The time between contracts usually ranges between 18 months and three years and is a subject of negotiations. Once you have a union contract, it never expires. It only has amendable dates, which means a contract will stay in place until an amended contract is voted in.
Three of ASA’s employee groups are represented by unions. ASA’s pilots are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). ASA’s flight attendants are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), and ASA’s flight controllers are represented by the Professional Airline Flight Control Association (PAFCA).
eamster dues are paid on a monthly basis and will not be collected until the first contract is negotiated and voted on. Once a contract has been negotiated, Teamster dues are set by our constitution at 2.5 times the base hourly rate of pay for workers earning over eleven dollars an hour and two times the base hourly rate for workers making fewer than eleven dollars an hour. For example, if a member’s base rate pay is $26.50 per hour, their monthly rate will be $66.25. If a worker makes $10.00 an hour, their monthly rate would be $20.00. Members do not pay dues on licenses, shift differentials or any other premium pay. Monthly union dues are the only charge to you from your union. Newly organized members do not pay initiation or any other fees or assessments. Dues will not be charged until workers have voted on and signed there Teamster contract (Collective Bargaining Agreement.) Dues are not charged when workers sign an authorization cards or vote for the Teamsters union in the representation election.
Union dues go directly to fund the operation of your union. The dues from our 1.4 million members funds the negotiation and enforcement of contracts; legal assistance; costs associated with running an office; experts on pensions and other related issues; research and analysis on key workplace issues; costs associated with legislative and regulatory matters; costs of pursuing grievances/arbitrations; organizing expenses; and other expenditures necessary to strongly defend our members and improve their standards in the workplace.
In order to protect our integrity and independence, the Teamsters Union accepts no money from outside sources. The Teamsters Union is funded 100 percent by our members.
Under the Railway Labor Act, the craft or class to which an employee belongs for purposes of selecting a union is determined by the National Mediation Board (NMB). In other words, it is the NMB and the NMB alone that has the final word on which jobs are included within a craft or class and which are not.
With regard to the airline mechanics, in 1964 the NMB appointed a committee of three respected neutrals to determine whether they should constitute their own separate and distinct craft or class or whether they should be included in a larger craft or class of Mechanics and Related Employees. On July 14, 1965, the committee issued a report concluding that the broader craft or class of Mechanics and Related Employees was appropriate. Subsequently, the NMB outlined the functions of the craft or class of Mechanics and Related Employees, in part, as follows:
A. Mechanics who perform maintenance work on aircraft, engine, or accessory equipment.
B. Ground service personnel who perform work generally described as follows: Washing and cleaning airplane, engine and accessory parts in overhaul shops, fueling of aircraft and ground equipment, maintenance of ground and ramp equipment, maintenance of buildings, hangars and related equipment, cleaning and maintaining the interior and exterior of aircraft, servicing and control of cabin service equipment, air conditioning of aircraft, cleaning of airport hangars, building, hangar and ramp equipment.
C. Plant maintenance personnel -- including employees who perform work consisting of repairs, alterations, additions to and maintenance of buildings, hangars, and the repair, maintenance and operation of related equipment including automatic equipment.
The Board further explained, “It is this functional connection between Mechanic classifications and those employees performing related maintenance operations that has historically formed a basis for their identity as a single craft or class.” Id. at 141. Indeed, the NMB has never limited the craft or class of Mechanics and Related Employees to aircraft mechanics alone.
Stock Clerks make up their own craft or class. They are not part of the craft or class of Mechanics and Related Employees. But, that does not mean that stock clerks cannot be organized by the Teamsters. If they sign cards, they will have their own election. ASA stock clerks can be part of the group that is being organized. They can have the same protections as Mechanics and Related Employees and can even be placed under the same contract. Further, they can be part of Teamsters Local Union 528. The only difference is that because stock clerks make up a distinct craft or class according to the NMB, they will have to vote in an election that is separate from the ASA Mechanics and Related Employees’ election.
