Mechanics' Dispatch

Attendance Policy

March 1st 2017

Brothers and Sisters,

As most of you know, the Company is instituting a new attendance policy. It is being briefed that this policy will be implemented on March 15th. It was relayed to me that some supervisors across the system are briefing that the IBT has signed off or agreed to this policy. Let me be as clear as possible, that is outright lie. Just as in the working together guidelines, the Company makes policy.  It is our policy to fight them all the way through the grievance process to arbitration, if necessary, on rules and policies that we believe are unfair and harmful to the membership. We will attack this new policy in the same fashion. To be clear, this is a United Airlines policy and was not agreed to in any fashion by the IBT.

In solidarity,

Bob Fisher
International Representative
Airline Division
International Brotherhood of Teamsters

January 2017 Business Agents' Report

Bid Area Qualifications

Per Article 3 Paragraph E.3.a of the Collective Bargaining Agreement there is a 180-day window established for the purposes of allowing technicians to submit requests for all Bid Area Qualifications (BAQ’s) for which they are entitled. In addition to any BAQ’s that you have already worked, formerly sub-UAL technicians with A&P licenses are entitled to submit requests the following BAQ’s: 101, 102, 103, 105,106, 107, 110, 111, 112, 113, 116, 117, and 122. Basically, any BAQ that you could have bid to prior to the merger without taking a test is one for which you can submit. Additionally, non-licensed technicians are ‘grandfathered’ for all the same BAQ’s except for the 101 BAQ. If you are a non-licensed technician at SFO Maintenance Base, please refer to LOA 12 of the CBA for information on your bidding rights and restrictions. In order to submit for qualification in any of these listed BAQ’s, in addition to those they have previously worked, each technician must log into eBID, go to the ‘BAQ (IBT Seniority List)’ drop down menu, choose ‘Qualifications/Seniority List’, then click on his/her name to view their BAQ’s. Then, they need to click on the ‘yes’ button next to all BAQ’s for which they are qualified. Always make sure to hit the ‘Submit’ button when done and the Request Status column will change to Awaiting TOM Approval. Again, every technician should make sure that they have submitted for all the BAQ’s they have worked plus all those for which they are ‘grandfathered’. This is especially important for those who intend to bid any upcoming vacancies. If you have any questions, please contact your Shop Steward or your Chief Steward.

Early Out Submission Window Opens

For all of you who wish to take part in the Early Out Program, the window for submitting your applications opened on January 15th. In order to be considered eligible for the Early out you must be on ‘Active Status’ as of January 15th and remain on so until your release date. Additionally, you must have a minimum of 15 Years of Service and be at least 45 Years Old. The deadline to submit your application is February 28th. For more information please go to IBT Implementation on Tech Ops page in the Flying Together Website.

Seniority Challenge
By now, most of you should have verified that your Seniority Dates are correct. For those of you that have not please go to https://teamster.org/ual-2016/seniority-list to view your seniority dates. The Company and the Union have been working to correct any discrepancies and most of the initial problems, which were generally IT-related, have been resolved. But if you feel that your seniority is incorrect for any reason please fill out and submit the online Seniority Challenge Form immediately. To access the form go to Tech Ops website, click on IBT Contract Implementation link and then choose the Challenge Form under the heading Online Forms. 

Lump Sum Protest
You can find a copy of the Lump Sum LOA as well as the Lump Sum Dispute Form at https://teamster.org/ual-2016/pay-and-benefits. You will have to print the form, fill it out, and mail it to the IBT at the address listed on the form. It must be postmarked by February 28th, 2017.

Pre-Retirement Seminar
TeamstersSFO is hosting our annual pre-retirement seminar for all active and retired Mechanic And Related members at the Base on Saturday, February 4th from 9am until 1pm. There will be a wide range of valuable information provided and we strongly encourage any members who are planning to retire in the near future to attend. Attendees will be provided a Retirement Guide and a Retirement Information Booklet to use as a reference during the transition to retirement. Spouses/Domestic Partners and members on Extended Illness who wish to attend must check in at the Main Lobby between 8:30am and 8:45am to be escorted to the seminar, which will be held at the Employee Communications Center (Old SAMC).

Please check your local IBT Bulletin Boards for more information.

Employee Hearing Loss Determinations
The Teamsters SFO Ground Safety Committee was informed by the Base Safety Department that 22 out of 23 SFO maintenance base employee’s tested in 2016 who showed shifts/losses in their hearing were determined to have undergone non-work related hearing loss. HCI, the Health Conservation/Testing vendor United uses, reviewed each employees hearing test results and the corresponding work determinations questionnaires to make these assessments. 

The Base Safety Department has informed us that they will be sending letters to the 22 employees to explain why their hearing shift/loss was classified as not to being work-related.  Due to medical privacy, United cannot provide the Teamster Safety Committee with a copy of the letter nor inform us which employees will receive a letter. 

 We recommend that if you received this letter and have questions or concerns that your hearing shift/loss was ruled to be non-work related, visit your Teamsters SFO Ground Safety Committee representative. We can provide you with information on what options you may have.

Did You Know: Girl Scouts Gift of Caring Program

The Girl Scouts Gift of Caring Program is a great way to support military personnel and Girl Scouts at the same time!

