Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Airline Industry News Feeds (RSS) Minimize
Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:50:25 +0000 -
Seattle Port Strike Challenges “Independent Contractor” Lie
by David Bacon SEATTLE-Employers say they’re “independent contractors.” Drivers call that a legal trick to deny them their rights-a nice-sounding label obscuring an ugly reality.For two weeks in February, this argument raged at terminal gates in the ports of Seattle and Tacoma. Hundreds of truckers, who normally ferry huge shipping containers from dockside to waiting [...]
Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:27:57 +0000 -
Why Should Anti-Choice and Anti-Gay Groups Have More Right to Boycott and Picket Than Unions?
by Josh Eidelson The Komen controversy showed the brilliance of ‘secondary boycotts’—and the injustice of punishing unions for using the same tactics When news broke that the Susan G. Komen Foundation would cease funding Planned Parenthood, the backlash was fast, furious, and gratifying.  Within days, Komen apologized and promised that Planned Parenthood could receive future [...]
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:34:54 +0000 -
Did Apple Supplier Foxconn Raise Wages in China Because of International Pressure?
 by Paul Garver It was gratifying to read in the New York Times article of 18 February that Apple supplier Foxconn had sharply increased salaries at its plants in China in response to pressures from workers, international markets and concerns among Western consumers about working conditions.  According to MIT economist David Autor, capitalism is supposed [...]
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:14:28 +0000 -
Fair Labor Association Waters Down Violations at Foxconn
  by Debby Chan Owing to escalating pressure on Apple from consumers, computer giant Apple Inc. recently purchased a membership in the Fair Labour Association (FLA). The group began factory inspections at Apple suppliers last week. After one week of research, on 15 February, the president of the FLA, Auret van Heerden, praised the working [...]
Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:14:20 +0000 -
Join Occupy College Teach-Ins
by  Liz Shuler On more than 120 college and university campuses around the nation, Occupy College activists will hold teach-instomorrow and Thursday focusing on vital education issues such as solutions to soaring student debt, reducing the cost of education, improving the quality of education and more. The teach-ins are in preparation the March 1 National [...]
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:07:10 +0000 -
UE’s Chris Townsend Defends Unions, Analyzes Labor’s Political Dilemma
Chris Townsned, Political Action Director for the United Electrical Workers Union (UE), appeared on the February 17 “Inside Job.” Townsend not only did a great job defending unions, but had some very interesting things to say about the dilemma facing the labor movement when one party seems bent on destroying union and the other is [...]
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:46:48 +0000 -
Occupy! At CPAC
by Jo Freeman Occupy! was a pervasive presence at the 39th annual Conservative Political Action Conference, held in Washington, D.C. on February 9-11. In his kick-off speech on Thursday, Al Cardenas, chairman of the American Conservative Union which sponsors CPAC, gave the movement five paragraphs. [see sidebar] Seven minutes into Sarah Palin’s closing speech on [...]
Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:25:38 +0000 -
AFSCME & SEIU Could See Leadership Shakeups this Summer
by Mike Elk AFSCME showdown certain and SEIU challengers rumored, as union conventions approach This summer could offer some of the biggest union leadership shake-ups in the recent history of the labor movement. The incumbent leadership teams of two of the nation’s largest and most politically active unions—the Service Employees International union (SEIU) and the public employees [...]
Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:25:11 +0000 -
The Fair Labor Association Will Audit Apple Factories in China – So What?
by Paul Garver  When I read the otherwise well researched feature story in the New York Times, in which Apple announced it would have the Fair Labor Association audit the factories of its suppliers, I noted the absence of comment by the Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM).  Hong Kong-based SACOM has been the [...]
Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:34:20 +0000 -
Occupy Atlanta Activists Arrested Supporting Union Telephone Workers
Thirteen persons from Occupy Atlanta, Atlanta Jobs with Justice, and Communications Workers of America, including four members of Atlanta DSA, were arrested on Monday 13 February after sitting in at AT&T’s Atlanta headquarters.  They were protesting the company’s recent announcement of 740 planned layoffs after boasting of record profits and paying their CEO $27 million in 2011. [...]
