If you’ve been thinking the IAM campaign communications have been somewhat, um, lackluster, and if you have found them to be sparse in details and void of ideas and generally meager in their message, you may be curious about how they communicate with their own members. You may be wondering if they are better at communicating with their actual members, compared to the dismal campaign communications they’ve been putting out. There’s only one way to find out and that is to look at the communications that they are actually putting out for their members.
While it’s difficult to find relevant examples of their work,
because flight attendants make up an extremely small percentage (about 1/3 of
1% or 0.03%) of the total IAM membership, we can look to the situation over at
CommutAir as a good parallel of what our life would be like in the unlikely
event the Machinists ever won representation of the Delta flight attendants.
Up until January 2008, the CommutAir flight attendants had not
been represented by any union. That changed when the Machinists campaigned for,
and won a representational election. Keep in mind that from the time that the
National Mediation Board calls for an election until the first contract is
ratified by the members, no changes are made to the pay, benefits and working conditions
that are in effect at the time the election is called. So, from the end of 2007
until today, the CommutAir flight attendants have not seen any improvements
whatsoever. For their part, the Machinists Union has been holding negotiations
sessions with the company – sometimes as often as three days per month!
Included in this blog is the sum total of negotiations
communications that the Machinists union has posted on their CommutAir website.
So, without further ado, I give you the progression of contract negotiations
under the Machinists union as told in their own words . . .
January 24, 2008
Big Win for Flight Attendants at CommutAir
January 24, 2008 - Flight Attendants at CommutAir, a regional air carrier
headquartered in New York andserving 24 cities in eight states, voted
overwhelmingly for IAM representation in an NMB-supervised election. The
near-unanimous vote of 28-1 was announced following a count at NMB headquarters
in Washington D.C. The organizing victory at the Continental Connection carrier
brings representation rights to all 47 Flight Attendants at CommutAir, who
approached the IAM with concerns about wages, benefits and working conditions.
The newly organized group is expected to double in size with the addition of a
large group of new hires currently in training.
September 4, 2008 (no contract)
The Union has been receiving reports that the flight attendants
are being told that they must move to the new domicile in EWR or face
termination. The Union is monitoring the situation and will be addressing this
issue in negotiations when we meet later this month.
September 17, 2008 (no contract)
Due to the devastation that was recently caused to our system by
Hurricane Ike, negotiations have been postponed. We are however continuing to
work with the company and exchanging some proposals electronically. This is an
unconventional method but we feel it is in the flight attendants best interest
to continue getting some work done so that we may get you a contract
expeditiously.
September 25, 2008 (no contract)
The Company has announced that due to the turmoil in the airline
industry, Continental has reduced the block hours given to CommutAir. In turn
they need to reduce the staff by 12% and will be furloughing employees. The
entire industry has endured these cut backs and furloughs and many employees
have had to face losing their jobs. The IAM contracts in the airline industry
all have sections with furlough language that spells out what must happen when
a company faces a potential furlough ot its employees. Many flight attendant
contracts include language that offers voluntary leaves of absence before the
company may involuntarily furlough an employee. Your Union is trying to
negotiate all of these provisions for the flight attendants at CommutAir.
October 9, 2008 (no contract)
Negotiations for the flight attendants at CommutAir continued this
week on October 6, 7, and 8, in North Olmsted, Ohio. The Union and the Company
met and in this session discussed investigations, the grievance procedure,
system board of adjustment, leaves of absence, and missing, interned or
hostage. Significant progress was made this week and we look forward to
continue negotiating an agreement for the Flight Attendants at CommutAir.
.
November 20, 2008 (no contract)
Negotiations for the Flight Attendants at CommutAir continued this
week on November 17,18, and 19 in North Olmsted, Ohio. The Union and the
Company continued discussion on investigations, the grievance procedure, system
board of adjustment and leaves of absence. In addition we began discussions on
seniority and providing crew meals while flying out of the Newark domicile
especially when situations arise creating insufficient time to get a meal
during the duty day. Both parties are working on a solution to this problem.
