raised concerns about some of the generic forms being used and some of the unnecessary delays that are occurring across the system and offered some suggestions on improving the process. No immediate solutions were reached but we expect this to be an ongoing topic of conversation with the Company going forward. After the HR meeting concluded, there was a follow-up meeting with Labor Relations representatives to discuss the existing contractual grievances across the system and to finalize plans to hold rotating SBA hearings in the West, Midwest and Eastern regions in an effort to adjudicate those existing grievances in a timely manner.

The Return to Work Process
As we touched on in our outline of the topics raised in the meeting with the new Human Resources team, the Return-to-Work process is one that is causing growing concern. While the Union continues to engage the Company with specific issues in an effort to make sure that its practices are both fair and consistent, we feel it is imperative for our members to take the necessary steps to protect their interests throughout the process. When returning from an illness, regardless of duration, it is important to make sure that doctors certificate shows that you are released to Full Duty with No Restrictions. Now, obviously, that must actually be the case. But is important to note that some of the generic forms do not include this verbiage and it can cause unnecessary delays in the process. Additionally, it is important to save copies of all Absence Certificates that you submit and Review of Medical Documentation forms that you receive from the Company throughout the process. And finally, it is important to save all emails and log all phone calls with OPCMD along with contact information and items discussed in order to properly lay out a timeline of events that can be crucial in determining whether you have been harmed by the process.

Labor History for the months of June and July
June 28th, 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. June 4th, 1975 - Governor Jerry Brown signs the landmark California Agricultural Relations Act, establishing collective bargaining rights for the state’s farmworkers. Agricultural workers’ collective bargaining rights were excluded from the federal National Industrial Recovery Act and the National Labor Relations Act and efforts throughout the years for inclusion had been unsuccessful. July 22nd, 1887 - Brewers and brewery workers in San Francisco sign their first collective bargaining agreement, bringing to a close a strike and successful boycott which had lasted several months. The agreement included a closed shop, sick leave, a 10-hour day, minimum wages, overtime pay, and “free beer in moderation while at work.” 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.

Labor Quotes
The quality of employees will be directly proportional to the quality of life you maintain for them. - Charles E. Bryan

It was working men and women who made the 20th century the American century. It was the labor movement that helped secure so much of what we take for granted today. The 40-hour work week, the minimum wage, family leave, health insurance, Social Security, Medicare, retirement plans. The cornerstones of the middle-class security all bear the union label – Barack Obama

TSAP ERC Member Mike Woltjen Retires
The IBT Representative for the TSAP (formerly MSAP) Event Review Committee, Mike Woltjen, retired on July 22nd. The new IBT Representative for the ERC is Tracy MacCorkell, who has been working as the Line Safety Representative here at SFO for a number of years and has also been serving as Mike’s alternate on the ERC. The new Line Safety Representative is Line Technician Paul Dodge, who has a ton of experience on the Line both as a technician and as a Shop Steward and is very knowledgeable and well acquainted with the challenges on the Line at SFO in terms of Safety. Paul will also be training as the backup ERC with Tracy. While we are all sad to see Mike leave the SFO Committee, we are very confident that Tracy and Paul will continue serving the membership with the same level of commitment and excellence that Mike did throughout his tenure. We would like to send congratulations to Mike for his hard work the last couple of years helping to keep our TSAP program one of the more robust programs in the industry and his long commitment to Safety throughout his career both in Airframe and on the Line. Please refer to the new SFO Committee Contact list for all updated contact information.

Stay Informed
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. Additionally, there are weekly meetings held 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 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. 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. And, 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 TSAP. 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. As always, stay informed!

