President:
Well, well, well, I’m told the company didn’t like my last digest update (read here), so let me tag on to that same message. The company say’s the Tulsa base employees are underperforming. Therefore the supervisors need to be on the lookout for people not at their workstations. I believe the company is doing a poor job of managing aircraft maintenance. They interpret the contract in every negative way possible to impact you and squeeze every penny they can at all costs. Quality isn’t cheap and cheap isn’t quality. Example: we negotiated for 10 sick days but their position is ” you better not ever use one or we will take action against you”. DAT days; what a joke, their position is ” we used the contractual language of minimum ratio so the standard answer for DAT request shall be the allotment is full. Send an email to upper management and beg them for a DAT day, but wait, they work Monday through Friday day shift so they may not answer your email in time”.
I know you are doing your best living under their version of the contract. We have multiple Presidential grievances written and I’m hopeful with Rollie Reaves, on a “Special Project Assignment” from the International, that we can get them in front of an arbitrator. If you have a supervisor or manager that is underperforming in your area, draft a petition letter and get the people that work under them to sign it and get it to me. We may not be able to put something in their file but we can damn sure post it and let their bosses know they have some underachievers.
In closing I want to say yes I’m available 24/7. I took my wife to dinner for Valentine’s day. I got a call so I answered it. It was a member that I and other officers communicated with several times about a seniority issue. They did not like my answer so the next day they sent the entire board an email accusing us of not representing them. Basically threatening us to do our job and get him the answer he believes he deserves. I appreciate the vast majority that give the officers and I a chance to work for you. You respect the answers we research and bring back even though at times may not be the answer you would like. To those who believe we are not representing them there’s always the option to file charges against us, it won’t be the first time. We’ve had one member file charges against the board and I on 9 separate occasions. All 9 were rejected by the International but I have more respect for that guy because he doesn’t like us and he is persistent in trying to remove us. An email accusing us of not doing our job because for the 10th time multiple officers give a member the same correct answer is just weak. Man up and file the charges. We are not perfect but we strive to be fair and equitable to everyone.
918-636-6089
I get a lot of calls. If I haven’t returned your call please send me a text and just say “hey don’t forget to call me”. My goal is to not forget but sometimes I do.
President
TWU Local 514
Vice President:
I’m out of the office until Tuesday, February 21, 2023.
Recording Secretary:
Workers Compensation
It’s been reported that American Airlines is seeing a rise in Injury on Duty mostly associated with new hires and Fleet Service. Please be careful, work safe and work smart.
Retirement Seminar
March 22,2023, at 5:00am, 9:00am and 3:00pm in Town Hall upper level hangar 3/4, American Airlines Retirement, Pensions, Benefits teams along with Fidelity Investments & Mark Loeber,along with TWU officers will be present.
Chairman of Facilities Maintenance:
We will be presenting several grievances to the GRB at headquarters on the 28th of this month, I plan on appealing to those in attendance about the importance and the value of Facilities maintenance to our organization.
As always feel free to contact me at any time.
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- Budgeted headcount 308
- Current headcount 311
- Out on Ltd 18
Jim Holt (918)379-2079
Executive Board Members at Large:
George Albano:
BLOOD DRIVE CELEBRATION
There will be a presentation from the Red Cross to Del Cotton on Tuesday, Feb 21, 2023, @ 9:30 am in the Town Hall Room, Upstairs Hangar 3/4. Everyone is invited to attend.
I continue to work Grievances daily. On Thursday, Gene & I toured the Red Cross facility & met with Laura Garrison, Donor Account Specialist. She showed us how they process the blood.
I want to thank Del Cotton, Gary Olivier, Amanda Cates, Jennifer Brown, Cleveland Perdasofpy & John Burgess for their hard work & dedication to working the Blood Drive .
Tracy Hardin:
“ jSi se puede! “
Cesario Estrada Chavez was a Chicano-American union leader that dedicated his life to la causa (the cause). The cause was to improve the plight of farm workers living and working conditions in the United States.
Cesar Chavez was born in Yuma, Arizona in 1927 to parents that were farm laborers. During the great depression, the family lost their farm and moved to California where they became migrant workers. When Cesar became eligible he joined the U.S. Navy during World War II and served with honor for two years.
After military service, Cesar returned to migrant farm work in Arizona and California. This is when he began to dedicate his life to the cause. Over many years and multiple labor organizing campaigns, Cesar was successful in exposing the working conditions of migrant workers to the rest of the United States.
Chavez was inspired by the nonviolent teachings of Gandhi and St. Francis of Assisi. He became an organizer for the Community Service Organization (CSO), later its national leader. Later he founded the National Farm Workers Association (NWFA) in California. In 1971 the NWFA became the United Farm Workers of America (UFW).
Cesar Chavez was more than a Union Organizer, Civil Rights Leader, Navy Veteran, a Folk Hero.
To find out how much more, read about his legacy: https://chavezfoundation.org/about-cesar-chavez/
https://www.biography.com/activists/cesar-chavez
Celebrate Cesar Chavez Day on March 31!!
REMINDER, Profit Sharing Letter – May 19th 2022:
This letter sets forth the agreement between American and the TWU/IAM Association to define the profit-sharing year under Article 17 for the years 2022 and 2023 as follows:
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- The 2022 12 months will be defined as the 12-month period beginning on April 1, 2022, and ending on March 31, 2023. Profit-sharing award payments for the 2022 profit-sharing year shall be made by June 30, 2023.
- There is no change to the 2023 profit sharing calculation, i.e., the 2023 profit sharing year will continue to be defined as the 12 months beginning January 1, 2023, and ending on December 31, 2023.
Air Division – Special Projects
Andre Sutton, TWU International Vice President made three special project assignments to assist him in facilitating the workgroups on the American Airlines property. He appointed TWU Local 513 President, Greg Cosey to service the Fleet Service Workgroup; TWU Local 567 President, Rollie Reeves to service the M&R workgroup; and TWU Local 513 Executive Board Member, Bill Clark to service the Facilities and GSE workgroup.
FEBRUARY 2023 MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS ARE ON THURSDAY
Time:
7:15 AM
11:45 AM
3:45 PM
Place:
TWU Hall
11929 East Pine Street, Tulsa, OK 74116
Agenda
• Regular Order of Business
• Nominations for Election Committee
Passages
“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.”
The Passing of Retired Brother Richard A. Bussett
We are saddened to share with you the passing of retired Brother Richard A. Bussett on February 15, 2023. Rich hired on in 1989 and worked as an Aviation Maintenance Technician. He Retired in 2006. Please keep the Bussett family in your thoughts and prayers.