TAMC NutsBolts - Teamsters SFO

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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.
Teamsters Aviation Mechanics Coalition Newsletter9FedEx Mechanics Fighting for Express Carrier Protection ActFAA Reauthorization BillOn February 9th, the FAA Reauthorization Bill was introducedby the chair of the House Committee on Transportationand Infrastructure and the Subcommittee on Aviation.The part of the bill, H.R. 915, concerning us was included.Here is the summary of the bill pertaining to us:“Labor: Express Carrier Employee Protection: Amendsthe Railway Labor Act (“RLA”) to clarify that employeesof an “express carrier” shall only be covered by theRLA if they are employed in a position that is eligible forcertification under FAA’s rules, such as mechanics orpilots, and they are actually performing that type ofwork for the express carrier.”All other express carrier employees would be governed bythe National Labor Relations Act.If you want to read the entire bill, which is 252 pages, youcan go to this link:http://transportation.house.gov/Media/File/Aviation/FAA_Reauthorization_09/HR%20915.pdfExpress Carrier EmployeeProtection and Employee FreeChoice ActWe have heard a lot about two pending bills in Congress: the ExpressCarrier Employee Protection Act and the Employee FreeChoice Act. Both are very important to workers in America andto labor constituents.But the bills are totally different. At this time, EmployeeFree Choice Act simply does not apply to aviation mechanics.Here is a brief explanation of both bills.The Express Carrier Employee Protection legislation is part ofthe FAA Reauthorization Bill, H.R.915. This bill will help FedExExpress mechanics and other FedEx Express employees regaintheir rights of freedom of association which FedEx stripped fromus back in 1996. The Express Carrier Employee Protection legislationmakes sure that FedEx Express employees are covered bythe appropriate labor laws: Licensed air employees under theRailway Labor Act and non-licensed employees under the NationalLabor Relations Act.Employee Free Choice Act would give organizing under theNational Labor Relations Act some teeth and lays out a simplerprocess for recognizing a union for those employees that are coveredby the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Act.In the event Congress passes the Express Carrier EmployeeProtection Act; all of the non-licensed employees of FedEx Expresswould fall under the rules of the National Labor Relations Act.What You Can DoWrite to your Congressional representatives todayand tell them to support FedEx Express CarrierLegislation. If passed, the FedEx Express CarrierLegislation would mean that a new set of guidelineswould cover all aspects of the non-licensedworkers’ attempt to unionize. Under the NationalLabor Relations Act, it will be easier for theseworkers to form a union because they would havethe opportunity to organize site by site, location bylocation and classification by classification. Themore members a union has, the stronger its bargainingpower becomes. The FedEx Express CarrierLegislation benefits everyone.To contact your House representative, visitwww.house.gov. To contact your Senator, visitwww.senate.gov. Each website has a step-bystepprocess that allows constituents to easilyfind their representatives by name or by state.Contact your representative and tell them to passthe FedEx Express Carrier Legislation today!
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TAMC NutsBolts - Teamsters SFO

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