TAMC NutsBolts - Teamsters SFO

Teamsters Aviation Mechanics Coalition Newsletter8Moratorium continued from page 7ing campaign and petition drive urging Congress to pass a moratoriumon foreign aircraft outsourcing until the FAA and Congressaddress the huge lapses in safety and security measures atfacilities overseas. The United Airlines mechanics began theirown petition drive, urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen.Barbara Boxer, D-CA., to add the moratorium to the stimulusbill. General President Jim Hoffa, members of our General ExecutiveBoard and principal officers from local unions also wroteletters and made phone calls.Despite our best efforts, Congress passed the stimulus packagewithout our proposed moratorium language. Passage wouldhave ensured that the jobs of countless mechanics stay in theUnited States. Foreign aircraft maintenance outsourcing doesn’tonly affect mechanics; it also hurts the economy and jeopardizespassenger safety and national security.We are looking forward to the next opportunities to advanceour cause and we will not stop meeting with congressional leaders,their key staff members and regulatory agencies until we prevail.The FAA Reauthorization Bill is currently being deliberated.The House version already has many protections that we areseeking at foreign repair stations, such as alcohol and drug testingand twice yearly audits by the FAA. The Division is working towardgetting support from Congress to issue rules at foreign repairstations that would include for 10-year background checksfor mechanics as well. We need your support and involvement inorder to win. Please ensure that you sign up for the weekly AirlineDivision newsletter at www.teamster.org.Teamsters Push For Reformat the National Mediation BoardFor many years the Teamsters have been concerned about NationalMediation Board (NMB) procedures in organizing and bargaining.Now that there is a more worker-friendly administration in Washington,there is a huge opportunity to make positive change in outmodedNMB procedures that favor the Carriers.The general purpose of the Railway Labor Act was set forth in1926 and remains unchanged to this day. The Congressionalmandate forbids “any limitation upon freedom of associationamong employees,” demands “the prompt and orderly settlementof all disputes concerning rates of pay, rules or working conditions,”and requires the “prompt and orderly settlement” of contractgrievances. The NMB has done nothing over the past eightyears to further these important policy objectives. Indeed, theNMB has engaged in actions which seriously compromise andcontravene the national labor policy expressed in the generalpurposes of the Railway Labor Act.In order to address these concerns, the Teamsters submitted atransition issues paper to the new Administration’s NMB TransitionTeam recommending a number of changes to NMB procedure,including various changes that would make it far easier foremployees to organize. This is important because currently thereare at least 107,000 unorganized aviation mechanics working forboth airlines and third-party contractors. If we are to maintainhigh standards in our craft, we must increase union density, especiallyat the MROs, so that our carriers cannot take our work insearch of lower labor costs.Another important reform recommended by the transitionissues paper is the establishment of procedures to ensure theprompt resolution of mediation cases. Under the current practice,once bargaining is in the mediation stage all types of delaystake place that has hugely increased the length of bargaining acontract. This hurts labor at the bargaining table and this issue isa high priority.Currently the Teamsters are working hard to move our recommendationswithin the new NMB. We are also addressing theseRailway Labor Act issues in Congress. In addition we are pressingCongress to address dangerous foreign outsourcing practices, themediation delay, bankruptcy reform, pension reform, and otherissues. We will keep you posted on our continuing efforts.