Feb 14 2012 -
Labor Union to Suggest Alternatives to AMR Cost Cuts
(Reuters) - The union representing seven categories of ground workers at bankrupt American Airlines will offer alternatives to some of the job cuts and concessions the company says it needs to survive, the head of the Transport Workers Union said on Tuesday. TWU has asked American's parent company AMR Corp for details on how it arrived at the cost-savings targets it unveiled this month when it said it planned to eliminate 13,000 jobs and terminate pensions. Union president James Little told Reuters in an interview the union hopes to draw on the labor deals it struck with the company prior to the Nov. 29 bankruptcy filing to salvage some of those jobs. "It's irresponsible for us to take those numbers for granted and not do our own analysis," Little said. AMR said it was aiming for $2 billion in total annual cost reductions, including $1.25 billion in employee-related expenses. Read the rest of this article here.
Feb 06 2012 -
Update of FAA Reauthorization Passage
Following three-and-a-half years without a full FAA reauthorization, which led to 23 stopgap extensions and one painful showdown of the FAA, the Senate approved the “FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act” 75-20. The bill was introduced at the beginning of the 112th Congress, and contains several issues of great importance to TWU members. Congressional Republicans attached an unrelated labor provision to the bill, which labor unions, Democratic leaders, and President Obama saw this issue, viewed as a nonstarter. This issue— the reversal of the NMB’s yes/no ballot ruling—held the bill up for almost a year and was a key issue during the FAA shutdown in August 2011. Three weeks ago, Senate Democrats and the House Republicans informed that a “compromise” was reached to strike the yes/no ballot provision and instead made modifications to the way NMB elections are triggered and to require frequent GAO reviews of the NMB’s work. TWU remains furious about the process under which this “compromise” was reached—with absolutely no consultation with labor unions, whose Members will ultimately be impacted by the changes they’ve made. Regardless, funding the FAA— rather than dragging the debate into the next Congress, and preventing another shutdown— has been the ultimate goal. As President James C. Little stated to the press, “we can live with it.” Last week, before the House was scheduled to take up the bill (which they passed 248-169), President Little sent a letter to every Member of Congress, specifically outlining TWU’s position on the legislation. You can read his letter by clicking here. In addition to giving the aviation industry a sense of certainty for the next four years, the “FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act” does the following: --Mandates annual inspections of non-certificated foreign repair stations --Calls for stricter drug and alcohol testing for foreign repair workers --Provides significant funding for the implementation of NextGen --Orders the FAA and OSHA to create a work plan to extend safety and health protections to flight attendants—a process that was started over ten years ago While we remain skeptical about the good the GAO reports will do, and are concerned about the ambiguity over merger procedures, we supported the bill until the final hour, and applaud both the Senate and the House of Representatives for passing it.