Stock Clerks are usually called just that, or are sometimes called materials specialists or stores employees. The craft or class is not nearly as large as Mechanics and Related, so it is difficult to say what job titles fall into the craft or class. Essentially, anyone whose function consists of receiving, inspecting, sorting, storing and issuing supplies, parts or tools would be part of the Stock Clerk Craft or Class.
The issue of whether Stock Clerks and Mechanics should constitute a single craft or class for representation purposes under the federal Railway Labor Act (RLA) was considered by the National Mediation Board (NMB) as early as 1948. At Braniff, Stock Clerks and Mechanics worked in adjacent areas in the hangars and much of their work brought them into contact with one another, they had the same shift assignments and lunch periods due to the necessity of having the stockroom in operation at all times when Mechanics are on duty, they were under the same supervision, and Stock Clerks devoted some of their time to Mechanics’ repairing tools. Id. at 462-63. Despite these similarities, the Board found that a single craft or class of Stock Clerks and Mechanics would be inappropriate. Id. at 464.
In the nearly sixty years that have elapsed since the decision in Braniff, the Board has addressed the issue of whether Stock Clerks are separate from Mechanics and Related Employees on numerous occasions and, in each case, determined that Stock Clerks in the airline industry constitute a separate and distinct craft or class. Hence, it is undisputable that “[t]he representation of store employees as a separate craft or class in the airline industry is one that has developed nationally and functionally. It has become such a recognized craft or class that it is ingrained in the labor relations pattern of the industry.” Comair, 9 N.M.B. at 6.
Being a separate craft or class is the same thing as being a separate bargaining unit under the NLRA. It means that the employees voting on union representation are limited to those in the craft or class at issue. The purpose of different crafts or classes is so that employees that share a community of interest can vote together and negotiate a contract together. The explanation contained in the newsletter about the different crafts or classes is exactly right. They negotiate a separate agreement, unless the union and company agree to negotiate a single agreement covering multiple crafts or classes.
We do not pay dues until we negotiate our collective bargaining agreement and the majority of our coworkers vote to accept this as our Teamster contract. Workers will be able to review all tentative agreements made by their elected negotiating committee before voting.
The more support that you and your co-workers show when voting for a union the stronger the message you send to the company that you are united as a work group and you are serious about getting the best CBA possible. This, in most cases, will expedite the time it takes to reach an acceptable agreement with the company.
A collective bargaining agreement is a contract negotiated by the union on behalf of the employees it represents and the company. It is a legally binding document. Once we form our union, we will elect an employee negotiating committee and work with Teamster experts, including a chief negotiator and lawyers, to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement that secures and improves our pay, benefits and working conditions. This process gives us the ability to sit down with management as equals and set forth our views and concerns about work issues. Management cannot change the collective bargaining agreement without getting the approval of the employees. A collective bargaining agreement must be voted on by the workers in order for it to become a final binding contract. The agreement may address issues including the safety, the efficiency of operation, work hours, compensation including benefits and working conditions.
NO! Delta Air Lines has a long-term contract for commuter services with ASA. This contract specifically permits ASA to enter into collective bargaining agreements. Like all legally binding contracts, Delta and ASA are both committed to fulfilling the terms of the contract. When the pilots, flight attendants and flight controllers all formed their unions, Delta did not end their contract with ASA, nor did they cut off any of their flight benefits. In fact, the flight benefits package for the union groups are the same for all ASA employees throughout the company.
No. In fact, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. According to the federal Railway Labor Act (RLA), parties must continue with previously made plans with regard to pay and benefits. A carrier cannot, for example, cancel scheduled pay raises or change pension plans because employees have chosen union representation. Such actions would constitute retaliation against employees for choosing a union, which is illegal under Section 2, Third and Fourth of the RLA.
Of the 1.4 million workers represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, more than 40,000 are in the airline industry. This includes aircraft mechanics, pilots, stock clerks and other air carrier employees. The Teamsters represent more than 18,000 mechanics and related at carriers including: Continental, United Parcel Service (UPS—with the best aviation mechanics contract in the industry), AirTran Airways, Champion Air, Continental Air Micronesia, Express Jet, Frontier Airlines, GE Engine Services, US Airways Piedmont and United. In addition, the Teamsters have active organizing campaigns at FedEx and Atlantic Southeast Airlines.
