August 27, 2020

As you all know American has announced that, barring intervention from Congress, it intends to begin furloughs October 1^st. Your Association leadership was only provided with the reduction information late last night.  We have met with the company on this issue, and we continue to work to limit the impact on our members as much as possible. 

The Company will issue all furlough letters to the affected members through their AA email address starting Thursday August 27^th with instructions on how to select their options.  It is critical that you click SUBMIT/SAVE before you exit the selection process to ensure the selections are saved. If you hold seniority in another classification and elect to exercise your seniority in that lower classification to remain at your location, please make sure you select that classification as well. It will not pop up on the screen. You will need to select it from the drop-down menu.The company will then process and award your selections, based on Article 12 of the CBA, between September 3^rdthrough September 9^th. The Company will notify everyone affected by September 14, 2020. Employees affected by subsequent bumping will be notified by the Company, and subsequent bumping will be accomplished per Article 12 of the CBA. The Company has indicated this entire process will be completed, with all those who have been affected notified of the results, by September 30, 2020 in order for the furloughs to be effective on October 1, 2020. 

Your Association leadership is also objecting to the company’s intent to furlough members while at the same time bringing in vendors to replace our members.  In addition, we are objecting to the continued outsourcing of work, not only domestically, but also internationally, where American citizens will be on the street while the company continues to outsource that work to foreign workers, something CEO Robert Isom said he would not do!

It is important to make sure that those members who elect furlough, in lieu of exercising their seniority rights, consistently ensure that their contact information is and continues to be up to date, because you have lifetime recall rights.  That same contact information is also the only information that would be used to notify you of a recall, and if it is not up to date, you might lose your recall rights. If you do get furloughed and then relocate, please remember to update your contact information with both the company and the Union to preserve and protect your recall rights.

The Company has given us the indication that if extension of the CARES Act #PayrollSupportProtection approved and in effect by October 1, 2020 that the announced furlough process would not move forward. Given the importance of this #PayrollSupportProtection extension, we encourage each and every one within this Association membership, as well as their families, friends and acquaintances, to contact their US Representatives and stress the importance of this #PayrollSupportProtection extension.

This is your opportunity to make a difference, and protect your jobs and your coworkers jobs!

For the IAM Members, Please click here to alert your local representative in Congress.

For the TWU Members, Please click here, or retweet calls to action when you click here.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your local representatives.

Fraternally,

Your Representation Committee

PLEASE POST ON ALL BULLETIN BOARDS 

July 15, 2020

American Airlines will announce today that they are offering ‘enhanced’ Leaves of Absence and Early Outs to Association members. Association leadership discussed these revised offers and made several suggestions that would make them more attractive to our members. Most of the suggestions were not taken.

We advise all of our membership to consider these offers carefully. Each person must weigh the costs and benefits that accepting any of the offers would have on their unique situation. The Company will communicate the offers and provide information relative to them. Questions about the leaves and early-outs should be directed to management. Questions about the contracts should be directed to your union representatives.

In these unprecedented times, we urge all of our members to be safe. We also remind everyone that our solidarity is our greatest asset in both good and turbulent times.

The Association Leadership Team

July 10, 2020

To All TWU/IAM Association Members on American Airlines:

American Airlines has informed the Association that it will be sending Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications (WARN Act notifications) to Association covered employees. This notice, which is required by law, will contain information indicating that American Airlines may furlough employees.

All of the TWU/IAM Association Collective Bargaining Agreements, ratified on March 26, 2020, contain industry leading System and Station protections for our members. It took several years to achieve the Industry Leading Contract that you are covered by and the Association Leadership is willing to participate in any discussions that may help the situation we are faced with, but by no means does this mean we are willing to concede any of the contractual protection or language we fought so hard to get. Should American attempt to violate any provision(s) of our Agreements, the Association is prepared to defend the membership.

The reality is that we are in very unstable and worrisome times. While there are certainly more passengers flying today than in late March, this industry is still operating at only a fraction of 2019 passenger levels. And due to a lack of a coordinated national response to the coronavirus pandemic, rising infection rates in the US and several state-mandated quarantines, there is great risk that a significant rebound in air travel demand will not occur soon enough to return American Airlines to the record profits they achieved not too long ago. The TWU/IAM Association is committed to make all efforts to mitigate the effects this instability may have on those we represent.

Association leadership has had dialogue with American’s senior leadership expressing ideas that could lead to more members opting for a Short Term leave or Voluntary Separation (including offering the Early-Out American presented to members on JetNet during negotiations), fully implementing the work provisions of the negotiated JCBAs and bringing in work currently performed by vendors.

The TWU/IAM Association is also working very hard with legislators to extend the Payroll Support Program (PSP) component of the CARES Act through March 31, 2021. If we are successful, this would mitigate any involuntary furloughs and protect our members for an additional six months. We ask every member to reach out to their elected officials to support the PSP extension.