Feb 06 2012 -
Wrong for American –Wrong for America
by James C. Little Last week, AMR executives revealed their proposal for bankruptcy reorganization. They decided to hit their employees at American Airlines and American Eagle with a hammer, slashing 13,000 jobs and dumping pension plans on the PBGC. They’re aiming for a 20 percent reduction in labor costs. From everything we can tell, this plan is wrong for American and wrong for America. The same management team that took hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses while the airline was losing money now wants workers to pay a high price for their mistakes. If AMR executives get their way, good-paying American jobs will be outsourced and off-shored, and communities all across this nation will suffer. While job and benefit cuts are real, the supposed revenue increases in AMR’s reorganization proposal are “pie in the sky.” TWU members approach this crisis as a union with a demonstrated track record of finding business savvy ways to partner with our employer. Since 2003, we’ve given back over $600 million from our paychecks – about 30% of our pay and benefits – so we could keep American’s planes in the air. And we lead the U.S. aviation industry in joint insourcing projects, generating billions in corporate revenues for AMR while saving thousands of jobs. The Transport Workers Union has assembled a top-flight team of legal and financial experts to review AMR’s proposals. We’re going to ask hard questions, demand real answers – and be as transparent as possible with our members and the public. The American public – and our representatives in Congress – should follow this case very closely. Some key points: • Whom does bankruptcy law protect? After paying themselves huge bonuses for years, AMR executives filed for Chapter 11 with $4 billion in the bank and $13 billion in credit for buying new planes. Former CEO Gerald Arpey thought the decision was so wrong-headed that he immediately resigned. Congress must re-examine our bankruptcy laws, to ensure they protect workers, debtors and creditors – not sketchy financial maneuvers by overpaid executives. • Who pays for abandoned pension plans? AMR wants to dump $10 billion in liabilities on the PBGC, which insures defined-benefit pensions for more than 75 million workers. The agency is funded by employer-paid premiums, but it’s already running a $26 billion deficit. PBGC director Josh Gotbaum says AMR has not proven it needs to kill its pension plans to successfully reorganize. Other airlines, like Northwest, have emerged from bankruptcy with pension plans intact. • Who’s fixing your plane? AMR wants to ax thousands of mechanic and other maintenance jobs, by closing an overhaul facility in Dallas and cutting back sharply in Tulsa. The company plans to join the industry trend of outsourcing aircraft maintenance. Due to a loophole in U.S. air safety laws, much of this work winds up in overseas facilities that are not secure and not staffed by certified mechanics. Instead of the federal government acting as enablers, these safety and security loopholes need to be closed and closed now -- while FAA reauthorization is under consideration by Congress. It’s both absurd and potentially dangerous that passengers are scanned and frisked before entering a commercial airliner, while an unlicensed mechanic who fixes that same plane in China, Singapore or El Salvador never walks through an x-ray machine, never has his toolbox inspected and never receives a background check or a drug test. This is not hypothetical; in 2003 a member of Al Qaeda was discovered working in a maintenance facility in Singapore. The PBS series Frontline and investigative reports by NPR have documented the dangers of overseas aircraft maintenance. In the current FAA reauthorization, Congress must close this safety and security loophole – before, not after, a disaster occurs in the sky. This fix would not cost the U.S. Treasury a dime. The AMR bankruptcy is a microcosm of what is wrong with America. High stakes games are being played for the benefit of financial elites. Meanwhile, good jobs flow to overseas low-wage unregulated destinations, endangering the public and hurting our economy. Like I said, wrong for American, wrong for America.
Feb 05 2012 -
Update on FAA Reauthorization: HR 658
As you’re well aware, the FAA Reauthorization has rapidly been moving toward passage over the past two weeks. Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted, passing 248 to 169 accepting the conference report. The Senate is scheduled to vote on Monday on whether to accept the report. This is the last step before sending the bill to President Obama for signing. The legislation authorizes $15.9 billion per year for federal aviation programs thru 2015 and includes much needed Next Gen financing. Below is a quick explanation about how we got here: · For a year, the Democrats have stood with us to keep an unrelated matter out of the bill: the reversal of the NMB decision not to count workers who don’t vote in representation elections as “no votes.” As you remember, the FAA shut down in August 2011 because there were partisan differences on issues. The underlying issue was that Republicans would not take out the unrelated safety matter of union elections from the bill. · TWU maintained the position that the election issue did not belong in the bill—or any other labor provision for that matter. · Two weeks ago, we were informed that the Democrats had negotiated a “compromise” to pass the bill. This occurred without our input or consent. In fact, we’ve been told that no union, was involved in arriving at the “compromise”. The “compromise” did not reverse the yes/no ballot rule, but it changes the number of cards needed to trigger an election, alters the run-off election process, and mandates frequent and unnecessary government scrutiny of the National Mediation Board’s work. · President Little stated that we “can live with” the changes, and he blasted the Congress for arriving at this “compromise” without allowing labor any input during the negotiation process. He requested that they go back and clarify some things, namely how these changes will impact elections in the case of an airline or rail merger. But, the conference report on the FAA Bill was agreed to by the conference committee without any clarification. And, the House voted Friday passing the conference report. Now, it awaits Senate approval. Read the letter President Little sent to every Member of Congress by clicking here. We’ve thought long and hard about the labor compromise and are lobbying to still maneuver changes that will fix and clarify the areas of concern. We’re working with House and Senate Leaders, Members and Staff to find some way to make these changes. As for now, we will push for passage of HR 658- The FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act. We cannot afford another shutdown of the FAA and we will not gamble with the provisions that are beneficial to our members that are included in the bill. Two provisions that are included in HR 658 that we have advocated on behalf of that are included; a higher scrutiny at repair stations including inspections, drug and alcohol testing and a mandate to complete the work that was begun under the 2000 Memorandum of understanding regarding OSHA coverage for flight attendants. Though the provisions don’t go as far as we would like, they serve as a building block for future endeavors. Once the Senate votes, we’ll update you further.
