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Welcome to the Alaska Airlines negotiations page. Come here first for all of your collective bargaining updates with weekly reports from your elected negotiators and District 143.
Click on a negotiator's name to see their picture and bio.
BIO- I became a Machinist member and Customer Service Agent for Alaska Airlines in Kotzebue, AK in 1995 after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Notre Dame. I currently serve as the Chief Shop Steward for Local 601 that represents CDV, BET, OME, OTZ, SCC, FAI, BRW and ANC. I am also the President for Lodge 601. I served on the 2002-2006 Negotiating Committee and am the spokesperson for the 2010 negotiations team.
BIO- I originally started at Alaska Airlines in 1973 while attending college, and worked with Bea Knott in Labor Relations. I went on to work and manage travel agencies, taught travel agency school and worked at Thai Airways Intl. for 8 1/2 years. In 1993, I came back to Alaska and joined the IAM where I became a shop steward, auditor and community service chair for Local 2202. I currently work in Group/Vacations at Seattle Reservations.
BIO- I have been employed with Alaska Airlines since 1972 as a personnel records clerk. In 1978, I became a union member as a reservation sales agent in Seattle reservations after completing the Highline Community College course on airline travel. I began working as a customer service agent in 1979, and worked in Seattle and Portland. Since 1985, I have served on several prior negotiation committees. Since 1998, I have represented you as a District 143 Vice President.
BIO- After graduating from the University of Wisconsin at Madison with a Bachelor's Degree in American History, I relocated to Phoenix, Arizona. I began my career at Alaska Airlines as a reservations sales agent in 1992, and have been a lead reservations sales agent for 14 years. I currently serve as a shop steward in Phoenix reservations, Secretary-Treasurer for Sky Harbor Lodge 2559, and an Auditor for Air Transport District 143.
BIO- I began my career with Alaska Airlines in August 2005 as a customer service agent at the Seattle ticket counter and later became a lead customer service agent. I currently serve as a shop steward and the Recording Secretary for Local Lodge 2202. In June 2005, I graduated from Central Washington University with a Bachelor's Degree in English and Film & Video Theory/Critique. In 2008, I received my Master's Degree in Creative Writing from the University of Washington. Currently, I am pursuing a Doctorate in Political Science with an emphasis in Labor Studies.
July 30, 2010Negotiators' report for week ending July 30, 2010
Face-to-face negotiations resumed with the Company in Seattle this week . . .
An informal session with Jeff Butler and Kelley Dobbs was held on Monday afternoon. We had a frank discussion concerning differences in our bargaining issues. No tentative agreements were reached on any issues. Your negotiating committee was candid regarding our perception of the problems that have prevented us from reaching an agreement.
The push for job security continues . . .
Letter #12 expired July 19, so take every opportunity to spread the message that we are strongly opposed to outsourcing -- whether it's at Oakland, Anchorage, Barrow or Burbank. The record profit for the second quarter that was posted last week speaks for itself. How much higher do the profits need to be before the COPS group is offered job security equal to the other labor groups on the property?
The mail is coming in to Corporate from Employees and from Frequent Flyer Passengers. Don't stop! We are doing a good job of letting Corporate know that we are serious about these negotiations.
In Unity & Stay Union Strong,
Stephen M. Gordon,
President/Directing General Chair
Negotiating Committee Members
Jackie Fay, General Chair
Joe Shultz Sandy Field Bea Knott Kiana Peacock Jeff Tobius
asnegotiations@iamdl143.org
July 22, 2010Negotiators' report for week ending July 22, 2010
Alaska Airlines posted a second quarter profit of $84 million. This is quite impressive. Pat yourself on the back for making this possible!! These numbers are no surprise to the COPS employees. We know how much money is being collected in baggage fees, change fees, unaccompanied minor fees, pet fees, ticketing fees, upgrade fees, and same-day confirmed fees because we're collecting it!!
The COPS group is doing well on our end of the Company's report card. However, there are still agents out on furlough and agents forced to part-time status. Those that remain employed are constantly hounded to work faster-faster-faster -- but don't forget that SAFETY still comes first. Work safe around our system, and never compromise yourself or the operation in the process. Don't try to do the job of two people. If you are working short, be sure to bring this to management's attention.
The Company has made a profit in the first and second quarters,
and it seems that our contribution to these profits should be enough to bring us job security.
How many of our work group have sent the Company a response in the last few weeks about either outsourcing or on another topic? If not, why not? It is time we question again why we don't have our own employees at any of the Hawaiian stations. Why after 5 years of entering the DFW market are we still sending our own COPS trainers to oversee the vendors? Isn't Alaska getting a quality customer service product from the vendor? According to one of our Company Officers, there is no difference between the number of customer service complaints between the vendor stations and the Alaska-staffed stations. In the last six months, we have sent our COPS trainers to all of the Hawaiian stations -- and instead of obtaining jobs in those areas, the Company wanted to "select" those that would work there in the future. Do we really need to remind the Company about the union seniority process?
Job security under the COPS agreement is very different from job security under the Ramp, Mechanic, Flight Attendant or Pilot agreements at Alaska Airlines. Again, that is the primary reason we returned to the bargaining table rather than taking a 24-month contract extension. Further, the Southwest Agreement says: "All work performed by the Company, as described in the classification and work requirements in Article 5 of this agreement, is recognized as coming within the jurisdiction of the Union and is covered by this agreement." Southwest does not have any argument with the work force over job security.
