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October 2003 - International Brotherhood of Teamsters

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Victory at ABX<br />

World Airways and ABX Air Contracts • Strike Three for Baseball-Style Arbitration<br />

Overtime Victory for Working Families • Security Training for Crewmembers<br />

INSIDE:


Keeping A Close Eye<br />

On the Airlines<br />

A Message from <strong>Teamsters</strong> General President Jim H<strong>of</strong>fa<br />

Workers all over this industry are being asked for pay cuts and other concessions<br />

but one look at the recently negotiated contracts at ABX Air and<br />

World Airways shows that Teamster strength has not diminished.<br />

Better medical coverage, higher wages, unprecedented job protections—<br />

these are some <strong>of</strong> the things we have fought for and won recently and it is up to<br />

all <strong>of</strong> us to hold management to these contracts.<br />

Even though we have settled some major agreements and won some big<br />

fights in Congress over the past few months, there is still much work to be done.<br />

Airlines are still trying to shortchange workers.<br />

This is just one example <strong>of</strong> what lengths management will go to. Rest<br />

assured, the <strong>Teamsters</strong> are keeping an eye on the situation and others like it<br />

and continue to watch out for your interests.<br />

Fraternally,<br />

Table<br />

<strong>of</strong><br />

Contents:<br />

Airline Roundup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1<br />

Never a Dull Moment at Continental<br />

A Watchful Eye on G.E.<br />

Allied Arbitration Achievement<br />

US Air Workers Reach Tentative Agreement<br />

Hawaiian <strong>Teamsters</strong> Ratify Airline Contract<br />

Twice as Nice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4<br />

Airline Legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6<br />

Strike Three for Baseball-Style Arbitration<br />

Teamster Tells Congress: “Arm Pilots”<br />

Supplemental Cargo Carriers Find Niche . . . . . . . . . . . .8<br />

Working Families Victorious in Senate on Overtime . . . . .9<br />

Safety and Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10<br />

Airlines Reject Security Training for Crewmembers


Joining Forces<br />

A Message from <strong>Teamsters</strong> Airline Division Director Don Treichler<br />

The <strong>Teamsters</strong> Airline Division has<br />

been busy dealing with the myriad<br />

threats to airline workers. Through our<br />

lobbying efforts and our association<br />

with other unions, many <strong>of</strong> those<br />

threats are being defeated.<br />

One example is baseball-style<br />

arbitration, something we have been<br />

lobbying against for quite some time.<br />

Another is a loophole we are trying to<br />

close that allows maintenance bases<br />

overseas to not be held to the same<br />

standards as maintenance bases within this country.<br />

Our association with other airline mechanic unions<br />

has helped in our lobbying efforts on these issues. In<br />

order to better respond to mounting threats to aviation<br />

security, the AFL-CIO’s three mechanics unions, under the<br />

auspices <strong>of</strong> the Transportation Trades Department, formed<br />

the Aircraft Mechanics Mobilization Committee.<br />

With us, the Transport Workers and Machinists will<br />

develop strategies to put a stop to management’s efforts<br />

to outsource aircraft maintenance to overseas facilities<br />

and countless other issues.<br />

Back to School<br />

with the <strong>Teamsters</strong><br />

James R. H<strong>of</strong>fa Scholarship Awards 75 Students<br />

For more information on the<br />

<strong>Teamsters</strong> Airline Division, contact:<br />

Don Treichler, Director: 202-624-6848<br />

Victoria Gray, <strong>International</strong> Representative: 800-635-3961<br />

Nancy Garcia, <strong>International</strong> Representative specializing in<br />

Health and Safety Issues: 800-635-3961<br />

Is Your Information Up-To-Date<br />

For those who did not receive this Journal in the mail at<br />

home, please get in touch with your local and make sure<br />

they have the proper information about your address, where<br />

you work and your craft and class.<br />

Airline Journal is the <strong>of</strong>ficial publication<br />

<strong>of</strong> the Airline Division <strong>of</strong> the<br />

<strong>International</strong> <strong>Brotherhood</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Teamsters</strong>,<br />

