Representative Info
Clacy Griswold - Coordinator and Airline Division Representative
Dave Elmore - Business Representative - LAX, SNA, SAN, LAS
David Saucedo - Business Representative - SEA
Robert Bishop (LAX) - Chief Shop Steward
Justin Muraki - Business Representative - HNL
Attached is a copy of the letter I received yesterday from Doug McKeen, on behalf of UAL. As you will note, upon notice of the vote results that rejected the transition Tentative Agreement, UAL filed a request for Federal Mediation and has opted to proceed directly to mediated talks for a single, combined contract for UAL and CAL mechanics. The letter requesting mediation is also attached.
This morning we were notified that the NMB has agreed to UAL’s request and placed us in mediation. While we are disappointed that UAL has chosen to move directly to mediation instead of returning to the bargaining table, it is a reality that we have no choice but to accept mediation. Under the RLA, both the union and management have the right unilaterally to request mediation at any time in the process and based upon the rejection of the Tentative Agreement, UAL made the determination to move to that process.
I want to be perfectly clear here. We do not have the option to reject mediation; we are legally required to participate. Because mediation has no specific time limits, there is no way to determine how long the process will take to complete. This does not mean, however, that we agree with the Company’s effort to push for an immediate amalgamation of the United and Continental contracts. As we explained during the road shows, the company has pushed hard for an immediate amalgamation since the merger became effective last fall. We have resisted that effort. The fact that the company has invoked mediation, however, will make our efforts to resist an all-in-one amalgamation much more difficult and, all likelihood, time consuming.
As you know from our communications, meetings and road shows, this was the situation we wanted to avoid at all cost, because we were aware of the risk of mediation. While the goal of the tentative agreement was to provide you pay raises, job security and a higher starting point for an improved amalgamated agreement; under mediation your current agreement will remain effective until a new agreement is reached. The timeline for this process as I noted above is unknown; past history tells us we are looking at an extended period of time, possibly three to five years.
While we believe that the outcome of the vote was not in our collective best interest, we will continue to work diligently with the negotiators to craft the best contract possible for you and, in the shortest time possible.
Sincerely,
David P. Bourne, Director
Teamsters Airline Division
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UAL/Continental Airlines Merger Update
May 21st 2010 update (Click for pdf)
May 3, 2010
Teamsters to Closely Monitor Continental-United Merger
Preliminary Indications: No Layoffs Expected
The Teamsters Union announced today that it is assembling an experienced team of experts to ensure its members’ jobs and interests are protected should the proposed merger of United and Continental be approved by federal regulators and shareholders.
“Our most important responsibility is to ensure that the proposed Continental-United merger doesn’t harm our members,” said Teamsters Airline Division Director David Bourne. “Our team of legal and financial experts has extensive experience with mergers and acquisitions and will watch this process carefully so that the interests of our mechanics and fleet service members are protected.”
In an unrelated move, Continental Airlines said today that it is reversing a decision announced in March to close seven stations. The closures would have affected about 150 fleet service workers located in Greensboro, N.C.; St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo.; Norfolk and Richmond, Va.; Pensacola, Fla.; and Providence, R.I. The fleet service workers handle baggage and cargo, and they perform other essential jobs, including directing jets to the terminal gates.
“We understand there will be no layoffs if the merger is completed, and that attrition will be through the normal attrition process of retirement and resignation,” Bourne said.
The Teamsters represent about 8,000 mechanics at United, 5,000 mechanics at Continental and 8,000 fleet service workers at Continental.
How does the merger work? (Click the link)
Question and Answer Document #1 on the Proposed Merger of UAL - CAL (Click for pdf)
Question and Answer Document #1 on the Proposed Merger of UAL - CAL (Click for word)
Continental Airlines Negotiations Update
Contract Vote Count Outcome November 4, 2010 (Click the link)
Negotiation Update September 10, 2010 (Click the link)
Contract Tentative Agreement -200 pages- September 10, 2010 (Click the link)
Contract Tentative Agreement Highlights -3 pages- September 10, 2010 (Click the link)
Negotiation Update July 15, 2010 (Click the link)
Negotiation Update June 24, 2010 (Click the link)
Negotiation Update May 28, 2010 (Click the link)
Negotiation Update April 30, 2010 (Click the link)
Negotiation Update April 16, 2010 (Click the link)
March 26, 2010
Dear Members,
We concluded the second meeting of negotiations under mediation. We met in Deerfield Beach, Florida for the week of March 22-26, 2010. We had a successful week. Various articles and letters of agreement were reviewed and discussed in detail.
