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August 3, 2009, – Brothers and Sisters,
It has come to the attention of District Lodge 141, that there is some confusion regarding contract negotiations. The President and General Chair, Rich Delaney, is in charge of all contract negotiations under the jurisdiction of District Lodge 141. He has appointed Assistant General Chair, Ronnie Stevenson and Committeeperson, Tonja Skow to serve on the MPI negotiations. When the Union and the Company have reached a tentative agreement on any and all changes to the current agreement, it will be brought back to all the MPI members for a vote.
The subject of having MPI employees become United Airlines employees has apparently been discussed on the floor by members. It has also been discussed at the District level, but it was found to pose many potential problems. Although the issue is not closed, we are continuing negotiations for the MPI contract alone. Some differences between the two contracts are good and some are not so good. A couple “not so good” examples are that MPI has 10 Holidays while UAL has 8. MPI gets 5 weeks vacation at 17 years. UAL gets 5 weeks vacation at 24 years.
Job security was the number one issue with the contract proposals from the members at MPI. That, as well as the many other proposals submitted, will be put forth to the company. Those proposals include improvements in many areas of the current agreement.
The MPI contract falls under the Railway Labor Act. That means that your contract does not expire but rather becomes amendable. In other words, you continue to work under the old agreement until a new tentative agreement is reached, voted on, and passed by the members at MPI. This, unfortunately, can be a lengthy process.
I can say that your President and General Chair, your AGC, and your Local Committeeperson are very committed to bringing back the contract that is deserving of all the MPI members. If you have any questions, you can contact me or Tonja at work. I remain,
Fraternally yours,
Veronica (Ronnie) Stevenson 303-717-6274
July 22, 2009 — On July 21 and July 22, 2009, the Union met with Mileage Plus and United Airlines Representatives.
Discussions continued regarding Safety and Health, Trades, Vacations, and Schedule Flexibility. Proposals and Counter Proposals were exchanged. Overtime and Equalization were also discussed at length. Progress is being made on all issues that have been brought up so far.
Very preliminary discussions have started with insurance coverage.
President and Directing General Chair, Rich Delaney, met with Tonja and Ronnie to review the progress down the path required to achieve our goals set by our Brothers and Sisters through their initial proposals.
We have tentatively scheduled our next face-to-face talks for the middle of August 2009, in Chicago.
We remain in Solidarity,
In Solidarity,
Rich Delaney, Veronica (Ronnie) Stevenson, Tonja Skow
IAM/MPI Negotiations Committee
June 10, 2009
On June 9th & June 10th, 2009, the Union met with Mileage Plus Representatives and United Airlines. We had the assistance of Grand Lodge Representative, Rene’e Cicero, who offered us great insight to the issues at hand.
Discussions involved Trades, Safety and Health, Vacation, and Schedule Flexibility. Proposals were exchanged and discussed at length. Also, we requested additional information necessary for future discussions.
Negotiations can be a lengthy process but we continue to move forward in achieving a fair and equitable agreement.
We have tentatively scheduled the next face-to-face meeting for the week of July 19, 2009, in Chicago, IL.
We look forward to continuing the process and hope to bring you back an Industry Leading Contract.
In Solidarity,
The IAM/MPI Negotiations Committee
Rich Delaney
Veronica (Ronnie) Stevenson
Tonja Skow
May 12, 2009
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
On May 11TH and May 12TH, 2009, we met with representatives from the Company in Chicago, IL. A tracking system was agreed upon for keeping track of all proposals.
There was a lot of discussion regarding quality of life issues including Personal-No-Pay (PNP) and changes to Article V – Trades. Although no consensus was reached, both parties had ample opportunity to have all their questions answered.
We have tentatively scheduled the next face-to-face meeting for the week of June 8, 2009, in Chicago, IL. We look forward to continuing the process to attain a fair and equitable contract for all.
In Solidarity,
The IAM/MPI Negotiations Committee
Rich Delaney
Veronica (Ronnie) Stevenson Tonja Skow
April 22, 2009
Dear Sisters and Brothers:
On April 21, 2009, The Union met with United Airlines and Mileage Plus Representatives.
The Union presented an opening letter with a list of Articles that they want to change in the Contract as proposed by the MPI membership. Some of the changes included language changes and economic issues that affect quality of life for the members.
The Company presented a letter with their goals outlined in it, that they would like to see happen with the future negotiations.
Discussion was held regarding scheduling more talks. We discussed a tentative date to get back together on May 11, 2009.
We look forward to meeting with the company and getting a fair and equitable Contract for all our MPI Brothers and Sisters.
Under the Railway Labor Act, negotiations can be quite lengthy, but we hope to move the process along as quickly as possible. We will not, however, rush through it. We intend to address all the concerns that were brought to us with the Contract Proposals that our members submitted.
In Solidarity,
The IAM/ MPI Negotiations Committee
Veronica (Ronnie) Stevenson Tonja Skow