In preparation for upcoming 2024 Section Six openers with the company, your M & R, and MLS TWU-IAM Association Negotiation Committee met in person for the first time at the new TWU Local 591 offices in Grapevine Texas. The Committee discussed committee structure, subcommittee structure, Member input surveys, Member contract proposals, and upcoming scheduling dates for the Committee.
Your Association Negotiating Committee is committed to keeping you fully updated as preparations for negotiations continue. Your support of your committee when negotiation begin, will guarantee that we will negotiate the industry leading contract we all deserve.
The Association conducted a follow-up call today with American Airlines regarding the vaccine mandate. The Company continues to work through the religious and medical accommodations submitted by the membership. Two items that we were informed of today include those members who have had Covid-19 recently and how they should handle being accommodated since they cannot get the vaccination at this time. Those members should put in for a medical exemption and request for a Covid-19 vaccine deferral until such time they can get vaccinated. The second question answered was if there would be an exception for the 4-month requirement for the HCRA. The answer was no, the 4 months will not be waived and those members who may consider retiring within 4 months and want to utilize the HCRA option should put in for that as soon as possible.
On a secondary point, not pertaining to vaccinations, the Association has notified the Company of our intent to arbitrate those areas of the attendance control policy that we believe are in conflict with the CBA. We were not sent a copy of all the information members have been provided and have requested a meeting to discuss the policy in an effort to resolve the conflicts, where possible, in advance of arbitration.
As we learn any additional information, we will provide it accordingly.
The National Mediation Board dismissed the Aircraft Mechanic Fraternal Association’s (AMFA) application to conduct a representation election among mechanic and related workers at American Airlines. Last November the AMFA claimed a “representation dispute” existed among American Airlines mechanic and related workers in a filing at the NMB and that they had a majority of the necessary representational cards signed to call for an election. AMFA failed to have enough cards for a showing of interest and has failed in their raid of the maintenance and related membership.
“Once again AMFA’s divisive strategy of preying on the frustrations of our aircraft mechanic and maintenance related workers at American has failed. While we were in a vicious contract battle with American, AMFA organizers were selling snake oil to our members saying that we could not win our fight in delivering the industry’s best contract. But we did just that proving AMFA dead wrong. At the carriers AMFA represents, they continually fail in stopping the outsourcing of aircraft maintenance work” said TWU International Vice President and Air Division Director Gary Peterson.
IAM District 142 President Directing General Chair Dave Supplee added, “It’s time for us to focus on building upon the unity and solidarity that led our negotiating team to the industry leading contract that our maintenance and related members enjoy today. We see that AMFA has failed to deliver for years, just look at their dismal representation record after their raids at both Northwest and United. They made promises to members who voted for AMFA, and it cost too many of those workers their jobs. Look at AMFAs negotiations at Southwest, where after 7 years of negotiating they seemingly gained their members little more than back wages.”
The TWU- IAM Association is the largest union at American Airlines, representing over 30,000 groundworkers at the largest airline in the world.
