Mechanics Update

July 9, 2017

On Thursday July 6^th, the company invited the Business Agents to Chicago for the purpose of meeting the new HR team for United Airlines. The meeting was primarily introductory and no specific station or member grievances were discussed. The main topic surrounded the new HR structure along with contact information and station assignments for the new team. This was followed by a conversation on the filing of vacancies.  

Article 3; regarding Bid Area Qualifications has been an open issue for many mechanics across the system. We made some time to discuss this pressing topic and the company has made a suggestion that a process improvement team could be implemented to work out the difficulties with the BAQ’s and Ebid systems. The IBT is in the process of delegating two BA’s to assist on this committee.  

As matter of record, the parties had a brief conversation regarding some open matters and items that are still ongoing in hopes of finding a mutual resolution. Additionally, the badging issue that our members are experiencing at many stations across the system was discussed. A final topic involving return to work generic forms which have become problematic and the need for a case manager was brought up but no solution was found at this meeting. 

Later in the day during a follow up meeting with Labor Relations representatives, the union once again s conveyed that contractual grievances throughout the system are building and have been on the docket for quite some time. It has been mutually understood that these cases must be heard. To help resolve this, both parties are in the process of creating a System Board of Adjustment pursuant to Article 19 that will be held over consecutive days in order to get as many grievances heard and properly adjudicated in a timely manner. Boards disputing contractual language violations will be held in the East, West and Midwest on a rotating basis. Termination cases will continue to be held at the home station per the agreement. 

Six-Year Contract Puts Teamsters at the Top of the Industry

Mechanics at United Airlines stations across the nation ratified a six-year National Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement with the company today after more than three years of negotiations.
More than 9,000 mechanics in the bargaining unit will see their compensation move to the top of the industry, marked improvements in leave and a unique industry reset, which will put the mechanics’ package 2 percent above the highest compensation in the industry every two years. Teamster members will also receive a signing bonus worth tens of thousands of dollars.
“This is a landmark day for the Teamsters,” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. “From the very beginning of the aviation industry, the Teamsters have been raising standards for workers. As a union, we’ve taken another step up today.”
“This contract represents the largest contract for a mechanics group in airline industry history,” said Capt. David Bourne, Director of the Teamsters Airline Division. “It is a package worth a collective $1.7 billion in improvements in compensation and benefits over the current agreement. I’ve always said proudly that Teamster contracts are the strongest in the industry and this contract is one of our strongest ever. I’d like to acknowledge the incredible work of International Representative Clacy Griswold on this agreement and for decades of service to Airline Division Teamsters.  It is fitting that his storied career would culminate with the largest contract ever for airline mechanics. I’d also like to thank International Representatives Bob Fisher and Capt. Paul Alves and the entire negotiating committee.”
“This contract was possible because of the solidarity we demonstrated shift-to-shift and station-to-station,” said Joseph Prisco, a 27-year mechanic at United Airlines and a member of the United Airlines negotiating committee.
“As mechanics, we’re taught to work as a team to accomplish the important goal of aircraft safety. Using that same team concept, we stuck together with professionalism, solidarity and purpose to get an industry-leading contract.”

TA Update 
November 8, 2016

The retro pay page is now active. Please use only your file number with no letter at the beginning. The page can be found at UAL/Teamsters: Retropay

Status Update

November 4, 2016

TA Update 

All information regarding the TA can be found at https://teamster.org/ual2016   The page to view your individual bonus amount is almost complete. We expect the have this individual report available prior to the mailing of the ballots, approximately November 8^th. It will be provided to all members as soon as it is complete. 

Seniority Lists Posted 

The seniority and juniority lists have been posted for all crafts. The links along with a brief explanation can be found at https://teamster.org/ual-2016/seniority-list 

There will be a challenge period of 120 days upon ratification of the TA to correct any individual errors on the list. If the TA is ratified by the membership, the challenge period should begin on January 1, 2017. All challenges will be submitted using the Working Together website. Further details will be made available soon after the vote.  

Implementation Meeting 

On Wednesday, November 2^nd, several representatives of the IBT met with company representatives to discuss implementation of the TA language should the TA pass. This is the same process that took place during the ratification process at the beginning of the year for the last best and final offer. Items discussed included the starting date of the new pay and when other various aspects of the agreement would be in place in accordance with LOA 34 (Transition Issues). Of note during this meeting, the first day of the new pay would be December 11^th per LOA 34, paragraph 7 if the JCBA ratifies.  

Updated CARP calculators 

During the road shows questions were asked from several cities for a simple calculator that applies to each affected subsidiary. The calculators and brief descriptions can be found at https://teamster.org/ual-2016/pay-and-benefits 

Further Updates 

As any additional information becomes available it will be accessible through the webpage at https://teamster.org/ual2016 Please take the time to review the information regarding the TA.

Information Update 
October 15, 2016

The following videos have been produced to help you to understand the TA. These videos are explanations of terms from the health care Actuary, the Economist, and the Attorney that were sitting at the bargaining table advising the committee. They address Health and Welfare, Economics, and Scope.