25 Louisiana Avenue, N.W.,<br />

Washington, D.C. 20001-2198. It is published quarterly for<br />

<strong>Teamsters</strong> working under the Railway Labor Act, including dispatchers,<br />

customer service representatives, flight attendants, aircraft<br />

maintenance technicians and related crafts, stock clerks, customer<br />

service and ramp personnel, pilots and flight engineers, other<br />

groups such as the AIRNC personnel and all crafts and classes in<br />

the railroad industry.<br />

Thousands <strong>of</strong> students honored the<br />

memory <strong>of</strong> labor pioneer James R.<br />

H<strong>of</strong>fa by applying for a scholarship<br />

that bears his name. The 75 scholarship<br />

winners will use the money to<br />

further their education, as well as<br />

the legacy <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Teamsters</strong>.<br />

“The Teamster tradition <strong>of</strong> assisting<br />

working families lives on through<br />

this scholarship,” said <strong>Teamsters</strong><br />

General President James P. H<strong>of</strong>fa.<br />

“My father would be proud to have<br />

his name associated with such an<br />

important cause.”<br />

Applicants compete in one <strong>of</strong> the five geographic<br />

regions where the Teamster parent’s local union is located.<br />

Twenty-five <strong>of</strong> the awards total $10,000 each. Fifty <strong>of</strong><br />

the awards are one-time grants <strong>of</strong> $1,000. The scholarships<br />

are disbursed to the college or university at the<br />

beginning <strong>of</strong> the recipient’s freshman year.<br />

Funding for the scholarship program comes from the<br />

James R. H<strong>of</strong>fa Memorial Scholarship Golf Tournament,<br />

donations and the sale <strong>of</strong> merchandise like a scale model<br />

truck, Teamster jeans, t-shirts and denim jackets.<br />

Information on how to support the scholarship can be<br />

found on the Internet at www.teamster.org.<br />

November <strong>2003</strong> / VOLUME 1, NO. 3<br />

November <strong>2003</strong> <strong>Teamsters</strong> Airline Journal 1


Airline Roundup<br />

Never a Dull Moment<br />

at Continental<br />

Ongoing Activities with Mechanics<br />

Keeps Representation Strong<br />

Representation for mechanics and related workers at<br />

Continental Airlines is a microcosm <strong>of</strong> Teamster<br />

Representation. In the past few months, members have<br />

received continuing education and training, there has<br />

been ongoing political action, shareholder accomplishments,<br />

and ongoing contract enforcement and improvements.<br />

Contract Activities: The <strong>Teamsters</strong> Airline Division is currently<br />

surveying the mechanic and related worker bargaining<br />

unit at Continental for the contract reopener.<br />

During their last contract negotiations, the workers kept<br />

open their right to press for better pay when the company<br />

and the industry is doing better. The contract will be<br />

reopened in <strong>October</strong>, <strong>2003</strong>.<br />

Training: Over the past several months, rank-and-file<br />

stewards and activists at Continental and ExpressJet,<br />

also called Continental Express, have been receiving<br />

training in contract negotiations and the roles <strong>of</strong> the steward.<br />

The latter training focuses on leadership, communication,<br />

roles and responsibilities <strong>of</strong> the steward and a<br />

primer on the<br />

Railway Labor Act.<br />

“These trainings<br />

taught our rank-andfile<br />

how unions really<br />

work,” said Lori<br />

Frascone, business<br />

agent for the<br />

ExpressJet members<br />

<strong>of</strong> Local 19 in Texas.<br />

“The seminars<br />

helped the members<br />

to understand the<br />

importance <strong>of</strong> having<br />

a union and to show<br />

system-wide solidarity<br />

throughout the collective bargaining process and during<br />

the term <strong>of</strong> the contract.”<br />

Shareholder Activity: At the Continental shareholder<br />

meeting in June, Teamster members were there to question<br />

potential conflicts <strong>of</strong> interest from Board members,<br />

especially those <strong>of</strong> Director David Bonderman.<br />

Bonderman is the President <strong>of</strong> the Texas Pacific Group,<br />

which once was the principal shareowner <strong>of</strong> Continental<br />

and now controls competitor America West Airlines.<br />

Continental mechanic shareholders, represented by<br />

the <strong>Teamsters</strong>, led the shareholder outcry.<br />

“What we asked for were assurances that our Board<br />

was not aiding competitor airlines,” said Robert Rausch,<br />

Continental mechanic shareholder and <strong>Teamsters</strong> Local<br />

19 representative. “We are on the front lines every day<br />

working to protect our airline in a flailing economy. I don’t<br />

believe saving our competition helps Continental workers<br />

or shareholders.”<br />

A Watchful Eye on G.E.<br />

Local 19 Nabs Three Important Victories<br />

Local 19 has been relentless in their pursuit <strong>of</strong> arbitrations<br />