During the cookie program, customers can donate money directly to Girl Scouts, which will then be used to purchase cookies that are sent to organizations that bring comfort to the women and men serving in the armed forces. There are several ways to donate but we recommend talking to your local Girl Scout cookie salesperson and asking how you can help support our troops deployed overseas. For those of you who want to make larger donations visit you local Girl Scout Troops website and look for the Gift of Caring Program information. Thanks to Technician Lou Kostura for the info!

Labor History for the Month of January
January 19th, 1915 - Deputy sheriffs open fire on striking workers who had assembled to meet a train believed to be bringing in scabs for the American Agricultural Chemical Company in Roosevelt, New Jersey.  Two workers were killed and many more wounded.  Twenty-eight deputies were arrested on murder charges; nine of those were convicted of manslaughter.

January 4th, 1965 - Eight thousand social workers represented by two different unions in New York City go on strike over workload and wages. Mayor Robert Wagner fired all of the strikers and threw nineteen leaders in jail for two weeks, but the workers won the strike within a month. Supported by organized labor, the civil rights movement, and a community coalition, it was the longest labor action by public employees in the history of New York City.

January 16th, 2006 - An underground explosion traps thirteen miners in a coalmine in Sago, West Virginia.  Twelve of the miners died, most by asphyxiation.  The mine had been cited more than 270 times for safety violations over the preceding two years.

We must never forget!

Labor Quotes

Management doesn't seem to understand the importance of the human factor - Charles, Prince of Wales

We should measure the success of our economy by the breadth of our Middle Class and the scope of opportunity offered to the poorest child to climb into that Middle Class - John Sweeney

Stay Informed
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, we have weekly meetings with all of our Shop Stewards to make sure that we can get any items of importance out to the floor in a prompt manner. The SFO Committee feels that it is essential for all of our members to be engaged and informed at all times. There are a few self-serving individuals out there who seek to capitalize on our memberships lack of engagement by spreading rumors and falsehoods at every turn. Therefore, we encourage all of you to spread the word to your fellow technicians to go to the site and click on the ‘email signup’ tab to get on the list and to also make sure that your area has Shop Steward representation. Our goal is to reach as many members as possible here at SFO to make sure our folks always have the latest communication available. As always, stay informed!

In Solidarity

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

Mechanics' Dispatch

Transition Items 

Monday the 9th there was a call with all the Business Agents around the system and the Division to discuss transition items. The BAs were notified that the company has hired a printer to manufacture the new JCBA for distribution, but that the timeframe for completion is unknown at this time.  

New members of the Joint Board of Adjustment were added and announced on the call. These new members are Vincent Graziano from Local 210, Thomas Esposito from Local 769, Javier Lectora from Local 856, and Dave Saucedo from Local 986. A system wide Joint Board is tentatively scheduled for the week of March 9th in Los Angeles. This Board is scheduled to last all week with the purpose of adjudicating the grievances that still remain from the prior CBAs. 

Operationally it was discussed that the company is not changing to the new duty times until they can train those that will administer the language. Until that time the status quo from the old language remains in place. The twenty-year premium in GSE/Facilities and Bid Area 128 has not been applied to leads with less than twenty years. An et al grievance has been filed on the matter.  An et al grievance has also been filed for the former sCO mechanics that had their company seniority adjusted for time spent on layoff. Those members have a different accrual for vacation and lower seniority date for pass travel than those from the former sUA subsidiary. The Division views this as a matter of basic fairness that needs to be addressed. There were several other issues discussed on the call and they are all being addressed with the company. As resolutions are achieved they will be reported. 

A meeting is being worked on for the BAs to meet with Don Wright and his team to further discuss transition items. This meeting should take place in the next couple of weeks. Another BA call is scheduled for the 23rd.  

Seniority Challenges 

Many members have asked which list to use to base their appeals. Use the list posted at https://teamster.org/ual-2016/seniority-list 

Luis Morel Chief Steward in MCO caught a typo in the second sentence on the third page. The description talks about breaks in ties and said “where the lowest number is junior.” That should have read highest and is now corrected. 

LOA 28 Challenges

This is a reminder that challenges to the lump sum amounts described in LOA 28 must be postmarked by February 28th. The explanation and form can be found at https://teamster.org/ual-2016/pay-and-benefits

Management Changes 

As many of you already know Kris Bauer has replaced Charles Duncan as the SVP of Tech Ops. Kris comes from Allegiant Air. A move in LR now has Tech Ops Dealing with Managing Director Tom Reardon. Tom started his career with United as an Aircraft Technician. 

GSE/Facilities Call 

A conference call was held on 1/6/2017 between representatives of the Union and the Company concerning Facility and Ground Equipment issues. On the call for the Company were Ray Ames, Gary Dyer, Jesse Jandura and Paul Gniadecki. For the Union were Clacy Griswald, Bob Fisher, Ken Meidinger and Allen Cosides. The parties discussed the opening of MCO. A joint team of Union and Company representatives will visit MCO to determine the scope of work in late January or early February. The issue of bringing Chelsea Mechanics into the IBT continues to be discussed. Under Article 1 F 2 the system review committee will be broken up into separate facilities and ground equipment teams consisting of six members each. A committee is being established to address the utility specialist scope of work as per LOA #6. Local Facility review committees under LOA # 7 will continue to review local issues