The Stores Negotiating Team met in Irving, TX during the week of October 11th through 15th. The week was spent developing a strategy to get us back to the Negotiation Table, in order to bring back a Tentative Agreement our Membership can vote “Yes” on.
After much discussion on why the last Tentative Agreement failed, the Stores Committee reassessed our Table Position, and started working on a counter proposal to the Company.
The Committee also worked on a presentation for the National Mediation Board, outlining the reasons the T.A. failed and the needs and concerns the members feel must be met in order to get an agreement.
The Committee wants to send a clear message to our Membership. That message is that we want to return to the Negotiations Table as soon as possible and keep negotiating with American Airlines in order to come up with an Agreement that can be ratified by an overwhelming majority of our Membership.
It is clear to us that simply “Moving the furniture around” will not result in an agreement.
The NMB will play the pivotal role in our getting back to the table. With our presentation to them, they will clearly understand our position. If this is not the direction the NMB wants to take us, our only alternative is asking for release.
The overwhelming rejection of the T.A. has not only told us what we must have to get an agreement, but also what our membership is willing to do to get an agreement.
The possibility of getting released by the NMB is getting closer and closer. Please prepare yourselves and your families in case we have to go down this drastic and unfortunate path.
The Stores Committee would like to express our appreciation, once again, to our Membership for their continued support and display of patience. Without this, it would be a much harder battle.
As for now, you can expect the Committee to be in contact with the NMB about returning to the Negotiating Table. As soon as we get information on possible dates to meet with the Company, we will update our Membership with that information.