May 4, 2009 (no contract)
Negotiations for the Flight Attendants at CommutAir continued
April 29, 30, and May 1, 2009 in North Olmsted, Ohio. The Union and the Company
resumed discussion on uniforms and Training. Significant progress was made this
week on both sections. With each session the Union is getting closer to
completing negotiation of a contract that will be ratified by the flight
attendants. While the parties agreed to additional dates and will continue
negotiations in June we expect thereafter to meet on a more frequent basis.
September 15, 2009 (no contract)
Negotiation for the first Flight Attendant Collective Bargaining
Agreement at CommutAir continued last week on September 9, 10 and 11 in North
Olmsted, Ohio. At these sessions discussions centered on contract articles
addressing: Furlough and Recall; Seniority; Filling of Vacancies and Sick
leave. Significant progress was made this week on all these articles. The
parties agreed to additional meeting dates and will continue negotiations in
November.
December 4, 2009 (no contract)
Negotiations for the Flight Attendants at CommutAir continued the
week of November 16, 2009 in North Olmsted, Ohio. The company and union were
scheduled to meet for five (5) days, however it became apparent that there
would be very little progress accomplished. After more than a year of
negotiations with the company’s law firm, hired to oversee negotiations on
their behalf, and limited availability for the union to meet with company
attorneys the union believes it is necessary to apply for the assistance of the
National Mediation Board (NMB) in an effort to achieve a contract that our
flight attendant members can vote on.
No more updates for almost three years, until . .
.
September 26, 2012 (no contract)
Contract negotiations continued last week, September 17-20, in Los
Angeles under the auspices of the National Mediation Board, Victoria
Gray-Mediator. Present for the Company were William N. Hiers, Ford &
Harrison Attorney/Chief Company Negotiator and Company Representatives Jim
Eberhardt and Denise Daniels. Joel Raymond - Executive Vice President, also
attended for part of the session. Present for the IAM was Kate Romanausky
-General Chairperson District Lodge 142. Discussion was held on the Union
proposed Commuter Policy, and we are awaiting the Company’s response. The
Company passed its counter-proposal on Union Security and Dues Check Off and
our IAM attorneys are reviewing some of the language contained therein.
Finally, discussion took place and proposals were exchanged on Compensation. We
are sorry to report that we are significantly apart on this issue. Mediated
negotiations will resume October 22-26, 2012 in Cleveland and we will keep you
advised of future developments as they occur.
No more updates for almost another year and NO
CONTRACT for almost six years!!!
Keep in mind that the CommutAir flight attendants
have received NO IMPROVEMENTS and NO PAY INCREASES since the Machinists Union
called for an election at the end of 2007. That’s six years of stagnation . . .
and counting.
If you think your pay is too low, are you
willing to keep the same pay for the next six-plus years to see what you “may”
get then?
If you think duty days are too long, are you
willing to stay locked in for six-plus years to see if “maybe” they will
change? (oh, and by the way – the IAM Continental contract allows for the exact
same duty day length as the current Delta work rules).
If you think the Machinists Union could
magically control the weather or prevent IROPS or reroutes, are you willing to
endure six-plus years of stagnation just to find out they can’t?
Whatever your complaint – whether reality-based
or made up – are you willing to wait six-plus years to see an improvement?
Because that is, in essence, what you are saying if you sign an IAM card or
wear an IAM pin or walk around with an IAM luggage tag. You are aligning
yourself with the union that can’t effectively represent the 100 flight
attendants at CommutAir, but that wants us to believe they have some “magic”
that only works when they represent the 20,000 Delta flight attendants.
It’s only fair to ask the IAM campaigners at
Delta what they think that “magic” is. What is the magical, astronomical
alignment that will cause the “mighty and powerful” IAM to perform better at
Delta than at this tiny regional carrier?
One of the arguments that IAM supporters have
made about the former Continental contract that IAM negotiated is that the
Continental flight attendants voted for the contract, because they “wanted” a
contract with no rigs or credits and with minimum rest that can be as low as
7:45 release to report. Are the IAM supporters now also saying that the
CommutAir flight attendants haven’t had a contract for the past six years
because that’s what they “want”?
It’s really no wonder that the vast majority of
Machinist “activists” have resorted to the age-old tactics of name-calling and
disparaging anyone who questions their methods and their motives, as well as
their dismal track record. It’s really all they’ve got. But it’s not all the
Delta flight attendants deserve.
Sincerely,
Jose Arturo Ibarra