Gaelle Gravot- Actuary

https://youtu.be/Zb1TOyxW9Y8

Dan Akins- Economist

https://youtu.be/o6bcHh0Ii7E

Josh McInerney- Attorney

https://youtu.be/_ufLopJxv74

A video on CARP is coming soon but has not yet been finalized.

Tentative Agreement Update
October 8, 2016
The full TA is now posted at https://teamster.org/ual-2016/tentative-agreement. More information will be coming in the near future. Please watch for future Dispatch’s for the most up to date accurate information.

Tentative Agreement Update
October 8, 2016
The full TA is now posted at https://teamster.org/ual-2016/tentative-agreement. More information will be coming in the near future. Please watch for future Dispatch’s for the most up to date accurate information.

Special Update
September 30 2016
While the final CBA document is being reviewed and edited by the committee, there have been many questions about what the term “industry leading” means. In an effort to clarify the definition, we have prepared the following charts outline how this TA is industry leading in every economic measure.

Click here to view the charts.

September 28, 2016
As reported last week; at the direction of the NMB, the negotiating committee and company representatives were summoned to Washington, DC this week to meet with the federal mediators in hopes of resolving the outstanding issues of concern. The meetings started on September 26th with each party explaining their positions to the mediators. The next two days were spent in discussions with both parties explaining their positions and offering potential solutions in order reach consensus on the areas of concern.

As of this afternoon (Wednesday), these discussions were largely complete and the committee was tasked with turning this AIP in to a Tentative Agreement. After some detailed discussion, the committee concluded that the Agreement in Principal has reached all the minimum points required to turn it to an industry leading Tentative Agreement.

In the coming weeks, the full and complete TA, along with all accompanying information, will be compiled and checked for errors by members from the committee. Once this task is accomplished, we will then make it available electronically and through mail to the membership.

We will keep you updated as progress is made.

September 20, 2016

On September 19, the National Mediation Board sent a revised meeting notice that reconfirmed the status conference on September 26 and directed the parties to remain in Washington through September 28 to finalize all open issues.  The NMB notice also reaffirmed that the NMB’s gag order remains in place, but authorized the parties to disseminate key agreed upon terms of the AIP.  Below is a summary of the key agreed upon terms.
Pay:  

A&P “all-in” top of scale hourly base rate      = $47.31   at date of ratification
            All other classifications will receive comparable increases to A&P technicians
Basic Hourly Rate                               = $40.06                    
A&P License Premium                       = $  5.25
Line Premium                                     = $  1.00
Max. Longevity                                  = $  1.00

In addition to the all-in rate, a $1.20/hour VEBA contribution up to 2,080 hours/year-effective with start of new medical plans * see note                     

Retro Pay:    
$185 million pool for lump sum distribution
Average of $20,500 per technician, based on historical earnings
         
Retirement:

All technicians (including new hires) to participate in defined benefit pension plan

·   s-CO & s-UA technicians to participate in CARP, plus additional 1% Company contribution to 401(k) for those with more than 30 years of credited service in CARP

·   CMI technicians continue in Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Plan, with comparable, increased company contribution $3.00

Plus all technicians to participate in 401(k) plan with matching company contribution of up to 3% of pay (current s-CO plan)

Vacation, Holidays & Paid Sick Leave:
 Up to 35 days paid vacation per year, per existing s-UA plan
10 paid holidays per year, including 4 floating holidays, existing s-CO plan
100% pay for all sick leave

Job Protections:
All employees on the seniority list as of date of ratification are protected from furlough
San Francisco and Houston base job protections for the life of the agreement

Improved “scope” language to prevent contracting out of work due to attrition

Early Out Program:
$5,000 per year of service to a maximum of $100,000

Medical:
Active medical identical to pilot, flight attendant, airport agent & dispatcher plans

·   Aggregate 80/20 cost share, with year-over-year increases capped at 9.25%

·   Special enrollment to occur in 1Q17, plans to be effective in April 2017 * Note start date of VEBA and medical plans to be clarified with NMB

Retiree medical – harmonize to s-CO retiree bridge medical plan, which will phase out in 2026

Profit Sharing:
Transition to profit sharing pool equal to 5% of pre-tax net income, with escalator trigger to 10% of profits over a 6.9% margin

Duration & Out Year Increases:
Six year duration, with minimum increases in basic hourly pay rates of:

1.5% at DOS + 12    
1.0% at DOS + 24    
1.0% at DOS + 36                            
1.0% at DOS + 48      
1.0% at DOS + 60

Letter of Agreement providing “industry reset” every two years that adjusts pay rates to keep pace with the industry and ensure that United technicians are always at least 2% above AA and DL in total compensation, as established through defined and agreed criteria.  UA technician total compensation under the August 12 AIP, per the defined reset formula, would be 5.8% above the industry average of AA and DL.

