Work On New Airline Division Website Continues, More Information and Access For Members
The work on the new website for the Airline Division is progressing very well. Thanks to the many suggestions we have received, in addition to the public access section, we will have a members only, password protected section. Not only will we have forums for each class and craft represented in our Division, we will also have sections for the latest news, Capitol Hill activity, document libraries, polling areas and an “Ask the Director” section. We’ll also have a rumor board to address concerns that are raised and a section for the TAMC; the Teamsters Airline Mechanics Coalition.
For those on the go, we’ll also be adding podcasts as well as Twitter so we can send you up to the minute news as it happens.
Bourne Sends Letter To Congress, Urges Support For H.R. 2200
This week a letter was sent from Airline Division Director David Bourne to Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS, 2nd District) expressing the Directors concerns and strong support for H.R. 2200, the Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act. Congressman Thompson, who chairs the House Committee on Homeland Security, has been a strong proponent and supporter of ensuring that foreign facilities that are being used to service U.S. registered aircraft must be held to the same rigorous security standards as our American facilities. “For U.S. carriers to continue using these offshore facilities employing workers that are not held to the highest security standards and in many cases don’t have the level of training required to do the same job in the U.S., but work for much less than a trained U.S. worker is unconscionable,” said Bourne. “The loopholes in the current U.S. law must be closed, not just for the trained professionals who should be making sure these aircraft are well maintained, but more importantly for the travelling public, flight crews and others who face the potential dire consequences of poorly done work.”
To view a copy of Captain Bourne’s letter to Congressman Thompson, click here.
Teamster Mechanics Set To Meet On Capitol Hill
Mark your calendar for next week. That’s when Teamster mechanics from across America will converge on Washington to meet with and lobby the members of the Senate Commerce Committee asking them to support the FAA Reauthorization. This is a very critical time as the committee will also be considering language similar to H.R. 2200. It is our position that the Senate bill must contain language requiring that all foreign repair facilities must face the exact same safety regulations which the FAA imposes on domestic repair stations run by US commercial airlines. Additionally we are insisting that the Senate bill include language putting FedEx workers who do not work on airplanes under the NLRA. This will finally allow those dedicated, hard working men and women to organize into a union and secure union wages and benefits being denied to them.
The mechanics presence in Washington D.C. is a very important element in the IBT's fight for these provisions to protect the safety of the flying public, the jobs of Americans and decent wages and working standards for all Americans. If you are unable to join the mechanics in person, please call the committee at 202-224-5115 and urge them to support the language changes in the Senate Bill.
Airline Division, Amerijet Meet With the NMB
This Tuesday, we attended a meeting at NMB headquarters here in Washington. Both we and the management of Amerijet met with members of the NMB and discussed the reasons behind the request for proffer. The Board is taking both positions it under consideration and have requested additional information from the parties. The crewmembers of Amerijet have been very patient as their management has delayed the process of achieving a fair agreement that represents their professionalism and dedication. We are very appreciative of the NMB’s taking time to review this and are look forward to working with the Board to afford the proper representation for our members at Amerijet.
Local 1224 Bylaws Changes Coming Up for a Vote; If Approved Will Give Full Representation to Worldwide Crewmembers Unit.
Proposed changes to the Bylaws of Local 1224 recently had their required fourth reading to the membership and will be put to a ratification vote. If approved, the changes will amend the current organizational structure from a single unit local and allow for the members of Kalitta and the Worldwide (Atlas & Polar) units an equal say in the business affairs of the Local and seats on the Executive Board of Local 1224.
Worldwide Unit of Local 1224 Elects Stewards, Sets Meetings With Crews
As they continue to build their foundation as a Teamster unit, the members of the Worldwide unit; comprised of both Atlas Air and Polar Air Cargo, recently conducted elections for Stewards. While their joint contract is currently being negotiated, both groups remain under separate collective bargaining agreements and have elected separate groups of stewards to represent their groups. Pat Petersen, David Allen and Eric Harper from Atlas and Chris Coonshead and Ben Gottschall from Polar begin their three year terms immediately. Kevin McCabe and Mark Fitzgerald from Atlas and Dan Lennox from Polar will serve two year terms beginning this December.