and the results have been showing up all over the local.<br />

One <strong>of</strong> the bargaining units that has benefited most from<br />

these victories has been the workers at the General<br />

Electric Engine Systems plant in Dallas.<br />

“We’ve had some huge victories lately,” said Chris<br />

Goewey, business agent with Local 19. “The three we<br />

recently had at G.E. Engine Systems have been important<br />

ones.”<br />

Phil Vaughan, an airline engine mechanic, was unfairly<br />

fired and the <strong>Teamsters</strong>, through arbitration, got him his<br />

job back and had the company pay his back wages and<br />

benefits to the tune <strong>of</strong> almost $50,000. The company<br />

unfairly suspended John Bushong, another Teamster with<br />

G.E. Engine Systems. Through arbitration, his employer<br />

had to make him whole for the lost pay as well.<br />

“Local 19 took on General Electric, fought hard for us<br />

and won,” Vaughan said. “When management does something<br />

wrong, the <strong>Teamsters</strong> don’t sit by and let them get<br />

away with it.”<br />

2 <strong>Teamsters</strong> Airline Journal November <strong>2003</strong>


And they’re still at it. Recently, the local settled 16 grievances<br />

for G.E. Engine Systems workers.<br />

“Management was doing their job for them so we filed<br />

grievances,” Goewey said. “We settled it and all 16 members<br />

are getting paid for 36 hours <strong>of</strong> work because <strong>of</strong> what<br />

management did. It comes to more than $10,000 for the<br />

group.”<br />

There are more than 200 members in the bargaining<br />

unit who are mechanics, machinists and quality control personnel.<br />

The aircraft engines they rebuild are key to the safe<br />

transit <strong>of</strong> passengers, crew and cargo all over the world.<br />

Allied Arbitration<br />

Achievement<br />

Arbitrator Sides with Local 618 Workers<br />

Fuel workers with Allied Aviation won an arbitration victory<br />

that resulted in an award <strong>of</strong> more than $3,000 in back<br />

pay in May, <strong>2003</strong>. The 24 workers affected are members <strong>of</strong><br />

Local 618 in St. Louis and work at the Lambert-St. Louis<br />

<strong>International</strong> Airport. The dispute arose from contract interpretation<br />

and how holiday pay works. The matter was<br />

turned over to an arbitrator who ruled in favor <strong>of</strong> the workers.<br />

“The workers were pleased with the ruling because it<br />

was a clear-cut case where Allied was wrong,” said Dan<br />

Heumann, Vice President and Business Agent <strong>of</strong> Local 618.<br />

US Air Workers<br />

Reach Tentative Agreement<br />

<strong>Teamsters</strong> to Vote on Six-Year Contract<br />

by End <strong>of</strong> <strong>October</strong><br />

After a protracted bargaining process, the <strong>Teamsters</strong> at a<br />

US Airways subsidiary, P.S.A., have reached a six-year tentative<br />

agreement with their employer.<br />

The negotiations took 20 months but the results were<br />

worth the wait for the nearly 1,000 fleet and service workers<br />

that include baggage handlers, ticket and gate agents.<br />

“It’s a very good contract. We didn’t accept any concessions,”<br />

said Charlie Byrnes, Chairman <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Teamsters</strong><br />

P.S.A. Negotiating Committee and Secretary-Treasurer <strong>of</strong><br />

Local 926 in Pittsburgh. “The tentative agreement will provide<br />

some <strong>of</strong> the highest wages in the express airline industry.”<br />

In the tentative agreement, the bargaining committee<br />

managed to work out many issues that part-time workers<br />

had with their employer, as well as getting double-time for<br />

workers doing anything in excess <strong>of</strong> 56 hours.<br />

“We got just about everything we wanted in the contract,<br />

including extra vacation for some <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Teamsters</strong>,”<br />

Byrnes said. “For an airline that just came out <strong>of</strong> bankruptcy,<br />

this is an amazing contract.”<br />

Hawaiian <strong>Teamsters</strong><br />

Ratify Airline Contract<br />

Local 996 Delivers for Aloha Island Air Workers<br />

“Aloha” may mean both hello and goodbye in Hawaii, but<br />

for a group <strong>of</strong> <strong>Teamsters</strong> at Local 996, it now also means<br />