Feb 03 2012 -
AMR Bankruptcy Update – American Eagle
On Wednesday Feb. 1, AMR announced their restructuring plan, a plan that deals a heavy blow to nearly 9,000 TWU members working at American Airlines. As for American Eagle’s restructuring, the company was short on specifics saying, “due to fleet uncertainty we have not finalized our plan as of now.” The fleet uncertainty is attributed to contractual articles being addressed in AAs bankruptcy. They are: • Allied Pilots Association Scope clause - aircrafts number of seats • TWUs cap on available seat miles (ASMs) Eagle’s Chief Executive Officer Dan Garton said their reorganization plan would have to lag AAs bankruptcy because of this. Eagle expects to have proposals ready to pass in 2-3 weeks. Cathy McCann VP of Eagle’s People Department stated that Eagle must become best in class and more competitive to survive regardless of the fleet they wind up with. Many questions remain on Eagles future as a standalone carrier or staying the primary feeder for AA operations. Regardless, TWUs action plan is in full operation. We need you to join us. We all realize that this is the most critical time in our member’s lives and their careers. Be assured that we are taking all actions possible to protect your job, your wages and benefits. Our action plan includes: • Members mobilization, communication and outreach to business communities • Political and civic leader involvement, locally and nationally • External national media communications plan • Nationally recognized legal counsel specialized in 1113 airline bankruptcy • A team of leading labor attorneys • Expert economists and financial advisors to review AMRs balance sheet The TWU recognizes the anxiety and fear caused by the bankruptcy filing. We are counting on your support to rally your coworkers, friends and family members. You can help us get the message out - AMRs plan is devastating to working families and our communities. We will continue to update you via the web site, texts and email blasts. Disponsible in Espanol. For More Information Visit: http://aa.twu.org/
Feb 02 2012 -
AA Bankruptcy Update
Dear Brothers and Sisters: As we all know, the AMR bankruptcy has exacerbated an already difficult time for our members. TWU recognizes the anxiety and fear inflicted by their actions on you and your families. Be assured, we are taking all actions possible to protect your job, your wages and benefits. On Wednesday Feb. 1, AMR announced their restructuring plan, a plan that deals a heavy blow to nearly 9,000 of our members. Their reorganization plan will be evaluated and challenged by our negotiating teams. AMRs proposed business plan would terminate all existing pension plans, eliminate nearly a third of its maintenance employees at the Tulsa base, and close the Alliance maintenance base in Fort Worth, Texas. Only the Texas Aero Engine Services (TAESL) joint venture with Rolls Royce LTD could remain. AMR also proposed outsourcing 27 stations that would affect over 4,000 fleet service workers and a variety of other job classifications across the AA system. In total, the AMR plan will slash at least 13,000 jobs - over 15 percent of its workforce. This is a devastating hit to families already suffering through economic hard times. It is even more troubling for those who gave up so much in 2003 to keep this company from filing bankruptcy. To counter this unbelievable proposal, the TWUs plan is in full operation. We need you to join us. We all realize that this is the most critical time in our member’s lives and their careers. Our action plan includes: Nationally recognized legal counsel specialized in 1113 airline bankruptcy A team of leading labor attorneys Expert economists and financial advisors to review AMRs balance sheet Members mobilization, communication and outreach to business communities Political and civic leader involvement, locally and nationally External national media communications plan We are counting on your support to rally your coworkers, friends and family members. You can help us get the message out - AMRs plan is devastating to working families and our communities. We will continue to update you via the web site, texts and email blasts. **(AAs Term sheets forDispatch, Fleet Service, Instructors, MCT, Mechanics, Sim Techs, and Storesare posted on the TWU website: http://aa.twu.org/
