This week has been a whirlwind of meetings, presentations, discussion and activities for TWU negotiators and members.
Monday evening TWU International President James C. Little and Air Transport Division Director Garry Drummond hosted a telephonic town hall reporting on the AMR bankruptcy. Members submitted questions via email prior to the call and International President Little answered as many as possible during the limited time frame. The call was well received by members and there are tentative plans to hold another in the near future.
On Tuesday, hundreds of TWU members joined the APFA and many American Airlines retirees for a protest rally at DFW International Airport. Almost 400 attended, speaking to the press and telling AMR to honor their pensions and medical benefits and keep jobs here in the USA. TWU members from Southwest Airlines Locals 555 and 556 attended along with several other labor unions.
On Wednesday, TWU proposed an early out/separation package for age eligible members. Lump sum payments and continued pension and medical benefits were part of the proposal, as was travel benefits. At this time, AMR has not responded to the proposal.
Throughout the week, TWU Negotiators continued the painfully serious task of exploring cost models and listing critical documents they need from the company to complete their analysis. TWU economists and labor attorneys assisted the committees in drafting queries for the documents.
The Negotiations Committee knows there is no easy solution here – these are incredibly difficult discussions that will affect TWU members and their families.
The company answered many questions presented, but many more remain unanswered. Our requests for company documents has just begun and depending on material provided, may trigger a more detailed request of company documents. Several negotiators will remain in town working through the weekend. Negotiations resume next Monday at 1:00pm.
Transport Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO
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