Airline Division Statement on the Crash of UPS Flight 6 in Dubai, U.A.E.

Airline Division Director Captain David Bourne released the following statement this evening on the crash of UPS Flight 6, in Dubai, U.A.E.

“It was with great sadness and shock that I was notified by our UPS brothers at Local 2727 of the crash of UPS Flight 6 in Dubai. As a 747-400 pilot, I am very familiar not only with the airplane, but also the airport and facilities there. I briefed General President Hoffa on the situation and have spoken with CAPA President Captain Paul Onorato and offered not only my personal condolences, but those of General President Hoffa and the entire membership. Additionally, we have extended an offer of any type of assistance we may provide.

While information is obviously incomplete at this time, initial reports point to some sort of in-flight fire. We have also been advised that the NTSB has been asked to assist the U.A.E. authorities in the investigation.

Unfortunately, the crew did not survive.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the crewmembers, their fellow employees and everyone touched by this tragedy. We ask that each of you keep them in your thoughts.

General President James Hoffa issued the following statement:

“Our union mourns the loss of the crewmembers in today’s tragic crash,” said Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa. “We stand ready to offer whatever support we can to the families of the victims and to the International Pilots Association during this difficult time.”

Unity Emphasized as Preparation for Interest Arbitration Begins at AAWW

Following the completion of a week of bargaining in Washington, DC, the Atlas Air, Inc. and Polar Air Cargo Transitional Executive Council (TEC) and Negotiating Committee announced that they did not a reach a tentative agreement with management.  After nearly two years of negotiations to merge the two carriers’ collective bargaining agreements, preparations are underway to submit all open sections to interest arbitration in October. 

According to the TEC and the Negotiating Committee announcement, the Union remains willing to negotiate with management, but is fully prepared to arbitrate in the fall to protect Crewmembers and their families’ interests. TEC Co-Chairs Captain Robert Kirchner and Captain Stephen Richards emphasized the importance of total unity among pilots at both carriers.

In a special announcement to their crewmembers they stated, “With 1.4 million members and vast resources, the IBT defends members’ rights from the cockpit to the halls of Congress and beyond. Rest assured that the pilot leadership at Atlas and Polar, along with every Crewmember and their families, has the full support of the IBT.”

They also reminded the members of the words of Benjamin Franklin, who wrote, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” They concluded by reminding the membership that, “Your Union leadership is speaking to you with a powerful and unified voice.   Now is the time for Atlas and Polar Crewmembers to close ranks and unify around the singular goal of securing a CBA that rewards all Crewmembers for making the Company one of the most profitable airlines in the world,” they said.

The Atlas Air and Polar crewmembers are members of Local 1224 of the Airline Division.

With DoJ Approval, CAL/UAL Merger Prepares to Move to Next Phase

With the recent blessing of the U.S. Department of Justice, the merger of Continental and

United Airlines into the world’s largest passenger carrier continues. Shareholders are expected to approve the merger at their September 17^th meeting, paving the way for the completion of the legal phase of the merger by October 1, 2010. Once completed, focus will shift to the operational merger of the carriers.

The carriers have announced their intent to obtain a single air carrier certificate for the new, merged airline. In order for the carriers to complete this process, Continental will take the first step by first requesting that the FAA grant a single certificate for Continental and Air Micronesia, Continental Airlines’ wholly owned subsidiary. At present, the carriers each have their own operating certificate, issued under Part 121 of the FAA regulations. Continental will request that both certificates be merged under a single certificate as Continental Airlines. Once that has been granted, Continental and United will then petition the FAA for a single certificate, integrating the two carriers operating certificates into one. This process will likely take at least one year.

At Air Micronesia, the Airline Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), is the certified bargaining representative for not only the fleet, passenger service and reservations employees, it also represents the Air Micronesia mechanics and related crafts and classes. With Continental, the IBT is the certified bargaining representative of Continental's fleet service employees, mechanics and related crafts and classes.

