Our Sessions with American Airlines continues to be mediated by the National Mediation Board. Mediator’s Jack Kane and Walter Darr were present for this session.The Stores Negotiations Committee members gathered at 1:00p.m. on Monday, February 7, 2011, at which time the Company presented a counter-proposal to Article 39 (Fitness for Duty).
On Tuesday, February 8, 2011, three members of the TWU-ATD Benefits Committee were brought in to review the Company’s proposal on Article 39. With the help of the Benefits Committee, the Stores Negotiations Committee crafted and passed a counter-proposal for Article 39 to the Company.
Also on Tuesday, the Stores Negotiations Committee passed Article 1 (Recognition and Scope) to the Company. They responded to our passing of Article 1 with a presentation on “Why American Airlines needs relief on the current ASM cap”. The ASM cap is the percentage of Eagle Flights that can be flown compared to American Airlines flights. As a reminder the Company was seeking to more than double the ASM cap as outlined in the Rejected Tentative Agreement this past summer. The Committee has asked for additional information, the Company has agreed to bring in a member from the Network Planning Department at our next Session to provide answers to our many questions.
On Wednesday, February 9, the Committee met with the Company and was passed a Counter-proposal to Article 39 from the Company. Two members of the Benefits Committee that were present the day before, were present for the Company’s response. Although the Company didn’t agree to everything we had proposed in this Article, the Stores Negotiations Committee, agreed with the recommendation of the Benefits Committee, and T.A.’d Article 39.
On Thursday, February 10, the Stores Negotiations Committee met with the Company to pass three additional Articles. The three Articles that were passed to the Company included;
- Article 3 – (Hours of Work)
- Article 5 – (Shift Differential)
- Article 36 – (Meal Periods)
The Committee awaits further discussion with the Company and their response to our proposals on Articles 1, 3, 5, and 36.
The Stores Negotiations Committee appreciates the help from the Member’s of the TWU-ATD Benefit’s Committee, and would like to thank D’Ann Johnson (Local 514), Greg Mackey (Local 567), and Mark Johnson (Local 513), for their assistance on Article 39.
The next Stores Mediation session is tentatively scheduled for March 7-11, 2011 in Hurst Texas. The Committee will post an update at: http://aa.twu.org. Stay informed.
Once again, the Stores Negotiation Committee would like to thank our membership for their continued support and patience as we try to Negotiate a Contract with American Airlines.