“great contract.”<br />

An overwhelming majority <strong>of</strong> <strong>Teamsters</strong> at Aloha Island<br />

Air voted to ratify a tentative agreement with their employer.<br />

The 83 members <strong>of</strong> the bargaining unit work as customer<br />

service agents, flight attendants, fuelers and ramp workers.<br />

The four-year agreement was ratified by 85 percent <strong>of</strong><br />

those voting on Friday, July 25.<br />

“The members stayed unified during the negotiations<br />

for this contract and it shows,” said Ron Kozuma, Secretary-<br />

Treasurer <strong>of</strong> Local 996 in Honolulu, Hawaii. “There are plenty<br />

<strong>of</strong> positive facets to this agreement.”<br />

Highlights <strong>of</strong> the contract include:<br />

✶ Pay increases every year <strong>of</strong> the contract;<br />

✶<br />

✶<br />

✶<br />

A legitimate grievance procedure;<br />

More sick leave with an increased vacation incentive;<br />

and<br />

Full medical benefits.<br />

November <strong>2003</strong> <strong>Teamsters</strong> Airline Journal 3


Twice<br />

asNice<br />

asNice<br />

Two Key Agreements Reached Within Two Weeks<br />

If you read the papers or watch the news, you know the airline<br />

industry is in trouble. Furloughs are happening all over the place,<br />

wages are being cut and airlines are pleading poverty—which is<br />

why two new contracts at Teamster-represented airlines are nothing<br />

short <strong>of</strong> remarkable.<br />

Flight deck crewmembers with ABX<br />

Air ratified an agreement between<br />

their employer and <strong>Teamsters</strong><br />

Local 1224, which represents the<br />

nearly 800 workers in the<br />

bargaining unit. The contract<br />

greatly improves their scope<br />

language and job protections,<br />

gives them a signing bonus and<br />

significant wage increases.<br />

Flight attendants represented<br />

by Local 210 have also ratified a<br />

contract with World Airways. Under<br />

the agreement, the nearly 500 flight<br />

attendants would get higher pay,<br />

better health coverage and other<br />

benefits.<br />

“Both <strong>of</strong> these contracts are<br />

impressive given the current state<br />

<strong>of</strong> the airline industry,” said Don<br />

Treichler, Director <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Teamsters</strong><br />