The Worldwide crewmembers Transition Executive Council (TEC) has set two meeting dates in June to brief members on the status of the transition, negotiations and most importantly the Bylaws changes proposed for Local 1224. Both meetings are scheduled at the Miami Airport Marriott, 1201 NW LeJuene Road in Miami. Meeting will be held on June 11th and 15th, both will begin at 6pm.
Week In Review News Items
Labor Developments
Pilots at Southwest Airlines voted down a new contract that would have given them pay raises in the midst of a slump in the airline industry. The vote was close, with less than 51 percent voting against the five-year contract, the union said Wednesday. It marked the first time the pilots' union had rejected a contract at Southwest. Union president Carl Kuwitzky said despite pay raises, the proposed contract, which the union board had recommended, "contained too many other negative aspects to ratify it." The contract called for pay raises of 2 percent each of the first three years, then raises based on Southwest's profitability in the last two years for Southwest's 5,900 pilots.
Regulatory Oversight
In this must-read article by former NTSB Board Member John Goglia, the expert argues that most people are surprised to learn that not all maintenance performed on U.S. airliners is done by mechanics subject to drug and alcohol testing and 10-year background checks. How can that be? If a mechanic is considered to be a safety-sensitive position, how can maintenance performed on U.S. airliners not be done by employees subject to drug and alcohol testing and background checks? Where’s the loophole big enough to taxi an A380 through?
More than a year before a twin-engine turboprop flown by Colgan Air crashed on approach to Buffalo, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector complained to his superiors about the rocky start the airline was having with that model. The inspector, Christopher J. Monteleon, was in the cockpit when the airline got its first such plane, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, and put it through a series of test flights. Three times, he said, the pilots flew the airplane faster than the manufacturer’s specifications allowed, but they initially refused to report this and have the plane inspected for damage. And they tried three approaches to the airport in Charleston, W. Va., and “botched” all of them, failing to get the plane at an appropriate altitude, on the right path and at the right speed for landing.
Air France 447
Air France said Monday that it had lost contact with a passenger plane travelling from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. Planes and ships searched an expanse of the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday for the wreckage. The Brazilian military said Wednesday that search teams had spotted four more debris clusters that was said to “prove” that the debris from Air France 447 has been found. Then on Friday the French government expressed deep disappointment over the news that ocean debris recovered by the Brazilian military this week appeared to be the remains of a shipwreck. Airbus has warned airline crews to follow standard procedures if they suspect speed indicators are faulty. Investigators know from the aircraft's final batch of automated messages that there was an inconsistency between the different measured airspeeds shortly after the plane entered a storm zone.
Airline Industry Financial
The airline industry could suffer losses "substantially worse" than previous predictions, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said this week. Speaking in Kuala Lumpur CEO Giovanni Bisignani said the association's latest industry forecast, due out June 8, will forecast losses exceeding the $4.7bn previously predicted. Irish budget airline Ryanair posted its first full-year loss in two decades after writing down its investment in Aer Lingus and its shares dipped 2 percent on Tuesday as its outlook disappointed. Cathay Pacific's cargo business has steadied, but a pickup depends on when demand from major Western economies returns, CEO Tony Tyler said on Thursday.
Aircraft Manufacturing
United Airlines has asked Boeing and Airbus to propose dueling bids for up to 150 new airliners -- the latest example of major companies exploiting the recession to bargain-hunt. This comes at a time when Airbus and Boeing deliveries may fall 30 percent in the next year as carriers trim capacity.
Aircraft Maintenance Outsourcing
How fit are the mechanics that work in foreigh repair stations? The scary little secret is that while the FAA requires U.S. airlines and U.S. repair stations to have drug and alcohol testing programs for all employees in safety-sensitive positions, no such FAA rule exists for foreign repair stations certified by the FAA. It’s as if all drug and alcohol concerns magically disappear when maintenance is performed on foreign soil. The same disparity applies to 10-year background checks. While the TSA has decided that aviation security demands background checks to screen out criminals and terrorists, there are apparently no such security concerns about maintenance performed on U.S. airlines by FAA-certified foreign repair stations.
Edited by Business Travel Coalition
