United Airlines Negotiations, Health Care
Rich Delaney, February 22, 2010 — This coming week brings the resumption of contract negotiations between the IAM and United Airlines. Federal Mediator Terri Brown will be attending and participating in our discussions.
Company proposed medical exact opposite of member needs
We plan on continuing our talks around the current company proposal regarding medical insurance. This is not a subject that will be resolved in a short discussion, because so many of our Members have different concerns and reliance on our insurance coverage. HMO’s, preventative care programs, retirees’ coverage, and overall cost to individuals are issues that require a lot of research, discussion, and creative approaches before hope of reaching any final decision.
The health care topic is an example of the difficulty that these negotiations present to us. The intent of proposals submitted by both the Union and the company are almost completely opposite.
The company wants to reduce its costs and spread the overall cost of health care to our membership, and the Union wants to reduce the cost to the individual and improve the coverage for our families. How both sides address this topic will give us an idea of how likely it will be to reach a comprehensive agreement in a reasonable timeframe; or whether we will need to exhaust all of the provisions of the Railway Labor Act before finalizing these negotiations.
finalizing mid-negotiation Member survey
We are finalizing the mid-negotiations membership survey. With the help of the Strategic Resources Department of the international lodge, we are preparing another online survey intended to allow members to prioritize current issues and proposals so our Negotiating team remains in touch with what our membership consider important. This survey is not designed to create new issues or proposals. It is intended to review the proposals and areas of the contract that were considered important at the beginning of negotiations and see if our Members still have the same opinions. Since there have been some changes in our industry and company since the start of these talks, our team believes it is important to see if our Members’ concerns have shifted. The purpose is to keep the Negotiating Team’s focus in line with that of the Members. We expect that the survey will be available through the District 141 website by the end of the week.
airline operations mismanagement
Representatives of District 141 met with United’s Airport Operations managers this past week. This is an ongoing, scheduled meeting that allows us to bring to the attention of upper management the issues and concerns that have not been successfully addressed locally. We also receive bimonthly reports from the company regarding operational and safety related issues that impact our Members. We discussed the concerns of many Members regarding the company’s “customer lens” training program. This experimental training includes the use of video technology for the first time and has caused some concern over the personal security and purpose of this training. We had a very full discussion of this issue and have agreed with the company that more communication and explanation needs to take place in order to get to the initial intent of this training – improved customer service. The company and the Union want to have the positive aspects of this program – peer review, no discipline, immediate response – that were present in the test training held in IAD, to be brought to all stations without the perceived negatives preventing full acceptance of this training.
possible alignment of issues
We also discussed the current Cash Reward program that now includes United Promoter (UP) scores along with A:14 statistics. Both the Union and the company agreed that the UP scores will potentially generate additional payments to employees but also need to be monitored continually to insure that the goals set by the Board of Directors are attainable and realistic. This is going to be a continuing process to determine what, if anything, needs to be modified in order to make this program the most productive and successful it can be during the year of 2010.
Station Visit
video | San Diego, February 19, 2010 — Americas Finest City is home to District 141 Members at United, US Airways and Hawaiian Airlines. On a February station visit, Grievance Committee Chairs of San Diego’s Local Lodge met with District 141 communications, AGC Shawn Humpherys, and AGC Mike Crowell. The Grievance Committee defends our rights, with day-to-day enforcement of IAM negotiated collective bargaining agreements for our membership.
At United in San Diego, those who have our backs are Shauna Goodman, Tony Messina and Eddie Jimenez.
Goodman explains that the GC is always ready to help San Diego’s 110 Members at United Airlines. She says, “with the union EAP program, we have assist Members who have lost family. We also help Members with addictive behavior. The GC has been successful in getting the company understand EAP problems. More than that, the GC has successfully argued that employees deserve a chance to overcome addictions.
Goodman is the newly elected Chair. She brings 15 years of experience with United, and previously with Piedmont and USAir. Goodman’s background encompasses both line and hub cities, which include Charlotte and New York/LaGuardia. Goodman has worked ramp, customer service, and reservations in Los Angeles and Marina Valley. Goodman began her union progression in 1998, coming to San Diego and soon becoming a Shop Steward. Serving for four years, she won election to the Grievance Committee, becoming its Chairperson in January, 2010.
Why did you initially get involved in the union, we asked, Goodman replies, “to help Members earn better pay and benefits.” She likes belonging to the union because, “we all stick together.”
43 Fleet Service Agents work the US Airways gates at Terminal 2 in San Diego. District 141 Members Paul Platt, John Lyons, and Eric Graham run the Grievance Committee on behalf of Members at US Airways in San Diego.
Paul Platt above is among the newest Members of District 141, with six years of seniority. Platt began working with America West Airlines before its merger with US Airways.
Platt talks about when he became active in the union, saying, “well I became a steward, but I really wasn’t a big union supporter at first. I wasn’t very happy the way things were being run, until 2008. That September I went to the District Convention in Jacksonville, as a visitor guest. This where I saw changes beginning to take place, and I met some great people who inspired me to get involved in the union.”
When asked about positive change, Platt says, “we had some good success on our grievances here in San Diego. Our committee has been doing a really good job. Representation from the district has been fantastic — nothing but 110 percent, and our AGC Mike Crowell is a helpful advisor.
Platt refers to District 141 education, saying, “the district has been helpful to the GC and Stewards of US Airways by offering training. I was one of five Stewards receiving Shop Steward training in 2009 from AGC Mike Crowell, AGC Shawn Humpherys, V.P.–West Sandy Gardner, and VP–Hawaii Sandy Olmos. I had a very good experience and have nothing but positive things to say about the officers of District 141 on the service they have provide us in education. They gave us the knowledge to better serve our Members in San Diego.”
Platt feels strongly about the union now. He says, “if I had a chance I would tell all my fellow District 141 Brothers & Sisters that if you don’t get involved and you don’t educate yourself, then you have simply don’t have any reason to complain. When you do get involved, you see the process first hand. You develop an understanding for helping Members, which is a good thing, and then you will have a greater appreciation for being a Member by seeing change happen for the positive.”