Negotiations Update
September 16, 2016
The IBT negotiating committee met on September 15th and 16th to discuss answers to many questions that were raised after the Agreement In Principal (AIP) was reached. At issue were several items that came to light with the full draft language from the company.
As reported before, the complete language from the company was sent to the committee shortly after the AIP was reached. The committee set to the task of comparing the document line by line in order to verify the language that was agreed to. As a result, a majority of the CBA is complete, however during review the committee realized that some changes were not clear. Some of these noted changes are settled as a result of questions posed to the company, and others required additional meeting time. Each of these changes were somewhat subtle on their own merits, but together, all of these changes created some concern for this committee.
As a result, your committee has voted, and the decision has been made that we do not have a Tentative Agreement at this point. The Agreement in Principle still stands, as well as the NMB gag order. The NMB has directed the parties to meet at their offices in Washington, D.C. on September 26th to discuss the issues.
The committee appreciates your patience as it is understood that this process can be frustrating. The committee believes it is better to get the items right rather than to rush through this process and we ask for your continued solidarity and patience while this process comes to a conclusion.

Update
September 2, 2016

The committee met to continue the process of reviewing and writing the language associated with the recent Agreement in Principal. Items of concern were discussed over the course of two days of meetings. These items will be presented to the company for proposed change. After these suggested edits are finalized they must be reviewed by the committee before a TA can be achieved. The process will continue until the IBT and UA agree upon a final draft. At that time, a TA will be reached and presented to the membership.
The committee asks your patience while we go through the process of ensuring that a proposed contract reflects the spirit and intent of the items we’ve agreed to in principal. As the parties are still under the NMB gag order until this process is finished, no details will be released until a TA is reached. There will be work done over the next two weeks in an attempt to complete this process. Please watch the Dispatch for further information regarding upcoming meetings

August 26, 2016
Negotiation Update

This week the process of finalizing the language of the AIP continued. The language worked on this week will be shared with the full committee ahead of the next scheduled meeting of the committee. That meeting will take place next Thursday and Friday in Chicago. At the meeting if the committee agrees that a TA has been reached details will be released shortly afterwards to the membership. Notice will be sent via the Mechanics Dispatch email distribution list. If you would like to sign up to the email list go to www.teamsterair.org and fill in the form marked mailing list on the right side of the page.

sUA Medical Arbitration Update
United has notified the IBT that all claims surrounding the sub UA medical arbitration award have been paid. If you have not received payment, and have an outstanding claim, please contact Bob Fisher at rcfisher7@yahoo.com

Negotiations Update
August 19, 2016

The parties met in Chicago, in very small committee, to prepare and review language surrounding the agreement in principal. This work will continue next week. The NMB requested and was notified of the results of this week’s session.
On Friday evening (today) there will be a conference call with the full IBT committee to discuss what transpired during the week. Documents from the entire negotiation session are currently being reviewed for formatting and typographical errors. This task takes time and it is important to get it right.
Until a Tentative Agreement is reached, the parties remain under the NMB “gag order” as described in a previous Dispatch. As soon as possible after the TA is finalized, details will be released.

Negotiations Update
August 13, 2016

The parties reached an agreement in principal at this week's session in Reston VA. The language finalization will need to occur and is scheduled to resume in Chicago next week. It is anticipated that, since there are not many language changes needed, that this part of the process should not take long. As soon as the language is finalized the negotiating committee will reconvene to review and approve. If accepted, the agreement in principal would then become a tentative agreement.
Once that is complete, rather than spending time on printing and mailing the package, electronic copies of the full agreement will be distributed to the membership followed by an online ratification vote. This will take place as soon as possible.
During the ratification there will also be a group traveling the system as well as other materials to explain the new terms.

July 28, 2016

Your Negotiating Committee met the week of July 25th – 29th, 2016 in Chicago. The week started out with CEO Oscar Munoz talking to the Union Committee. Munoz gave his vision for the future of the Company, including how our group fits in to that strategy going forward. He answered several questions regarding his involvement in facilitating the process of talks that will lead to an industry leading contract.
All the Letters of Agreement (LOAs) from each of the three CBAs were reviewed and put together into a list of those that could be removed, updated, merged with others or moved to Historical Reference Section (HRO). We met with the Company over the next day and a half working through the list. Your committee was able to come to agreement with the company on 17 of the LOAs. The rest of the LOAs are tied to the economic four corners of the agreement and will be discussed during the next bargaining session.
On Thursday, the Company presented a comprehensive counter proposal. This proposal will be reviewed and countered during the next session. Three additional Articles were TA’d after the Company’s proposal.
As a result of the nature of the talks, the NMB has instructed the parties to avoid discussing any details of the proposal. Board member Linda Puchala sent Mediator Gerry McGuckin an email which stated in part:
“The parties have reached a critical stage in the mediation process that entails the discussion of all remaining sections of the contract. This stage of mediation is characterized by the discussion and exchange of comprehensive proposals.”
Further she stated:
“As we enter this stage of mediation the NMB Chairman and the NMB Mediators assigned to this case have asked the parties to refrain from public disclosure of the details of these comprehensive proposals.”
This is commonly referred to as a formal gag order from the NMB. This order preventing the committee members and all parties involved from speaking about the terms discussed during each session will stay in place until the parties reach a tentative agreement.
The NMB has instructed the parties that we will meet the week of August 8th, 2016 in Reston, Virginia.

Your Negotiating committee