Jan 23 2012 -
TWU Members to Picket “Job Cremator” Mitt Romney in Florida
Members of the Transport Workers Union (TWU), whose jobs are facing elimination by Bain & Company, will picket outside campaign offices of GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney during the days leading up to the Florida primary election on Jan. 31, union officials said today. “Mitt Romney is a job cremator, not a job creator,” said TWU President James C. Little. “He made a fortune snatching up companies, closing factories and laying off workers. Now, Bain & Company – which still lines Mitt Romney’s pockets with their profits – has been hired to axe workers at AMR Corporation.” The union filed a formal objection to AMR’s hiring of Bain in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York on Friday. Bain has been engaged specifically for the task of reducing jobs at AMR subsidiary American Eagle. The consulting firm was not hired to renegotiate aircraft leases, advise on financing or alter route structures; their sole function is eliminating employees. American and American Eagle workers are currently employed at 171 U. S. airports including four hubs or “cornerstone cities,” one of which is Miami. “It’s outrageous that someone running for president as a ‘job creator’ is going to enrich himself by cutting pensions, cutting wages and destroying American jobs,” said Little. “Like so many on Wall Street, Mitt Romney earns his money by destroying the jobs of airline employees. We’re going to do our best to make sure voters in Florida and elsewhere know exactly where Mitt gets his money.” According to a report in the New York Times on Jan. 17th, “[a] significant portion” of Romney’s wealth “remains locked up in Bain funds, from which the Romneys draw income on their own investments with the firm, as well as a share of Bain’s profits.” More than 24,000 TWU members work at American Airlines and American Eagle. AMR Corporation, the parent company of both airlines, filed for bankruptcy reorganization on Nov. 29th. American Eagle has informed the court that it plans to hire Bain & Company, at a fee of $525,000 a month, for “strategic consulting” services. In their objection to the hiring of Bain and the excessive fees proposed for the firm, TWU attorneys argue: Debtors in these cases propose the concurrent retention of at least three law-firms and three investment banks and financial advisors. More troubling is that four of the proposed professionals, including Bain, are retained for the singular goal of extracting concessions from the Debtors’ rank and file employees, who have dedicated their careers to the service of the Debtors. “This company filed for bankruptcy with $4 billion in the bank, and they just stiffed our employee pension plans by more than $95 million,” said Little. “Their excuse was they had to ‘preserve cash.’ “If AMR is trying to preserve cash, there’s no reason to pay more than half a million dollars a month to Bain & Company. Bain’s advice is simply pay rank and file workers less, and give executives more.” “A sensible, successful bankruptcy reorganization requires real sacrifice from all stakeholders,” said Little. “We don’t need to pay disgracefully high fees to an outfit with a track record of shifting the entire burden on to rank-and-file workers and their families – including many Florida families. It’s a dumb strategy for American Airlines and American Eagle – and a dumb strategy for America.”