In Solidarity,

Mark DesAngles                           Javier Lectora
Business Agent Local 986      Business Agent Local 856

February Business Agents' Report

Article 5 – Filling of Vacancies

As we discussed in last months report, there is a 180-day period from the Date of Ratification for folks to submit requests for the various Bid Area Qualifications (BAQ’s) for which they are entitled. This month we will first outline the eBid process during those 180 days and then describe how the process will proceed after the 180-day period ends. But first a few words on the 180-day process itself. We are well aware that the verification process is not functioning as it should be. There are many cases where BAQ requests are being rejected in error and the in those cases we want people to resubmit their requests. Additionally, we are speaking to the Company about several problems that are being encountered related to these BAQ requests such as the inability to submit supporting comments in the comment boxes and the lack of coherent processes in place at the local level to ‘confer and resolve’ matters that arise, as is specifically outlined in Article 3, Paragraph E.3.b. We want folks to continue to submit these BAQ requests until the Company gets it right. If you are repeatedly denied a BAQ that you are entitled without good reason, then please get with your Shop Steward so we can engage the Company as to why. If that is unsuccessful, then we are going to start filing grievances.

Now, during these 180 days, when a vacancy bid closes on eBid, you will see that the names are sorted according to Sort Groups. We will describe the Sort Groups in greater detail later but what is important for you to know is that for the duration of the 180-day period the Company will use a separate spreadsheet and sort all the bidders by their Craft Seniority, regardless of what Sort Group number is next to their names or what position they are on the list as a result of the Sort Group. Afterwards, the Company will start at the top of the list and work there way down. If the person is already sorted in Group 1 (G1), then that person is already BAQ’d for that particular Bid Area and they are a successful bidder. If the person is sorted as a G3, the Company will reach out to find out if the person should be BAQ’d so that none of our folks are inadvertently missed because the BAQ verification process is incomplete. We are following the process very closely to make sure the Company conducts the process accurately and we have been able so far to correct any issues that have come up.

After the 180-day period ends on June 19th, the eBid process will normalize so that all bidders for a vacancy are sorted by Sort Group priority according to Article 5.D.1 of the CBA. As mentioned before, Sort Group 1 (G1) indicates that a technician is fully qualified in that BAQ. Sort Group 2 (G2) indicates a fully qualified technician that is restricted from bidding, which is otherwise known as being in the ‘penalty box’. There are two circumstances in which a restriction from bidding will be imposed on a technician. The first occurs when a technician has turned down a previous bid offer. They will be restricted from bidding for a period of two years. And the second case is that once a technician has accepted a bid award and reported to a new location, they will only be able to bid for a vacancy once in a two-year period following notification of the first bid (please note that all restrictions are automatically lifted if the 

vacancy being bid is for a premium position such as Lead or Inspector). Sort Group 3 (G3) indicates IBT represented employees regardless of current craft who meet all the requirements of Article 3 except for the Experience requirement. If the vacancy is not filled through groups G1 and G2, than there is essentially a waiver on the experience requirement. This is where folks will be sorted who are not BAQ’d in the area being bid. What is essential to note is that this sort group also includes folks that are not currently technicians who have A&P licenses and are looking to transfer into the Technician Craft. For example, if a Utility Specialist who has his A&P wants to become a technician, he or she will not have to apply as an internal candidate AFTER a bid closes anymore. They can bid directly for an open vacancy and be considered for the position if it is not filled through Sort Groups 1 and 2. They would still have to take the written and practical tests to be offered the position but they would no longer have to ‘interview’ afterwards. If they pass the tests, they are offered the position. Period. This is important because it allows us to prioritize for vacancies folks who are currently in our book ahead of either management who hold Craft Seniority (Sort Group 4) or any other internal candidates from outside our CBA, who obviously have no Craft Seniority.

Something else that is worth mentioning relates to the issue of Trade Tests. After the 180-day period concludes, you will have hade to put in a request for a Trade Test prior to the bid opening in order to be allowed to take a Trade Test and be considered as a G1 for a particular vacancy. If you put in a Trade Test Request after the bid opens, you will be sorted only as a G3 so it is very important that all of you that are trying to get qualified in a BAQ that requires a Trade Test and that you have never worked (and are not ‘grandfathered’) to get the process going as soon as possible so that when a bid for that vacancy opens you can be considered with the first tier of bidders. We hope that this information helps.

2017 Scholarship Applications Being Accepted

Its that time of year again. We encourage those of you with kids that are in their last year of High School or in an accredited college or vocational program to apply for the various scholarships being offered both locally and nationally.