Upon issuance of the single, integrated FAA part 121 operating certificate, the carrier will also become a "single carrier" for representation purposes, triggering the process of integrating the seniority lists of the affected crafts and classes.

Continental's passenger service and reservation crafts and classes are presently without union representation.

UAL Negotiations Continue on a Productive Note

Productivity at the bargaining table was the focus of the meetings between union and management negotiators at United Airlines this week.

Two new Articles to the Agreement; Field Service and Training were discussed at length this week and after much work, the parties were able to reach Tentative Agreement on the Field Service Article. Substantial progress also took place in the discussions regarding Training, with much of the work completed to facilitate a Tentative Agreement on the Training Article when the Parties reconvene on September 13^th.

The use of Continental’s language as a template for these Articles has facilitated the process; despite having some areas of definition requiring discussion to ensure all parties fully understood the differences in nomenclature used by the two different Carriers. Reaching agreement on these articles represent a positive fundamental shift in the way they are administered.

The next session of negotiations will be held the week of September 13^th in Chicago followed by the week of the 21^st in San Francisco.

Week In Review News Items

Legislative & Regulatory  

Crash investigators are re-evaluating the performance of aircraft braking systems in rainy conditions, following the overshooting of an American Airlines plane on the runway while landing in Jamaica last year. The Boeing 737 careened off the runway and broke into three parts on December 22 after landing in rainy weather at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston.

Aviation Security

They were terrorism suspects just a few days ago -- their names and faces splashed across news media outlets worldwide. Now, the two Yemeni men with ties to metro Detroit were to fly back to their country -- courtesy of the FBI, according to Dutch authorities and the attorney for one of the men. Their trip comes after Dutch officials cleared them Wednesday and released them without charges. 

Airline Industry Finances & Structure

IATA says 47 major carriers it monitors to assess the industry's financial health reported a net profit of $3.9 billion in the second quarter. The results contrast with the $881 million net loss posted by carriers a year earlier. IATA says airlines in North America and the Asia-Pacific region performed best…while U.S. consumers are clearly still jittery about the nation's fragile economic recovery, the country's major airlines believe they've found a formula for operating profitably even in a slow-growth environment: Stay disciplined on capacity, develop new sources of revenue via ancillary charges and keep nonfuel costs under control. 

Delta has seen very strong traffic on its flights in August, helped in part by a stronger yen that spurred more Japanese to take overseas trips, its company president said on Thursday. "It has been an important contributor to our recovery from the economic recession we have seen this past year," Delta President Edward Bastian told reporters in Tokyo. "Certainly, 84 yen to the dollar has helped us improve financial results." and Delta plans to park half of the regional jets in the fleet of its Comair subsidiary over the next two years and cut its number of employees at its Cincinnati hub.   

With United and Continental agreeing to lease takeoff and landing slots at Newark Airport to low-cost carrier Southwest, the Department of Justice has given its OK for the two airlines to merge…the airline industry, proud of itself for managing capacity better than it ever has, looks askance at JetBlue. In an industry with flat-to-down capacity growth, JetBlue plans to boost its available seat miles by 6% in the current quarter and by 8% for the full year.   

Miscellaneous

The dramatic exit of a JetBlue Airways flight attendant from his aircraft via an emergency slide after unleashing a foul-mouthed tirade over the intercom, allegedly after an encounter with a badly behaving passenger says much more about the breakdown of civility and self-control in 21st century America than it does about flight attendants or airline passengers. Nevertheless, it is fair to observe that the phenomenon of full and nearly full aircraft, when combined with the hassles of air travel, has raised stress and anxiety levels for all involved.

Agricultural equipment makers and customers worldwide gathered in Orlando in January to meet, greet, sell and buy at the trade show AG Connect Expo. About 1,460 international attendees registered for the show, organized by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. Nearly 500 of them never made it. The reason for the absentees: They couldn't obtain a U.S. entry visa in time to attend, most of them told the association afterward.  

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Edited By Business Travel Coalition

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters extends its deepest condolences to the families of the crewmembers that lost their lives in today’s crash of a UPS 747 in Dubai.