In closing, we have faced tough times in the past as an Association and each time we have been tested, our common bonds and solidarity have been the driving principles that have led us forward and made us stronger. We must not allow fear, differences of opinion, unsubstantiated rumors, or inflammatory rhetoric to divide us.

Now is the time for unity, not division.

The Association Leadership Team

As required by the recently ratified Association CBAs, American Airlines has posted the updated seniority lists for all classifications. That posting can be found on JetNet at https://people.aa.com/sm/reports/twuiam_seniority/.

Association represented employees may protest any omission or error, which they believe affects their seniority, within thirty (30) days of the posting. Timely submissions received on or before Monday June 15, 2020 will be reviewed and a final determination of seniority, adjustment or denial, will be binding on the parties. Keep in mind that all seniority dates prior to September 16, 2016 were subject to an earlier final and binding protest process. All seniority determinations will be recorded and final revised seniority lists will be posted by the Company. Any employee on leave at the time of posting will have a period of thirty (30) days from his/her date of return to service to file a protest.

The process for submitting all seniority protests is contained on the attached form. Submissions may also be made by email to the following addresses:

TWU M&R Protests may be sent to: AAMaintprotest@twu.org

TWU MLS Protests may be sent to: AAMLSprotest@twu.org

TWU Fleet may be sent to: AAFleetprotest@twu.org

IAM Fleet Protests may be sent to: IAM_Seniority_Protest@iamdl142.org

IAM Mechanic & Related, MLS and MTS Protests may be sent to: IAM_Seniority_Protest@iamdl142.org

For immediate posting and distribution

Attention TWU and IAM members:

Dues, Membership and Preferential Hires

1. Persons who are members of either the TWU or IAM shall remain members of their respective union and will pay dues to that union wherever they may work or whenever or wherever they may transfer within Association covered work groups or CBAs.
2. New hire employees into any Association covered position shall become members of the union assigned representation responsibility for the location in the Allocation charts and will remain members of that respective union whenever or wherever they may transfer within Association covered work groups or CBAs.
3. Preferential hires, meaning those who were hired under the preferential hiring agreement prior to ratification of the JCBAs and joined the union opposite from their original union, shall remain members and pay dues to the union they were represented by and belonged to on date of ratification. Should any of those preferential hires desire to revert to membership in their original union, he or she shall advise the Local officers of the union they are currently a member of, in writing and within thirty (30) days, that they wish to revert their membership.

Adopted April 7, 2020. 

The Association and American Airlines have reached an agreement covering implementation of certain elements of the JCBAs. The following items cover pay, retirement and certain benefits that are most important to our membership:

1. All JCBA wage rates will be effective the first Monday following the date of ratification (“DOR”), inclusive of
   • Chart Rate 
   • All Premiums
   • Skill Pay
   • Fuel Tank Entry (which will be paid as a temporary upgrade)
   • MLS Driver Premium (which will be paid as a temporary upgrade unless a separate MLS Driver bid area is established)
   • Taxi & Run-up Pay (which will be paid as a temporary upgrade unless a separate Taxi & Run-up bid area is established)
   • Shift Differential (Shift differential for Legacy American TWU employees will be programmed at JCBA rates following ratification but will continue to be based on shift definitions under the 2012 AA/TWU CBAs until those employees are moved to the Work Brain system. JCBA shift definitions will apply to all covered employees thereafter.)
2. The Signing Bonus Payment agreed to by the parties shall be paid no later than 60-days after the DOR to all active employees as of DOR. Employees on approved leave of absence or not working due to OJI shall receive the Signing Bonus within 45-days of returning to active status. 
3. The Vacation Lump Sum Payment (to eligible employees) agreed to by the parties shall be paid no later than sixty (60) days after DOR.
4. All other pay elements not provided for in paragraphs 1, 2 or 3 above will be paid, retroactively to the first Monday following the DOR (in a lump sum equivalent), within one-hundred twenty (120) days after DOR,  but in no event more than one-hundred (150) days, and thereafter will be paid on a continuing basis as described in the JCBAs.
5. The IAM National Pension Plan contribution rates provided for in Article 30 – Retirement shall be effective no later than May 1, 2020.  The employer matching contributions and employer non-elective contributions provided for in Article 30 – Retirement shall be implemented no later than January 1, 2021.  For the time period from May 1, 2020 until such time as the employer matching contributions and employer non-elective contributions provided for in Article 30 – Retirement can be made effective for employees covered by the JCBAs, but no later than January 1, 2021, the following will apply:
   • TWU Designated Employees will receive contributions to the 401(k) Plan in the amount of 9%; no employee contribution will be required; and will not receive any employer matching contributions to the 401(k) Plan. 
   • IAM Designated Employees will receive employer contributions to the 401(k) Plan in the amount of 4%; no employee contribution will be required; and will not receive any employer matching contributions to the 401(k) Plan. 
   • The employer contributions provided for in paragraphs 5) a. and b. above will be made to employees on a monthly basis and will be made after the last pay period of each month.  For example, contributions for eligible compensation earned in May will be contributed in June.   These contributions will be reflected in employees’ Fidelity 401(k) statements but will not appear in the employees’ Company payroll statements.
6. For 2020, profit sharing for each participant covered by the JCBAs will be calculated on a pro-rated basis, using the profit sharing calculation currently in effect for employees represented by the Association up to the DOR and using the profit sharing calculation provided for under the JCBAs for the remainder of the year. 
7. All grievance settlement monies owed to the TWU/IAM Association as a result of joint negotiations shall be paid to the Association within 30 days of receiving payment instructions from the Association, following the DOR.
8. The parties recognize the importance of the seniority provisions and applications of the JCBAs, such as rebids, realignments, shift bids and transfers, reductions in force and agree to preserve and utilize employees’ seniority during the implementation process. The parties also acknowledge the need to combine overtime and field trip call out procedures into a single system and to allow shift swaps/trades between employees under their respective JCBAs; therefore:
   • Local management and Association representatives will work together to implement the overtime process outlined in the respective JCBA as soon as practicable in each location.
   • Field trips will continue to be called out in the same manner as they have been prior to the ratification of the JCBAs until such time that the Company and Association agree to a single system Field Trip call list.
   • Local management and Association representatives will work together to implement the shift swaps/trades as soon as practicable in each location.