Airline Division. “Through good<br />

communication and strong<br />

bargaining, we achieved these<br />

contracts.”<br />

ABX Air Contract<br />

“The negotiating team did a<br />

tremendous job with the situation<br />

they were working with,” said Capt.<br />

John Grehan, a member <strong>of</strong> the TA<br />

Ratification Committee and ABX<br />

4 <strong>Teamsters</strong> Airline Journal November <strong>2003</strong>


pilot. “I believe the support <strong>of</strong><br />

the membership for this<br />

agreement shows that the<br />

members understand the<br />

importance <strong>of</strong> having that<br />

language in place.”<br />

ABX Air flight deck<br />

crewmembers also had touchy<br />

negotiations, but a tentative<br />

agreement was reached in<br />

early August, voting took place<br />

the following week and the<br />

agreement was ratified with 95<br />

percent <strong>of</strong> the vote.<br />

“The biggest issue we had<br />

was scope and successorship<br />

language and that has been<br />

taken care <strong>of</strong> in this<br />

agreement,” said Dan Graves,<br />

Secretary-Treasurer <strong>of</strong> Local<br />

1224, based in Wilmington,<br />

Ohio. “This language helps<br />

secure the future <strong>of</strong> our flight<br />

deck crewmembers, who will<br />

go with the airline in the event<br />

<strong>of</strong> any kind <strong>of</strong> acquisition.”<br />

World Airways Contract<br />

“I have tons <strong>of</strong> friends at<br />

other airlines and they’re all<br />

getting pay cuts,” said Julio<br />

“<br />

Feliciano, a World Airways flight attendant Teamster<br />

for the last 11 years. “We’re getting increases.”<br />

The three-year tentative agreement was settled<br />

on only after contentious negotiations that have<br />

been in mediation since March 15, 2002. In<br />

September, the bargaining unit accepted the<br />

agreement by a vote <strong>of</strong> 303-to-20.<br />

“We fought hard for this contract that includes<br />

provisions these workers have needed,” said<br />

Cynthia de Figueiredo, business agent for Local 210.<br />

“This contract is a great thing for us. The best<br />

aspects <strong>of</strong> the contract are the improved medical<br />

plan, crew rest seats and new bidding system,” said<br />

Margo Brady, a Teamster flight attendant with the<br />

airline for 36 years. “We also held onto our scope<br />

Both <strong>of</strong> these contracts are<br />

impressive given the current<br />

state <strong>of</strong> the airline industry<br />

—Don Treichler<br />

Director, <strong>Teamsters</strong> Airline Division<br />

“<br />

language, duty day and<br />

pension—which is no<br />

small thing.”<br />

“We were one <strong>of</strong><br />

the first airline flight<br />

attendant groups to go<br />

with the <strong>Teamsters</strong> and<br />

it has paid <strong>of</strong>f again,” Brady said. “The <strong>Teamsters</strong> are<br />

able to give us good representation because they<br />

have members in all walks <strong>of</strong> life that can stop an<br />

airplane if they have to.”<br />

November <strong>2003</strong> <strong>Teamsters</strong> Airline Journal 5


Airline Legislation<br />

Strike Three for<br />

Baseball-Style Arbitration<br />

Airline Industry Tells CESTA to Get Lost<br />

Enough strikes have been called against baseballstyle<br />

arbitration by organized labor. For the time being,<br />

they’re benched on the sidelines unless airline management<br />

gets greedy enough to call them back.<br />

On July 10, <strong>2003</strong>, the Bloomberg news service reported<br />

that airlines in the United States have “halted a campaign for<br />

legislation to require settlement <strong>of</strong> airline labor disputes in binding<br />

arbitration.”<br />

The main group lobbying for baseball-style arbitration has<br />

been Communities for Economic Strength Through Aviation<br />

(CESTA). Through pressure from the <strong>Teamsters</strong> Union and other AFL-<br />

CIO affiliated unions, airlines have slowly been withdrawing their<br />

support from this group.<br />

As the strikes were growing against CESTA, airlines began to withdraw<br />

their financial support.<br />

Strike One: Baseball-style arbitration will destroy the ability <strong>of</strong> airline<br />

employees to negotiate a fair contract.<br />

Strike Two: The proposal would make it easier for airlines to win wage and work-rule<br />

concessions, thereby driving down wages and benefits for all workers in the industry.<br />

Strike Three: Airlines have been laying <strong>of</strong>f workers under the guise <strong>of</strong> having no money.<br />

These same airlines then turn around and pay themselves millions in bonuses and also<br />

finance this anti-worker campaign overseen by a team <strong>of</strong> high-paid Washington lobbyists.<br />

These are only a few <strong>of</strong> the strikes against this terrible idea, but at least the main sponsors<br />

<strong>of</strong> CESTA are pulling out for now.<br />

On June 20, <strong>2003</strong>, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported: “With airlines enlisting labor<br />

unions in their struggle to stem massive losses, the industry has quietly dropped an effort to<br />

revamp labor law to prohibit airline unions from going on strike.”<br />

“A lobbying group created by the industry last year to oversee its campaign has been put<br />

on hiatus,” the story continues.<br />

Baseball-Style Arbitration Q & A<br />

Question and Answer with <strong>Teamsters</strong> Legislative Coordinator Fred McLuckie <strong>of</strong><br />

the Government Affairs Department<br />

Q. What is going on with “baseball-style arbitration” right<br />

now<br />

A. Nothing. Labor put on a full court press to make it clear to Congress that baseball-style<br />

arbitration was a non-starter. We also made it clear to the airlines that if they wanted our<br />

6 <strong>Teamsters</strong> Airline Journal November <strong>2003</strong>


help in securing government funding for security and<br />

other related costs that they had to back <strong>of</strong>f support <strong>of</strong><br />

legislation that would take away our collective bargaining<br />

rights. We also attacked the issue on a political<br />

front—boycotting political fundraising events sponsored<br />

by lobbyists, and in some cases, former members<br />

<strong>of</strong> Congress who had received labor support in<br />

the past. It’s my understanding that the entire CESTA<br />

campaign has been taken down.<br />

Q. Is this something that workers in the<br />

airline industry should stop worrying<br />

about<br />

A. No. We have to be vigilant. There are powerful members<br />

<strong>of</strong> Congress who are not airline worker friendly.<br />

Given the chance, they will revive this issue when they<br />

think the time is right.<br />

Q. What part did the <strong>Teamsters</strong> play in<br />

thwarting this attempt to rob airline<br />

workers <strong>of</strong> their rights<br />

A. We were in the thick <strong>of</strong> the fight. General President<br />

H<strong>of</strong>fa made several Capitol Hill visits to members <strong>of</strong><br />