The crash took place 18 miles from Dubai International Airport after reportedly suffering an onboard fire. The International Pilots Association is coordinating with the NTSB and UPS for the ongoing investigation.

“Our union mourns the loss of the crewmembers in today’s tragic crash,” said Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa. “We stand ready to offer whatever support we can to the families of the victims and to the International Pilots Association during this difficult time.”

Local 743 has filed a class action grievance against Bagcraft Packaging Dynamics after complaints from members that management is forcing them to work 20-30 hours of overtime each week.

“The way management at Bagcraft is acting is downright repulsive,” said Larry S. Davis, Local 743 President. “This type of behavior hasn’t been allowed in the United States since the early 1900s. Is management at Bagcraft really suggesting we move backwards like that? Local 743 will not stand for it.”

The majority of the 180 members represented at Bagcraft have been forced to work a minimum of 20 hours overtime per week, in addition to the 40 hours they already work each week. In some cases, members have gone 30 straight days without a day off. Illinois State law requires employers to give employees 24 hours off of work for every six days worked.

“Members are being forced to do something that takes them out of their ordinary habits and puts them in jeopardy,” said Joe Sims, union steward at Bagcraft who has been a member of Local 743 for 37 years. “I’m afraid it’s going to get to some sort of breaking point.”

Members at Bagcraft work with 39 machines in 4 departments, making a variety of different bags. Management uses a point system to keep track of attendance. Each employee starts with eight points and are deducted points for poor attendance. Disciplinary measures begin when four points are lost and employees can be terminated if they lose all eight points.

“They are intimidating members by threatening to take away points if they refuse the forced overtime,” said Clinton Fluker, Local 743 Union Representative. “It’s a very deceitful way of making people think they have no choice. Our members always have alternatives to this kind of treatment.”

As members have points taken away, they are encouraged to make a copy of the disciplinary form and file a grievance. In August alone, Local 743 has filed 25 grievances at Bagcraft, all of which are related to members being wrongfully terminated or disciplined.

At the request of Local 743, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has made more than one trip to Bagcraft and has documented several violations in regards to the working conditions.

With little air circulation in the main part of the factory, members said the heat can become unbearable. During these past summer months, with record-high temperatures, members said it felt well above 100 degrees in the factory on some days.

“I visited the factory on a relatively cool day, and it was still very warm,” Davis said. “At some point, we have to wonder how one human being can treat another with such disregard for respect. I look forward to seeing this matter through and finding justice for our members.”

Teamsters Local 743 represents more than 11,000 hardworking men and women across the Chicago metropolitan area, working in health care, office, warehouse, technical and professional industries.

(Cincinnati, Ohio) –Today, Comair president John Bendoraitis announced the company’s plan to decrease the number of 50-seat aircraft from its fleet over the next two years in an effort to increase the stability of the company in this competitive industry.

Teamsters Local 513 in Florence, Ky. represents more than 750 workers at Comair. The union will monitor this process to ensure their members’ have a say in any staffing reductions that may occur as a result of the decrease in Comair’s fleet.

“Comair is a good airline whose future can be as promising as its past,” said Connie Slayback, President of Local 513, “We will work with the company to continue to represent our members’ interests – protecting jobs and maintaining the industry’s leading wages and work rules. Together we can ensure that Comair remains a successful and profitable airline.”

Teamsters Local 513, along with leaders from the Air Line Pilots Association and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, are scheduled to meet with Comair on Sept. 8 to discuss upcoming contract negotiations.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

The IBT Training and Development Department is conducting a three-day Teamsters Leadership Academy on Collective Bargaining for Teamster Representatives on October 19-21 in Boston.

The massive crackdown on independent unions and union activists in Iran continues. Bus workers are a particular target. Read more at the Iran Labor Report.

(Seattle, WA) – 500 Western Washington Coke employees who went on strike last Monday have made an offer to return to work unconditionally in a good-will gesture that demonstrates their willingness to bargain a fair and equitable contract in good faith. Negotiations between the Washington Teamsters United and Coke are set to resume this Wednesday and Thursday, September 1 and 2.