The Association agrees to work collaboratively in order to assist the Company with implementation of these JCBA provisions.

9. The M&R International outsourcing provisions shall become effective April 1, 2020 upon which the annual 12-month lookback will be based. The data used to determine the initial International Outsourcing hours measurement to be sent to the Association no later than June 1, 2020.
10. Legacy American TWU employees’ sick bank shall be credited with up to ten (10) days no later than December 31, 2020, based on any ten (10) months in 2020 where at least 80 hours were worked by the respective employee.The payback period for employees who elect to take a ‘loan’ due to the change to pay-in-arrears or bi-weekly pay shall begin no earlier than February 1, 2021. The Company may change employees to pay-in arrears and bi-weekly pay, where applicable, as soon as is practicable.
11. The payback period for employees who elect to take a ‘loan’ due to the change to pay-in-arrears or bi-weekly pay shall begin no earlier than February 1, 2021. The Company may change employees to pay-in arrears and bi-weekly pay, where applicable, as soon as is practicable.

The impact of the serious COVID-19 pandemic on the operation of the Company has created uncertainty in the ability to predict exact implementation dates for some contractual items the Company is obligated to institute. Therefore, the parties have agreed to meet within 60 days after ratification and on an ongoing basis to reach agreement on any implementation issues that are outstanding after the date of ratification and are not addressed in the Implementation Agreement reached today.

While we expect to reach mutually agreeable terms that would cover any outstanding implementation issues after date of ratification, the Association has not waived any of its rights to resolve disputes that may arise, including the grievance procedure.

Please click here to print and post on all bulletin boards.

The TWU-IAM Association today announced its American Airlines membership overwhelmingly ratified contracts covering more than 30,000 Mechanic & Related (including Maintenance Control Technicians & Maintenance Training Specialists), Fleet Service, and Material Logistics Specialists/Stores members.

Percent Voting Yes:

• Mechanic & Related:   90.94% 
• Fleet Service:                95.45% 
• MLS/Stores:                  92.12% 

“The resounding approval of these contracts yet again proves that by standing together and demonstrating our solidarity and determination, we are able to achieve contracts our members deserve,” said Association Chair Sito Pantoja and Vice Chair Alex Garcia. “It is that same resolve that will get us through this unprecedented crisis facing our airline, our industry and our country.”

Please Post on All TWU- IAM Bulletin Boards

As we move closer to the ratification vote for the Joint Collective Bargaining Agreements with American Airlines, we wanted to provide the members with a sample of the information that will be provided over the next few days via US Mail or by AA Company email. 

In the unlikely event a member does not receive the voter information by US Mail or AA Company email, the following phone numbers will be available for a replacement PIN. A replacement PIN can only be provided to a member if the original PIN has not already been used to cast their vote.  Once a replacement has been issued, the original PIN will be inactive.

TWU Fleet                  520-991-9670
IAM Fleet                   800-396-8481
TWU MLS and M&R 817-938-8787
IAM MLS and M&R  727-415-6628

Only the above phone numbers should be used for a replacement pin, if necessary, and will be available from 9:30am to 7:30pm Eastern Daylight Time on Thursday, March 26.

TWU-IAM Association representatives have concluded reviewing the final JCBA documents and have authorized the company to print and mail full-text contracts to all members. Each member will receive the contract pertaining to your classification. Also included in the mailing will be a letter from TWU-IAM Association Director Sito Pantoja and TWU-IAM Association Vice Director Alex Garcia.

Voting will take place on Thursday, March 26. Specific information regarding voting locations and times will soon be available on TWU local and IAM local and district websites along with the Association website.

For your consideration, please view the letter, full-text contracts and highlight booklets below.