Dec 02 2011 -
Public and Congress should be Up in Arms over the Bankruptcy at the airline called “American”
By James C. Little AMR, parent of American Airlines and American Eagle, filed for bankruptcy last week even though the company is sitting on $4.1 billion in cash and is able to pay its bills. AMR’s ads in USA Today and the poor excuse for news coverage on network television last Tuesday would lead an average person to conclude that this bankruptcy is no big deal because the planes will still fly, passengers won’t lose frequent flyer miles and for all intents and purposes, business will run as usual. Unfortunately, bankruptcies are a big deal. The federal bankruptcy courts are being used to bail out a failed management strategy for a company with lots of money in the bank. The public and members of Congress should be up in arms. Furthermore, if we are to learn anything from earlier airline bankruptcies, the Pension Benefits Guarantee Corporation (PGC) will likely be loaded down with billions of dollars in employee pensions to cover, thousands of workers will lose their jobs and thousands of others will be affected as a result of broken contracts. Passengers will fly on planes that are less safe. Shareholders, including many seniors and charitable institutions, will lose their investments. Municipalities will lose their tax base. Meanwhile, the executives who concocted this scheme will self-deal themselves a king’s ransom in newly issued shares. This failure by both business and government makes you want to go out and “occupy” something. Tens of thousands of TWU members who maintain, repair and service planes that carry millions of passengers on American Airlines and American Eagle deserve better from this company and the government. Our members are part of the 99 percent, working every day to take care of their families, and pay their bills and taxes. We have been trying to do our jobs and more. In 2003, TWU members at American and American Eagle agreed to concessions of more than a billion dollars. We boosted productivity and brought in hundreds of millions of dollars in outside work to help AMR’s bottom line. Why did we do this? Air travel -- and airline profits -- fell dramatically after 9-11, and many carriers were forced into bankruptcy. TWU members decided it was better to control their own destiny. With labor costs cut dramatically outside of bankruptcy court, we reasoned, management would take the necessary steps to put the business on a sustainable path. TWU members lived up to their part of the bargain. But management blew it. They didn’t modernize their fleet, missed merger opportunities, got stuck with higher fuel costs, lost money year after year – and rewarded themselves with hundreds of millions in executive bonuses. Steven Gandel, writing the “Curious Capitalist” column at Time.com, asks: “Where was the cash crisis that pushed the company over the edge?” The answer: “It doesn’t appear there was any... Other airlines have used bankruptcy as a way to force its workers to take lower paychecks and benefits. American Airlines wants the ability to do that too.” Members of our union will fight hard to make sure that front line workers don’t pay an unfair price for management’s failings. Until now, American Airlines has done more maintenance in-house and in the United States than any other major US-based airline. Other airline bankruptcies have led companies to send aircraft overhaul and other repair work to poorly regulated, largely unsecured maintenance facilities offshore. The dirty little secret of the U.S. airline industry is that most passengers – subject to rigorous security screenings before they get on a plane – have no idea where the aircrafts on which they fly are maintained or under what conditions. The Federal Aviation Administration is supposed to inspect overseas repair facilities, but they don’t have enough staff to do the job properly. This problem existed before the FAA became Congress’ ping-pong table, with back and forth partisan matches, 22 temporary funding extensions, one embarrassing shutdown and no agreement in sight for a permanent budget for this critical safety agency. What kind of risks will passengers face if American sends its maintenance overseas? • In 2003, according to the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation, a member of Al Qaeda was discovered working at a maintenance facility in Singapore. • In 2009, according to an investigation by National Public Radio, workers at U.S. Airways discovered crossed wires in the cockpit of an aircraft about to take off. The crossed wires could have given pilots the wrong signal about whether or not their engines were actually working. • In Beijing, where a company called AMECO repairs planes for United, five licensed mechanics supervise 2,500 unlicensed workers – a ratio of 500 to one. The outsourcing of aircraft maintenance is a disaster waiting to happen – and we’re determined that it won’t happen at American or American Eagle. Bankruptcy should not be an excuse to lower standards for airline workers or passengers. The AMR bankruptcy is what The New York Times has rightfully termed “a moral failing.” This bankruptcy is a very big deal. This bankruptcy is a very bad deal for an airline that likes to be called “American.”