“Over the last week, we have demonstrated to Coke the value of our professionalism and our labor,” said Blaine Parks, a 32-year driver for Coke’s production and distribution facility in Bellevue. “We have also sent a strong message to Coke that its employees expect that company take the collective bargaining process seriously.”

Union representatives expect the 500 area Coke employees will resume normal operations Tuesday morning to catch up with the backlog created by last week’s work stoppage.

“We are optimistic that Coke will return to negotiations prepared to bargain in good faith,” said Tracey A. Thompson, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 117 and chief negotiator for Washington Teamsters United. “Issues like the health care for Coke employees and retirees are too important to our members and their families not to address in a straightforward and forthright manner.”

The Union says it will continue to pursue the Unfair Labor Practice charges it brought against Coke before the National Labor Relations Board as well as the class-action ERISA lawsuit on behalf of Coke employees who had their health care benefits revoked by the company shortly after the work stoppage began last week.

Approximately 500 Coke employees in Western Washington went on strike on Monday, August 23, over charges of employee surveillance, intimidation and bad faith bargaining. Contract negotiations between the Union and Coke have been underway since April. The employees’ contract expired on May 15, 2010.

Members of the Teamsters National Black Caucus participated in Rev. Al Sharpton's "Reclaim the Dream" Rally in Washington, D.C. on August 28 to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have A Dream" speech, held on the same day 47 years ago. At the rally, 600 TNBC members joined other civil and labor rights groups where they listened to speeches from community leaders, pastors, civil rights leaders and labor leaders, including TNBC chairman Al Mixon. After the rally, participants marched from Dunbar High School to the building site of a memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Sharpton personally requested that Teamsters lead the four-mile march. View all photos from this historical rally.

CAL Talks Continue in Newark, Progress Reported

After meeting in Houston, Texas during the weeks of July 26^th and August 2^nd in order to prepare for the upcoming mediation sessions, formal mediation sessions began on Monday, August 23^rd and continued through Friday, August 27^th in Newark, New Jersey under the oversight of Mediator Gerry McGuckin.

Mediator McGuckin introduced Mediator Michael Kelliher, who was there to assist Mr. McGuckin in facilitating discussions and further advancing the negotiation process.

With the week’s session were exclusively geared towards economic issues, IBT Airline Division Director, Captain David Bourne, IBT attorney Ed Gleason and economist Norm Weintraub also attended for the union. Mike Bonds and Continental economists Mauricio Angel and Adeem Usman participated in assisting the negotiation process for the week.

Significant progress was reported and the parties will meet once again in the next few weeks in an effort to resolve all open items.

NTEU Meets With New TSA Administrator

In a meeting described as a “very useful and positive step forward for both employees and the agency,” NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley met last Friday with John Pistole, the new administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

According to an NTEU survey of TSA employees, more than 85 percent of them understand and believe that collective bargaining would help improve the effectiveness of their agency. The polling was conducted by a well respected independent agency and the information obtained; highlighting significant workplace issues, was included in documents presented to the recently confirmed agency head.

The question of collective bargaining rights for TSA employees is under review. The employees’ rights to participate in the collective bargaining process has been denied since the agency was

AAWW Negotiators, Management to meet, Last Planned Session before Arbitration 

Pilot negotiators for Atlas Air and Polar Air Cargo, represented by Local 1224 of the Airline Division, and Atlas Air Worldwide (AAWW) management will meet next week in Washington, DC, for the final round of negotiations on a joint contract before submitting unresolved issues to a Federal Arbitrator. If a comprehensive agreement is not concluded, the first meeting with the Arbitrator is scheduled for October.

In Memoriam

Captain Larry A. Hamblen, 56, formerly of Houston, Texas, passed away in Charleston, SC on Saturday, June 26, 2010 after a brief illness.