Congress. We cranked up our field operation and got<br />

Teamster members to call, write, visit and e-mail their<br />

Representatives and Senators.<br />

Q. What are the other big issues the<br />

<strong>Teamsters</strong> are tackling for airline<br />

workers on the legislative front<br />

A. Security training for flight attendants; closing the gaps<br />

in security for cargo airlines and pilots; assuring that<br />

airline workers get the due process, privacy and confidentiality<br />

protections they deserve when they undergo<br />

criminal background checks; flight attendant certification;<br />

preventing cabotage (point-to-point delivery in the<br />

U.S.) for air cargo; requiring foreign repair stations to<br />

meet the same safety requirements (including drug and<br />

alcohol testing) that U.S. stations do.<br />

Teamster Tells Congress:<br />

“Arm Cargo Pilots”<br />

Local 1224 Secretary-Treasurer<br />

Testified Before Aviation<br />

Subcommittee<br />

A dangerous loophole was left in<br />

legislation arming airline pilots<br />

that left thousands <strong>of</strong> planes vulnerable<br />

to terrorism. As a result,<br />

the <strong>Teamsters</strong> have been lobbying<br />

Congress to arm cargo pilots.<br />

Last year, Congress voted in<br />

favor <strong>of</strong> allowing passenger and<br />

cargo pilots to voluntarily be<br />

armed to defend the cockpit. But<br />

in conference at the 11th hour,<br />

cargo pilots were left out <strong>of</strong> the legislation, leaving a<br />

gaping hole in a layer <strong>of</strong> national security.<br />

Dan Graves, Secretary-Treasurer <strong>of</strong> Local 1224 in<br />

Wilmington, Ohio, testified on May 8, <strong>2003</strong> before<br />

the House Aviation Subcommittee in favor <strong>of</strong> arming<br />

the cargo pilots.<br />

“This is not a labor issue or a company policy<br />

issue; this is an issue <strong>of</strong> national security,” Graves<br />

said. “And you, as members <strong>of</strong> Congress, are compelled<br />

to protect the American people on the ground,<br />

not just the passenger customers, from these airplanes.”<br />

As a result <strong>of</strong> his testimony and further lobbying,<br />

the legislation, part <strong>of</strong> the FAA Reauthorization Bill,<br />

has passed the Senate and House <strong>of</strong> Representatives,<br />

as well as a conference committee. The House and<br />

Senate will deliver a final vote after the August<br />

recess.<br />

“Unlike passenger aircraft, cargo aircraft do not<br />

have Federal Air Marshals, trained cabin crew, or<br />

determined passengers to run interference should an<br />

attack occur. Cargo planes also do not have reinforced<br />

cockpit doors or screens to monitor what’s<br />

happening in the back <strong>of</strong> the aircraft,” Graves said.<br />

He testified that cargo pilots are “inherently more vulnerable<br />

to hijacking, so it is imperative that we be<br />

armed to defend not just ourselves but American citizens<br />

on the ground.”<br />

With new warnings <strong>of</strong> hijackings, Congress<br />

should pay special attention to the legislation at<br />

hand.<br />

November <strong>2003</strong> <strong>Teamsters</strong> Airline Journal 7


Supplemental and Cargo Carriers Find Niche<br />

Teamster Representation <strong>of</strong> Supplemental and Cargo Carriers<br />

Gaining Ground<br />

By Don Treichler<br />

Teamster-represented carriers are divided between major<br />

passenger carriers, fractional jets, regional carriers, and<br />

supplemental and cargo carriers. The latter category<br />

invariably operates under supplemental rules. Several <strong>of</strong><br />

our represented groups fall into this category. Among<br />

these supplementals are ABX Air, Air Transport<br />

<strong>International</strong>, Arrow Air, Centurion Air Cargo, Kalitta Air,<br />