Nov 29 2011 -
Statement by President James C. Little on Bankruptcy Filing by American and American Eagle
We are very disappointed by today’s action by AMR. The Transport Workers Union will do everything possible to protect our members at both American Airlines and American Eagle. Work at both airlines will continue through the Chapter 11 reorganization. Our union had tried to work with AMR managers to make the company more cost competitive and more efficient. In the past month we had reached tentative agreements for both flight dispatchers and fleet service workers. Fleet service is American’s largest bargaining unit. Other TWU units at both American and Eagle had previously inked agreements. Our aircraft mechanics and maintenance workers, represented by TWU, have saved the company several hundred million dollars over the past decade through boosted productivity and by bringing in work from other airlines. While we think this bankruptcy could have and should have been avoided, it does not come as a surprise. TWU engaged special bankruptcy counsel two years ago as a contingency and our attorney Sharon Levine of the firm Lowenstein Sander PC has been investigating TWU claims against American in connection with her presentation of TWU’s position to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. This is likely to be a long and ugly process and our union will fight like hell to make sure that front line workers don’t pay an unfair price for management’s failings. We also will do everything possible to protect our passengers. American Airlines does more maintenance in-house and in the USA than any other major US-based airline. Other bankruptcies in the airline industry have seen aircraft overhaul and other repair work sent to less secure, poorly regulated maintenance facilities in third world countries. We will do everything in our power to maintain quality and safety for this airline and its passengers, while protecting the interests of our members.
Oct 24 2011 -
TWU Files for Virgin America Election
An overwhelming majority of flight attendants at Virgin America, a low-cost carrier known for high quality service and innovative onboard amenities, has filed a petition at the National Mediation Board (NMB) seeking union representation with the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU). Flying Virgin can be enjoyable for passengers but flight attendants have a very different experience,” TWU Organizing Director Frank MacCann said. “Work rules are inconsistently enforced, promises regarding rest, vacation and benefits are often broken, and discipline for minor violations can be unnecessarily harsh and inconsistently applied,” McCann said. “It’s become difficult for flight attendants, who helped build this company, to believe what management tells them. Flight attendants realize that the only way they can improve their working conditions is to form a union.” More than 650 flight attendants work for Virgin America and are domiciled in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. Founded by British media and transportation mogul Richard Branson, the airline began U.S. operations in 2007 and flies to 12 U.S. cities and three locations in Mexico. “We’re very proud that Virgin America wins high marks from travelers, based on the service we provide,” said Ramon Wood, a Virgin flight attendant based at New York’s JFK. “We believe we can make service better for passengers and elevate working conditions for in-flight team members by having a voice in our dealings with the company. Right now we’re seldom heard and our concerns are not addressed,” he said. “This is why we turned to TWU. TWU members have a real track record of success at low-cost carriers like Southwest and Allegiant, so we think this is a really good fit.” Nearly 10,000 TWU members enjoy long-standing contractual protections at Southwest, which carries more domestic passengers than any other airline and has turned a profit for 38 consecutive years. More than two-thirds of Allegiant Airlines’ flight attendants voted in favor of TWU representation in December of 2010. In 2012, as a result of the merger between AirTran and Southwest, all of AirTran’s flight attendants will gain TWU representation. The union also has an organizing campaign underway at JetBlue Airlines. Flight attendants at Branson’s Virgin Atlantic Airlines and subsidiary Virgin Australia have voted to form unions with British and Australian labor unions. “We want a union because we believe success for our company and success for employees go hand in hand,” said Sherry Shoemake, a Virgin America flight attendant from San Francisco. “Sitting down to negotiate a contract will give us a chance to put consistent rules in place. We operate differently than many other airlines. We want a contract that reflects and respects the Virgin America difference. We’re not looking for some cookie-cutter contract, we want to ‘Virginize’ labor relations.” The National Mediation Board, which supervises union representation elections in the transportation industry, is required to schedule an election within 45 days. Virgin America flight attendants will vote under new democratic procedures approved by the NMB in 2010, which specify that elections will be decided by a simple majority of those voting. In the past, any worker who did not vote was counted as a “no” ballot. The new NMB rules align voting procedures for railway and labor workers with those that apply to all other private sector workers. “We’re here to support Virgin America flight attendants in every way we can,” said TWU’s McCann. “We fully expect management at Virgin American to respect the decision made by the majority of flight attendants to seek union representation, and we look forward to a fast and fair election campaign.” Click here to download PDF of the press release.
  
  

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