Mr. Hamblen was born in Miami, Florida, the son of Mr. and Mrs. L.O. Hamblen, in Wasilla, Alaska. He received his pilot's training in Melbourne, Florida at the Florida Institute of Technology. He flew for 19 years with ATA Airlines as a B757 Captain and check Airman. Presently, he worked with Omni Air International as a Military Contract Pilot and Instructor for the 767. He flew troops all over the world and in harm’s way, recently staging troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was a brave man, excellent pilot, admired by his peers, and a loving and thoughtful husband.

Surviving are his loving wife of 34 years, Wanda Hill Hamblen of North Myrtle Beach, S.C.; brothers, Jim (Marilyn) Hamblen of Gainesville, Ga., and Tom Hamblen and Bob (Susan) Hamblen, both of Wasilla, Alaska; and sisters-in-law, Joan Hill, Barbara (Bob) Wilkinson, Cecelia Taylor, Grace Rogers and Beth (Phil) Farmer.

Week In Review News Items

Labor Developments

U.S. airlines workers, who have gone through pay and benefit cuts, layoffs, bankruptcies and rising workloads in recent years, are looking to capitalize on the return to profits this year of most big U.S. carriers. The push for better deals by workers, who've seen ranks thinned 25% since 2000, is creating an increasingly tense relations climate in the industry…American Airlines’ mechanics Tuesday turned down a three-year contract with the carrier, increasing the potential for a TWU strike against the carrier. In addition, TWU-represented stores employees, who handle the aircraft parts inventories, also turned down their proposed contract. One group, maintenance technical specialists, approved their deal…and the union for Northwest Airlines flight attendants has sued Delta Air Lines Inc., saying their new managers are breaking the contract with the union.

Legislative, Safety & Regulatory

A passenger plane overshot a runway while landing at a new airport in northeast China late on Tuesday, bursting into flames and killing 42 people of 96 on board, the nation's worst air disaster since 2004. The company whose aircraft was involved has decided to cancel all its flights for safety reviews, officials said. The operations of Henan Airlines, based in Henan province, would be suspended for an unspecific time, said Wu Zhenkun, an official with the provincial aviation regulatory committee.  

The U.S. government on Thursday proposed to fine American Airlines $24.2 million for alleged maintenance violations that led to thousands of flight cancellations two years ago. It is the biggest-ever fine against an airline proposed by the FAA…aviation officials often cite the industry’s low accident rate after a plane crash, and statistics back up their assertions. Yet passengers and companies responsible for employee travel have little information to evaluate a carrier’s safety standards, or judge a particular country’s commitment to safety, given the patchwork of organizations monitoring safety and the limits on what details are made public.

Airline Industry Finances & Structure

IATA said international scheduled freight traffic rose 22.7 percent year on year in July, while international passenger demand rose 9.2 percent. Cross-border air shipments, which IATA measures in freight tonne kilometres, are considered a prime indicator of the health of world trade. "The recovery in demand has been faster than anticipated. But, as we look towards the end of the year, the pace of the recovery will likely slow," Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's Director General and CEO, said in a statement. Consumer confidence was fragile, particularly in North America and Europe.
 

Miscellaneous

The first of Boeing’s long-awaited 787 “Dreamliner” aircraft will not be delivered until early next year, the U.S. manufacturer confirmed Friday, adding to a string of delays that has dogged the project and set back the introduction of the 300-seat jet by more than two years…for years, Americans have had their phone calls about credit card bills and broken cell phones handled by people in the Philippines or India. But American firms are starting to bring call centers back to the U.S. — and this time around, they are hiring more people to work in their own homes…and United and Continental airlines aren't yet officially hitched, but some are already grumbling about the monogram they've selected for their china.

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Edited By Business Travel Coalition

Our nation’s capitol is the nucleus of the free world, home to the levers of government and the epicenter of historic, cultural and political events. On August 25-28, the Teamsters National Black Caucus (TNBC) made their presence known as 600 members converged on Washington, D.C. at the 35th annual TNBC conference. View all photos from the four-day convention.