UPS, USA 3000, World Airways, and Zantop. Members<br />

represented at these carriers vary from pilots and flight<br />

engineers, to mechanics, flight attendants and dispatchers.<br />

The ABX Air crewmembers engage in the business <strong>of</strong><br />

small package carriage. Because <strong>of</strong> the DHL/Airborne<br />

merger and the intended spin <strong>of</strong>f <strong>of</strong> the air carrier, the<br />

combined operation will become the third largest domestic<br />

package carrier and a sizeable force worldwide in competition<br />

with FedEx and UPS. It operates a sizeable sort center<br />

in Wilmington, Ohio out <strong>of</strong> its privately owned airfield.<br />

UPS, another Teamster-represented cargo carrier, is one <strong>of</strong><br />

the two largest small parcel carriers.<br />

Air Transport <strong>International</strong> (ATI) transports both passengers<br />

and cargo. Its DC-8 fleet is operated worldwide.<br />

Arrow Air also operates DC-8’s in addition to L-1011’s. Its<br />

principal focus, however, is on South American cargo<br />

operations and it also operates a sort center in Miami that<br />

targets the fresh cut flower market. Centurion Air Cargo<br />

also competes in the South American cargo market. Kalitta<br />

Air carries cargo worldwide. Zantop carries cargo in the<br />

mid-American domestic market.<br />

USA 3000 organized in 2002 and currently is negotiating<br />

its first collective bargaining agreement. It operates<br />

charter and scheduled flights domestically and internationally.<br />

These supplemental carriers constitute a fundamental<br />

component <strong>of</strong> the U.S. air transportation system. Several<br />

<strong>of</strong> these carriers participate in the U.S. Civil Reserve Air<br />

Fleet (CRAF) program—some on a year-round basis and<br />

others when called during times <strong>of</strong> national emergency.<br />

Several <strong>of</strong> these carriers participated in the recent Middle<br />

East conflict in support <strong>of</strong> our armed forces. World<br />

Airways, among others, continue such support today.<br />

Others continue such support today. These carriers seek<br />

their particular industry<br />

niches that provide<br />

them growth opportunity<br />

in the marketplace.<br />

Such niches vary from<br />

passenger charters to<br />

small market scheduled<br />

passenger operations<br />

to small parcel cargo to<br />

large lift cargo.<br />

Not unlike the major<br />

air carriers, supplementals<br />

and cargo carriers<br />

have been under stress<br />

from the effects <strong>of</strong><br />

September 11, a cargo<br />

recession, the loss <strong>of</strong><br />

market return following recent conflicts, and events such<br />

as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Despite<br />

such challenges, these carriers have continued to function,<br />

<strong>of</strong>ten with less adverse effect than that experienced<br />

by the major air carriers. Future success for these carriers<br />

and our members will depend on their ability to identify<br />

and expand dependable market niches that allow them to<br />

prosper and grow.<br />

Over the years, the <strong>Teamsters</strong> have negotiated industry-leading<br />

contracts for these transportation sectors. Now,<br />

the function <strong>of</strong> elected employees and the Union, on<br />

behalf <strong>of</strong> members, is to avoid erosion <strong>of</strong> the improvements<br />

already negotiated while seeking language to<br />

improve future workplace and family security.


Safety and Health<br />

Airlines Reject Security Training for Crewmembers<br />

Much-Needed Training Devalued by Airlines<br />

By Nancy Garcia, <strong>International</strong> Representative<br />

Flight attendants and flight deck crew don’t have an option when it comes to dealing with an<br />

emergency situation onboard an aircraft, whether it be fighting a fire in the cabin, aborting a<br />

take<strong>of</strong>f, opening an emergency exit or operating a defibrillator to save a passenger having a<br />

heart attack. Nor do they have the choice <strong>of</strong> opting out <strong>of</strong> emergency training, including<br />

hands-on or simulator training.<br />

The airlines, however, want flight attendants and pilots to be able to opt out <strong>of</strong> another<br />

type <strong>of</strong> training that will protect passengers and their own safety—crew<br />

