October 2003 - International Brotherhood of Teamsters
October 2003 - International Brotherhood of Teamsters
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 />
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Washington, DC 20001<br />
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