The following were tentatively agreed to:
Article 3 - Covered Crafts, Classifications and Bid Areas,
Article 5 - Filling of Vacancies
Article 6 - Reduction in Force and Recall,
Article 12 - Field Trips,
Article 17 – Overtime,
Article 18 - Union Security and Representation,
Article 21 - General and Miscellaneous,
Letter of Agreement – Staff Utilization,
Letter of Agreement – Union Personnel
We also discussed and tentatively agreed to:
Article 7 – Hours of Service
Article 8 – Holidays
Article 9 – Vacations, however the economic items in these articles remain open for discussion.
This is the last mediation session for Marvin Sandrin. Mr. Sandrin is retiring from the National Mediation Board. The negotiation committee and the business agents want to thank Mr. Sandrin for his help and guidance during our last two sessions. Mediator Tony Iannone will mediate the next few sessions. Mr. Iannone has worked with Mr. Sandrin for the past sessions. Senior Mediator Gerry McGuckin will join us in the future to assist and facilitate mediation.
Union participants:
Daisy Gonzalez – Interim Chairman, Robert Rasch – Co-Chairman, Nick Manicone, IBT Attorney, Paul Alves, Airline Division Representative, Business Agents: Earl Averette, Charlie Alferio, Angel Cantu, Dave Elmore, Dominic Fierro, Ralph Salzano, and Dan Stunda.
Negotiation Committee Members: Chris Carouthers, Robert Clever, Dominick DiPaolo, Tommy Esposito, Vinny Graziano, Jack Harran, Craig Larson, Carl Leverson, Mike Meglich, and Audrey Scates and Shawn Vernon
Continental participants:
Jeff Wall – Chairman, Mike Bonds, Joe Ferreira, John Greenlee, Nick Klym, Benny King, Dixon McKenzie, Jim Montgomery, Clint Stephen, Jeff Wittig.
January 22, 2010
Dear Members,
We concluded the first meeting of negotiations under mediation. The Union and the Company were introduced to, and had separate meetings with National Mediation Board mediators Marv Sandrin and Tony Iannone. This meeting included an overview of our progression through direct negotiations up to this point.
For the benefit of the mediators the committee reviewed the Articles 14, 19, and 20 which were previously Tentatively Agreed. We continued to have dialog with the Company, and finalized Articles 2, 4, 13 and a Letter of Agreement that clarifies the Reduction In Force process as it currently exists. We concluded these meetings by Tentatively Agreeing on these three articles and the LOA.
Negotiations are scheduled for the weeks of March 22-26, April 12-16, April 26-30, and May 24- 28. The negotiation dates, times and locations are determined by the mediators and their availability.
We will update you as soon as we have any additional information.
In Solidarity,
Robert Rasch
President Teamsters Local 19, Committee Co-Chair
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Continental Airlines has again contacted the International Brotherhood of Teamsters claiming that a job action is occurring at numerous locations throughout the system. Although Continental has not yet supplied any solid evidence of an ongoing job action, it is apparently convinced that there are unusual levels of write-ups occurring, and the company is clearly trying to gather evidence of this. It has threatened to seek legal action against the IBT and our members if the purported job actions do not cease immediately.
If Continental follows through with its litigation threat, it will probably seek an injunction against the IBT and its members. An injunction is an order from a court directing people to do or stop doing something. A person who violates such an order is in "contempt of court" and may be subject to serious damage awards or other penalties - even jail time. Continental could also seek an injunction against the IBT too. In addition to imposing harsh remedies against individuals who are found to have engaged in unlawful activity, a judge could also order the IBT to cease and desist from engaging in or encouraging unlawful job actions, and could punish the IBT for violating its order with significant monetary penalties.
Regardless of whether it is focused on individuals or the IBT as an institution, being placed under an injunction is one of the worst things that could happen to us. It means being placed under a legal microscope, possibly for the remainder of bargaining, and impeding our ability to communicate with one another. Even minor variations in maintenance activity levels could end up with the IBT being summoned before a federal judge, having to defend its members and leaders from contempt of court charges that would carry with them major penalties. An injunction could name individual mechanics as defendants, subjecting them to fines if they do not comply with court orders. Worst of all, it could order the IBT to take punitive measures against its own members if they do not comply with the court's instructions. For many reasons, an injunction could strain our ability to
conduct negotiations from a position of strength.
