Brothers and Sisters,
The process to reconcile our CBA’s with the IAM is continuing. Our next scheduled dates are the week of August 31, 2015 in Dallas and then a week in Chicago at the end of September. I am very disappointed in the fact that we don’t have a more aggressive schedule to get this done for our members who have lived with concessions for too many years. The company continues to entice members in town hall meetings, saying they will offer a Delta plus 7% contract plus 4% pay raise after a JCBA. I would like to see exactly what the company considers Delta plus 7%. To date I am unaware of any union representative that knows what Delta plus 7% is. Ultimately the CBA belongs to the newly formed TWU/IAM Association. I believe with some pressure from the Association we could speed up the process and get to the table with the Company.
September pay raises
Per Article 4 of our CBA, we are set to receive a 3% rate increase along with an Industry Wage Comparator if applicable on September 12, 2015. I have filed 29D Presidential Grievances on behalf of Title I, Title II, MLS, and MCT’s based on the fact that USAIR is included in the formula that determines industry average. I believe that LUS should not be used in the formula since they are no longer our competitor. It is unfortunate that all members have made equal sacrifices over the years, but based on Government Economic Indexes not all will get the additional bump on top of the contractual raises they will receive. I will work hard in negotiations to get Industry Leading Wages and Benefits for all classifications represented by our Local.
401k
Please be mindful of the upcoming changes to everyone’s 401k plans. You have to make a choice on your investments or the plan will automatically look at your date of birth and pick an investment plan to match your retirement age. The window to pick your investments is September 15, 2015 to October 15, 2015.
In Solidarity,
Dale Danker