April Unity - TWU 556

I emailed Stacy Martin, 2nd Vice President for helpwith this question. Here’s what Stacy said:“This is a frequently asked question of our Union. Iam tired of the Company using it as a tool to getaround the Contract. The concept was establishedin the 1926 Railway Labor Act, a Law thatwas passed by Congress and later amended toinclude Airlines. Because certain Industries weredeemed ‘vital’ to the economic interests of theNation, in this case, Railroads, the process was setup to settle work disputes through a grievance procedurethat would prevent the shut down of theIndustry because of violations of a Contract.Airlines were added to this Law under the LaborManagement Reporting Act: As Amended in 1959.Simply put, once you have established a Union tobargain with Management on your behalf, yourContract becomes part of the Law. This allows forthe resolution of work rules to be enforced, while atthe same time, allowing for the operation of theIndustry to continue without a disruption. It allcomes down to the Economic importance andsuccess of the Nation. Transportation is consideredvital to the best interest of the Nation, including thecarrying of Cargo on trains, and now, the transportof Passengers. Although the process may at timesseem unfair or cumbersome, it allows for continuedoperations even though the Company may be inviolation of the Contract. This does not give theCompany Carte Blanche to not adhere to theContract. If your Union is strong, and enforces theContract through the grievance process, then theincentive is for the Company to abide by theContract. This is standard in the Industry.“I believe that the Union Leadership is anti-Company.”False! I may get pissed off at middle Managementon occasion (you know, like when they hide tripsthat should be in Open Time, assign you to a tripoutside of your contact hours or have an office fullof Inflight Supervisors that don’t have a clue whatit’s like to be a Flight Attendant) but I and the restof the Executive Board positively outrageouslyLOVE this great Company and want what is bestfor it. It would be pretty stupid for us not to. Iexpect us all to have happy, prosperous and longcareers at Southwest Airlines.“I heard the Executive Board does not share rentalcars while in Dallas.”All Executive Board Members are allowed theirown rental cars while in Dallas for Union business.However, to save money, your Executive BoardMembers usually share rental cars. I share withLucy, Stacy shares with Jill, Susan shares with Brett,Michael M. shares with Michael B., and Allysonshares with Mark. Gwen and Gayle don’t needrental cars because they live in Dallas. Thom drivesthe Local’s van, and shuttles people wheneverneeded. Kyle gets his own car because he hasalternative lodging.“The Executive Board is not taking a strong stanceagainst the increased number of days worked andare not very sympathetic because some of themdon't fly”I contacted Kyle Whiteley, Chicago DomicileExecutive Board Member and Co-chair of theScheduling Committee, for help answering thisquestion:“The Executive Board has not taken a strongstance with the Company regarding the number ofdays worked, because the Company is not violatingour Contract. We are seeing more pairings onthe lines because we voted in our last survey toreduce the number of 4-day trips. There’s moreinformation about the end of the reduced 4-daytest on page 24. As far as the Executive Board notbeing sympathetic to the plight of the FlightAttendants, only four of our Officers are on full timepulls. The other ten Officers bid lines and fly, andare pulled on an as-needed basis. As for myself, myUnion duties are on my mind almost every wakinghour, and, first and foremost, looking out and workingfor our Membership.”“The Executive Board just gave themselves all payraises.”False. Political suicide? No thank you.“The Union Offices are housed in ‘Trump towers’,the ‘Taj Mahal’, or (insert name of famous largeextravagant building here).”I needed an unbiased, non-vested person toanswer this question. I contacted Houston FlightAttendant Jerry Lindemann to answer this questionsince I had recently seen him at the Union Office.“I am happy to answer that question for you. Thenew union offices are nice, especially when youcompare it to the OLD office. There is no questionabout that. The office is located on the top floor ofa seven story office building that was built in 1986.The space was been re-decorated before theUnion moved in, but the building is still 21 years old.Recently, the electricity went out in the building forseveral days, which indicates the building is anolder one. Having recently seen the space, I cantell you it is nice, but not luxurious. It is adequateand professional, not unlike any other professionaloffice you may go to. The old office was an16