The James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund offers an Academic Scholarship for High School Seniors as well as a Training and Vocational Programs Scholarship for those enrolled in vocational programs. The deadline for both scholarships is March 31st, 2017. For more information and to download an application, please go to the James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund website at http://www.jrhmsf.org.

The Teamsters Local 856/986 UAL-SFO Scholarship Fund is also accepting applications until March 31st for High School Seniors who will be attending a University, College or Trade School. Please go to the TeamstersSFO Website at http://teamsterssfo.com and scroll down to the Available Scholarships box.

Also accessible through the TeamstersSFO website is the application for the California Teamsters Hispanic Caucus Scholarship application. The application deadline for this Scholarship is Mat 31st.

Additionally members of Teamster Locals 856 and Teamster Local 986 should visit their respective Locals website to check the availability of additional scholarship opportunities particular to each Local. The Teamsters Local 856 website is located at http://teamsters856.org and the Teamsters Local 986 can be found at http://www.local986.org.

***Please note that, regardless of what Local you belong to, you must bring all of your applications to Local 856 so that they can verify that you are a member in good standing before forwarding your application to the appropriate address. So don’t wait until the last minute folks!

SFO Tech Ops Safety Toe Shoe Program

On February 9th, VP Base Maintenance informed SFO Ground Safety Chairman Ralph Ortiz that the Safety Toe Shoe Reimbursement Program would be continuing at the San Francisco Maintenance Base. The program provides a reimbursement allowance of up to $52.80 per employee per year on a rolling 12-month basis for shoes that comply with the standards outlined in the Ground Safety Manual, GSM Chapter 3, Section 23-2, Paragraphs 5.1 and 5.2. The protective footwear must meet American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) Standard F2412-05 Standard Test Methods for Foot Protection” and F2413-05 “Standard Requirements for Protective Footwear”. The procedure for reimbursement is as follows:

• Purchase shoes meeting standard identified above
• Present receipt within 30 days to local management
• Complete uSource on-line training or station administrative staff applies as an employee surrogate for uSource Expense Report submissions
• Complete “All About Me” expense report Direct Deposit banking information (one-time only)
• Submit report with receipt via uSource
• Receive reimbursement via Direct Deposit

Please contact your local administrative staff for guidance through the process. It important to note that United has a general shoe policy in GSM Chapter 3, Sections 23-2, Paragraph 5.1 “Substantial Footwear Requirement”. You should familiarize yourself with the policy so that you can avoid any injury related to wearing improper footwear in the workplace.

Thanks to Ralph Ortiz for his work in assuring that this important program continues at the Maintenance Base!

Pre-Retirement Seminar Yields a Packed House

This years Pre-Retirement Seminar, held on February 4th in the Employee Communications Center had the participation of over 300 employees and family members. The packed house heard very informative presentations from our IBT Member Assistance Program Coordinators Steve Loone and Steve Crummey as well as presentations from Kaiser Permanante and Fidelity Investment representatives. We want to extend our thanks to all of you who participated in this year’s event. Special Thanks to Steve Loone and Steve Crummey for putting it all together. For those of you who were not able to make it, stop by the Union Office any time to receive a copy of our Retirement Information Guide along with other relevant materials that we have on-hand.

Labor History for the Month of February

February 7th, 2008 - A huge explosion and fire at the Imperial Sugar refinery northwest of Savannah, Georgia, kills 14 and injures 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 3rd, 1941 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules unanimously in United States v. Darby to uphold the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which banned certain types of child labor, established a minimum wage, and set a maximum workweek at 44 hours.

We must never forget!

Labor Quotes

“As Americans, we should be opposed to bigotry and racial discrimination at every turn, and to do everything possible to make the Bill of Rights a reality for every citizen. As members of the American labor movement, we support every tenet of Americanism. Equal opportunity is one of those tenets.”

-James R. Hoffa

Stay Informed

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. Additionally, there are weekly meetings held 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 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 the information gets to our members. 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. And, most importantly, we urge you to also consider getting more involved. Which brings us to our last point. 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 TSAP. 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.

As always, stay informed!

In Solidarity

Mark DesAngles                  Javier Lectora
Business Agent                    Business Agent
Local 986                               Local 856