US Airways – NMB (National Mediation Board)

IAM-141US Airways – NMB (National Mediation Board)

IAM representatives from District 141, District 142, and the International Transportation Department will meet with the National Mediation Board and USAir representatives this week in Washington. The NMB directed meeting is intended to move our ongoing negotiations with USAir to a conclusion. The IAM is waiting for a response from the company to our proposal/position that was explained in detail in March. Our demand for a contract in advance of any integration of our work groups with American Airlines has not changed. American and USAir continue to operate separate airlines at this time. The new American can begin operating as a single airline once the Federal Aviation Administration issues a Single Operating Certificate; which is anticipated to be granted in April 2015. The operating certificate is a completely different than a Single Carrier Status determination, which is made upon request by a labor organization to the National Mediation Board. The purpose of the Single Carrier Status is to call for a representation vote among specific work groups. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) have petitioned the NMB for a Single Carrier Status determination for the Public Contact Employees of the combined airlines. The CWA/IBT currently represent the groups on USAir jointly and are now calling for an election among the total PCE population of the new American Airlines. The vote could occur this summer, in advance of the FAA’s decision to issue the operating certificate.

The CWA/IBT represent about 5,000 members out of the total of 15,000 employees with the current American PCE group as “at will” employees.
IAM members at USAir are not affected by this action by the CWA/IBT. First, a Single Carrier Status only applies if a union has formally requested it for a specific work group. The fact that one group may receive a single carrier status does not mean that all groups should be considered as single carrier employees. Members on United should remember that the single carrier petitions for different classifications happened at different times spanning a 2-year timeframe. The IAM petitioned for PCE single carrier almost a year after requesting the status for Ramp service, for example.
Most importantly, however, is the fact the IAM and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) formed an alliance over a year ago in anticipation of completed merger. This alliance protects each union’s members and avoids the need for a representation election of the combined classification. It also puts the authority to petition for single carrier status in the hands of the Alliance; which allows the IAM to negotiate to completion for USAir members before a combined workforce is established.