AMFA's track record is nothing short of a catastrophic failure of such proportions that it degrades not only the job security and standard of living of the members it represents, but that of the mechanics in the industry as a whole. The debacle at Northwest Airlines clearly demonstrates that even though they claim to be a union for aircraft mechanics, they have absolutely no idea how mechanics differ from everyone in the airline industry when it comes to job actions. As a result, they called an ill-timed strike while hundreds of mechanics were waiting in hotels to replace workers. Additionally, they have shown a willingness to negotiate away scope language for short term monetary gains, and fail to enforce the scope language they have.
Even at Southwest Airlines, where there was language in place to bring a heavy check in-house, thereby assuring more jobs into the distant future, they chose to allow SWA to disregard this language in exchange for six months of overtime. At every single carrier AMFA represents, the number of mechanics on the payroll has plummeted. This is due to the combination of two factors. One: AMFA does not understand the nature of the airline industry and the importance of scope language. Two: AMFA does not have the resources or competence to arbitrate contract violations with any consistency, allowing companies to walk over its members at will.
In order to have real power on the job and level the playing field, workers need to have a real union. A real union has political clout; financial power; negotiating power; experts to take on negotiations and representation; and the strength of millions of members. The Teamsters have all of these things. The Teamster finances are rock solid, and with a membership of more than 40,000 in its Airline Division and 1.4 million in the union overall.
AMFA is weak. Its finances are poor, which does not allow for the association to adequately represent the members that it has left. AMFA simply does not have a big enough war chest to take on an industry the size of the airline industry. For instance, just compare the Teamsters’ expenditures for representational activities to AMFA, as reported in the 2007 LM-2. The Teamsters spent $56,700,000; AMFA spent $2,800,000. The Teamsters can spend this much because their net assets the same year were $117,000,000. AMFA’s? $734,000. These figures were also reported prior to AMFA’s loss of United Airlines, thus these numbers overstate AMFA’s financial position.
AMFA’s membership has declined to less than half of what it was a year ago. In addition, AMFA has inadequate staffing, a huge grievance backlog, and junior varsity negotiators who negotiate give-back contracts and have no real plan to fight the outsourcing of our work.
The Teamsters have proven themselves in the strong representation and negotiating successes that have been achieved at dozens of airlines.
Here is a step-by-step guide to forming a union. This guide incorporates both the legal requirements and best practices from the Teamster’s experience.
Step 1: Form an organizing committee.
Forming an organizing committee of workers who can provide leadership to our effort to form a union is an important first step in joining a union. All workers are welcome to join this committee. The main responsibilities of organizing committee members are:
Provide leadership to the campaign to form our union (this effort and our union will be directed by us);
Communicate with coworkers about our effort to build a union;
The organizing committee meets once a week.
Step 2: Determine if there is enough support to move forward.
Reach out and contact a large majority of the workers to see if there is enough interest to form a strong union. We plan on reaching out to at least 80 percent of our coworkers. We are interested in building a STRONG union and can only do so if there is strong support and commitment.
Step 3: Distribute authorization cards.
Distribute sign-on cards called “authorization cards” and obtain signatures from a large majority of the workers. Under the federal Railway Labor Act we only need to get 35 percent of the workers to sign these cards in order to request that the National Mediation Board (NMB--the governmental agency that holds elections in the aviation industry) to hold an election. However, in order to win and have strong union we will NOT request an election until we have collected cards from a large majority of workers.
Step 4: File for the Election with the NMB.
Once we file for the election, we will need to be active in educating our coworkers about the importance and benefits of forming a union. We expect that ASA will fight our effort hard and try and stop our effort and censor our voices. We will run a strong campaign and must stay on the offensive, stand tall and actively reach out to all of our coworkers. The NMB will hold the election within 60-90 days of our initial request for an election.