This example of a job action by IAM-represented mechanics at United in 2000 shows how an injunction can be used to destroy labor unity:
http://laws.lp.findlaw.com/getcase/7th/case/004220.html. Continental would like nothing better than to get an injunction against us, and anyone who gives Continental an excuse to ask a judge for one in the end is helping the company, not mechanics, in the ongoing negotiations. Accordingly, if anyone is under the misguided notion that job actions like unnecessary write-ups are productive, or are sanctioned by the Teamsters, you are deeply mistaken. Job actions are counterproductive, they are unlawful, and they run the risk of giving the company a very powerful tool against all of us.
That does not mean there is nothing you can do to assist us in getting a good contract. The company needs to understand that we mean business and will do everything it takes, and will use all forms of self-help if we are released from the NMB meditation process, from legal Chaos-like campaigns to a lawful strike, to lawfully achieve a contract we can be proud of. To demonstrate that we are disciplined and united in our goal of getting a good agreement, we are planning to begin informational picketing against the company. While the details are not in place, our picketing will be coordinated throughout the system, and combined with other ways of demonstrating our unity and resolve. I urge you to support these efforts with your time, energy and ideas.
In solidarity,
David P. Bourne Director
Teamsters Airline Division
Continental Airlines Negotiations Update
November 10, 2009
Dear Members:
On November 9th the Company gave us a response to our last proposal regarding wages. The Company had not responded to our wage proposal when they broke off negotiations in September. The Company’s wage counter did not move off its opening wage proposal, which it made in September, 2009. In the Company’s own words, its November 9th wage counter represents the same amount of money as its opening wage proposal, and is merely a repackaged version of that opening proposal. The only real “difference” is that its November 9th counter contains a new (November 30th) acceptance deadline that is just as arbitrary as the deadline contained in its September opening wage proposal. To the extent the Company’s November 9th wage counter differs at all substantively from its opening (September) wage proposal, it actually is worse. In this regard, our calculations revealed that many of our members would be even worse off under the new proposal than they would be under the company’s opening proposal.
On November 10th, we informed the Company’s representatives that since they were unwilling to move off their unreasonable wage opener, we would not counter and bargain against ourselves. Instead we proposed terms for Article 16 – Benefits and a Letter of Agreement establishing the terms of 401(k) matching (see your Local Union for a copy of our opening proposals). The Company refused to engage us in discussion on our Article 16 proposal and broke negotiations off for a second time. The Company immediately asked us to join it in a request for mediation from the National Mediation Board (NMB). We declined to do so because we believe that further progress could be made if the Company were willing to negotiate with us in a fair and open-minded manner. By law, we cannot stop the Company from filing its request for mediation with the NMB. That’s the Company’s right. Under NMB rules a single party involved in negotiations may request mediation. The Company will be filing its request for mediation today with the NMB. The NMB will grant that request pursuant to its established practice.
What this means is that we will now be engaged in mediated negotiations under the supervision of the NMB. An NMB mediator will be assigned shortly and will establish a time for the parties to meet again as well as a protocol for future discussions. Nonetheless, should the Company wish to engage in discussions outside of mediation, the Teamsters Negotiating Committee are prepared and available to resume negotiations at any time.
Union participants:
Clacy Griswold – Chairman, Robert Rasch – Co-Chairman, Nick Manicone, IBT Attorney, Paul Alves, Airline Division Representative, Business Agents: Earl Averette, Charlie Alferio, Angel Cantu, Dave Elmore, Dominic Fierro, Daisy Gonzalez, Bob Luciano, Bob McAllister, John Murphy, Justin Muraki, and Dan Stunda.
Negotiation Committee Members: Chris Carouthers, Robert Clever, Dominick DiPaolo, Tommy Esposito, Vinny Graziano, Jack Harran, Craig Larson, Carl Leverson, Mike Meglich, Ralph Salzano, and Audrey Scates and Sean Vernon
Continental participants:
Jeff Wall – Chairman, Joe Ferreira, Benny King, Jim Montgomery, Randy Ramdass, Bob Ruzich, Dave Shotsberger, and Don Wright
Continental Airlines Negotiations Update November 10th (pdf)
The current Teamsters contract for Continental Mechanics and Related workers is amendable at the end of 2008. The union has submitted an initial proposal to the company to begin the negotiating process. Under the Railway Labor Act the current contract remains in force until a new agreement is agreed to and ratified by the members. The initial proposal follows.
September 29th Economic Opening Proposal (pdf file)
September 29th Economic Opening Proposal Wage Appendix (pdf file)
2008 System Board Dates
Pension Reply letter 10/17/2007
Continental Airlines and Pension Credits letter of 5-23-2007
Pension Benefits at a glance
Continental website