security training.<br />

They have<br />

apparently<br />

forgotten all<br />

about September<br />

11 and why they<br />

just received $2.9<br />

billion from the<br />

federal<br />

government for<br />

security costs.<br />

Airlines have been lobbying Congress to make crew security<br />

training voluntary. They also want it to be unpaid and taken<br />

on the crewmembers own time. They have apparently forgotten<br />

all about September 11 and why they just received $2.9 billion<br />

from the federal government for security costs. With pilots<br />

locked behind the reinforced door and flight attendants left<br />

alone in the cabin to respond to a threat, crews need training to<br />

coordinate an appropriate response and flight attendants need<br />

additional training to defend themselves and their passengers.<br />

In mid-June, air carriers and the Air Transport Association<br />

(a trade organization made up <strong>of</strong> about 30 airlines) were successful<br />

in having an amendment attached to the Federal<br />

Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act in the House<br />

that would weaken previously legislated security training<br />

requirements. This amendment was not included in the companion<br />

Senate Bill, therefore a Congressional Conference<br />

Committee met in July to work out compromise language.<br />

Unfortunately, the Conference Committee was unable to<br />

work out a compromise. Democrats on the Committee thought<br />

they would be negotiating a bipartisan report to reauthorize<br />

aviation programs, but when they got to the conference meeting,<br />

they found that Republicans purposely scheduled it at a time to prevent little or no debate<br />

on a report that bore little resemblance to either the House or Senate bills on several important<br />

provisions. The Democrats refused to sign the Conference Report, but it will, nonetheless,<br />

go to the floors <strong>of</strong> both the Senate and the House for a vote.<br />

The Conference Report guts the mandatory cabin crew security training requirements,<br />

making the training voluntary—all at a time when U.S. intelligence agencies are warning <strong>of</strong><br />

plans by the al Qaeda terrorist network to hijack more U.S. planes. The conference report further<br />

jeopardizes aviation safety by allowing the privatization <strong>of</strong> our air traffic control system. It<br />

also grants foreign cargo carriers a special interest exemption to evade cabotage laws by<br />

allowing point-to-point domestic service between Anchorage, Alaska and the lower 48 states.<br />

The Airline Division and the IBT Government Affairs Department are working diligently to<br />

defeat the Conference Report and to ensure that security training remains mandatory and that<br />

it includes the program elements necessary to prepare all crewmembers to respond to any<br />

level <strong>of</strong> threat on an aircraft. Their lives, and the lives <strong>of</strong> their passengers may depend on it.<br />

We will not let the air carriers and our legislators forget 9/11 and the lives <strong>of</strong> our fellow airline<br />

employees lost that day.<br />

8 <strong>Teamsters</strong> Airline Journal November <strong>2003</strong>


<strong>International</strong> <strong>Brotherhood</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Teamsters</strong><br />

Airline Division: Who We Represent<br />

AVIATION<br />

Air Canada<br />

ABX Air<br />

Air India<br />

Air Portugal<br />

Airport Group<br />

Aloha Island Air<br />

America West<br />

Allegheny – US Airways<br />

Air Tran<br />

Air Transport <strong>International</strong><br />

ARINC<br />

Arrow Air<br />

C.C. Air<br />

Centurion Air Cargo<br />

Champion Air<br />

Chautauqua<br />

Comair<br />

Continental Airlines<br />

Continental (Air Micronesia)<br />

Continental Express Jet<br />

DHL<br />

Dalfort<br />

Dispatchers Service<br />

NetJets<br />

Express One<br />

Frontier Airline<br />

GE Engine Services<br />

Grand Aire Express<br />

Great Lakes Aviation<br />

Gulfstream <strong>International</strong><br />

Hacor <strong>International</strong><br />

Horizon Air<br />

Kalitta Air<br />

Kuehne & Nagel Air Freight<br />

LACSA<br />

Northwest Airlines<br />

Pakistan Airlines<br />

PSA – US Airways<br />

Ross Aviation<br />

Signature Flight Support<br />

Shuttle America<br />

Southern Air Transport<br />

Southwest Airlines<br />

Sun Country<br />

Trans States<br />

Triangle Aviation Services<br />

UPS<br />

UPS Challenge Air<br />

USA 3000<br />

World Airways<br />

Worldwide Security<br />

World Service Inflight<br />

Zantop<br />

RAILWAY<br />

Pacific & Artic Railroad<br />

Holland America West Tours<br />

Airline Division<br />

<strong>International</strong> <strong>Brotherhood</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Teamsters</strong><br />

25 Louisiana Avenue, NW<br />

Washington, DC 20001<br />

Non-Pr<strong>of</strong>it<br />

U.S. Postage<br />

PAID<br />

Washington, DC<br />

Permit #4481

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