Step 5: Turnout: making sure everyone votes.
The NMB will set election dates and will mail out ballot instructions to the homes of workers. (It is essential that you make sure that ASA has your correct home address NOW!) The ballot instructions will give us the ability to cast our vote by phone or computer. It is a simple vote taking no more than three minutes. If a worker does not receive balloting instructions, they can request duplicate balloting instructions from the NMB. The NMB generally gives workers a few weeks to cast their ballots. The process is highly secure and there is no chance of fraud. During the voting time period we will need to make sure that all our coworkers vote. This is important because only a vote cast for the union counts as a yes vote. If someone fails to vote for any reason, it counts as a vote against forming a union. For us to form a union, the majority of workers in our craft or class (Mechanics and Related or Stock Clerks and Related) must vote. The vote count is done instantaneously by computer at the NMB offices in Washington, DC.
Step 6: Setting up our union structure and negotiating our first union contract
Once we win the vote, it will be time to set up our union structure and negotiate our first union contract. The Teamsters will work closely with us and provide expertise and resources to get this done. The Teamster Airline Division will provide a lot of information about this step in the future, but for now here are the basic elements:
We will elect shop stewards from among ourselves who will be trained to address workplace grievances, concerns and other issues.
We will reach out to the other ASA unions (pilots, flight attendants and dispatchers) and set up good communication channels with them.
We will set our priorities for workplace changes we’d like to see. Surveys will be distributed and meetings will be scheduled for this purpose. We will come up with a list of proposals covering all aspects of pay, benefits and working conditions that we would like to see addressed by our new union.
We will elect a bargaining committee from among our co-workers who will serve as our representatives at the bargaining table to negotiate our first contract.
Working through the Teamsters, we will request that ASA begin the bargaining process and will submit formal proposals.
Bargaining will begin. Our representatives will sit at the bargaining table and work to bargain our proposals. They will sit as equal partners to management and provide us with a real voice in our pay, benefits and other working conditions.
ASA already bargains union contracts with pilots, flight attendants and dispatchers, so we anticipate that this process will also work for us.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, with 1.4 million members, is one of the largest labor unions in the world. It is also the most diverse union in the U.S.
LOCAL UNIONS
There are over 500 Teamsters local unions across North America. The local unions and their members are the heart and backbone of the union.
Unlike other labor unions, the Teamsters Union is structured to promote strong local unions, and strong local leaders. Since the locals negotiate most Teamsters contracts and provide most of the services to the members, they keep most of the dues money. Locals retain their own expert labor lawyers, certified public accountants, full-time business agents (who handle member grievances and other matters), organizers and clerical staff.
The members of each local elect their own officers, devise their own structure, and vote on their own bylaws, compatible with the International Constitution and Bylaws. While enjoying their independence, the locals benefit from the expertise and assistance of the International Union, and of the various conferences and councils in the union’s structure.
JOINT COUNCILS
Teamsters Joint Councils are set up in areas with three or more local unions. Joint Councils help coordinate Teamsters activities in those areas.
TRADE DIVISIONS AND CONFERENCES
Trade divisions and conferences aid Teamsters leaders throughout the country who share common interests and problems. They provide an informational clearinghouse for locals that negotiate in the same industry or bargain with the same employer.
Local representatives discuss common problems and concerns at regular trade division and conference meetings.
The Airline Division is the division that will work with ASA mechanics, stockroom workers and others. The Airline Division has 40,000 Teamster members in 13 airlines. It is a strong division with expertise on negotiating in the aviation industry and with strong relationships to political leaders who regulate the industry.
INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS
At the union’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., the International Brotherhood of Teamsters supports local unions with:
Coordination of national contract negotiations, political action, and organizing;
Training and educational programs for Teamsters officers, business agents, stewards and members;
Engage in legislative and regulatory work that benefits Teamster members;
Advice and assistance from experienced organizers, negotiators, researchers, pension and other benefit experts, attorneys, safety and health professionals, auditors, and communications specialists.