In Unity & Stay Union Strong,
Stephen M. Gordon,
President/Directing General Chair
Negotiating Committee Members
Jackie Fay, General Chair
Joe Shultz Sandy Field Bea Knott Kiana Peacock Jeff Tobius
asnegotiations@iamdl143.org
July 16, 2010Negotiators' report for week ending July 16, 2010
Negotiators' Report For Week Ending July 16, 2010 Your Negotiating Committee members were back on the property the week of July 12 because the Company was again unavailable to meet for negotiations. While we have been back at work, it has been good to be amongst you to reaffirm that you completely understand what is at stake during these negotiations. You have asked us to continue at the table fighting for a fair contract with improved work rules, wages and benefits, and, most importantly, real "job security" that goes beyond Letter of Agreement #12 -- and we are committed to this fight.
A Water Cooler message was posted on Alaska's World on July 12 that asked what a "stock buy back" was. Jay Schaefer, VP-Finance and Treasurer, answered by stating that "Alaska has over $1.2 billion in the bank." Well, who knew that the Company had an extra $1.2 billion in the bank? He continued by listing 3 options for dealing with these extra dollars:
• We can save it
• We can spend it. For an airline, "spending" means buying more airplanes and growing.
• We can return the dollars to our owners (shareholders).
Notice that none of these options include investing that money in you! Even with their plan to utilize up to $50 million to buy back stock, they would have over $1.1 billion left over that as of yet they are not willing to commit to their most valuable stakeholder -- their employees!
Rather than fixing the problem once and for all -- by committing to you for the long term and removing Article 2, Paragraph D -- they continue to threaten you with outsourcing your work in an attempt to intimidate you into accepting another contract that would put a "band-aid" on the open wound that is bleeding our work to vendors. Well, where is the 4th bullet point?
• We can return it to our employees -- who earned it for us (!!!) -- by offering terms of a contract that offer job security language and contractually-guaranteed wages and benefits we can adequately return on the investment of our employees, who have put their blood, sweat and tears into this Company for more than 75 years. Please continue to let the Company know that you want "REAL" job security by speaking up and standing up with your fellow union brothers and sisters.
Stay Union Strong.
In unity,
Stephen M. Gordon,
President/Directing General Chair
Negotiating Committee Members
Jackie Fay, General Chair
Joe Shultz Sandy Field Bea Knott Kiana Peacock Jeff Tobius
asnegotiations@iamdl143.org
July 9, 2010Negotiators' report for week ending July 9, 2010
"INUPIAQ"
What does Inupiaq mean? You may recognize it as a term you've heard associated for years with Alaska
Natives. In fact, there is an Alaska Native on the tail of the Alaska Airlines aircraft. It's a term rich in history,
and the simple definition is "The Real People."
Since the information that was obtained ten days ago in Oakland about the outsourcing, there has been a lot
of dialogue on the subject. "What stations, when and why" has been the theme of most of the questions from
the union members to the Company. Below is a response from a company officer to a union member who
disagreed that customer service levels were equal between vendors and COPS members.
"Specific to your comments about the service provided by our vendor employees, there doesn't seem to
be any difference in the number or rate of customer complaints to either the Company or DOT between
our vendors and our own employees.
As employees and union members, this is offensive. It's time that the Company treats the COPS employees
the way that they want us to treat the passengers. It's time that the Company lives up to the heritage of this
airline and to act as a good corporate citizen. We are the real people and the real employees. We built this
Company without any help from vendors. Past awards and current awards ALL came from the real people.
Be sure to read the Water Cooler this week regarding the outsourcing. Let our voices be heard. Keep sending those letters and emails to Corporate. Cheaper is NOT better!
Stay Union Strong.
In unity,
Stephen M. Gordon,
President/Directing General Chair
Negotiating Committee Members
Jackie Fay, General Chair
Joe Shultz Sandy Field Bea Knott Kiana Peacock Jeff Tobius
asnegotiations@iamdl143.org
July 2, 2010Negotiators' report for week ending July 2, 2010
We were scheduled to negotiate with the Company this week in SEA. Due to reports of subcontracting and issues surrounding Letter #12 (alleged Job Security letter), the Union and the Company did not meet for scheduled negotiations on Tuesday, June 29. Negotiations resumed on Wednesday, June 30.
In response to Jeff Butler's recent posting to you on Alaska's World-Customer Service Airports: DON'T BE FOOLED, the message gives the impression that the Company is willing to give you job security beyond July 10, 2010, with the extension of Letter #12 until July 2012, only 2 short years. There are many flaws with this message. First and foremost, Letter #12, which has been in effect since the ratification of the contract in 2006, provided no job security to the employees in Reno, whose work was contracted out to Horizon employees in 2008. The Company flimflammed their way around their own guarantee of no subcontracting by calling Reno a station closure.
Letter #12 is the same letter that was included in the extension, which we rejected in December of 2009. The problem then—and the problem now—is that Letter #12 doesn't go far enough. It does nothing to protect your work if the Company chooses to pull the "Alaska metal" out of your station and fly only Horizon (i.e., BUR, ONT, PDX, OAK and SFO). Remember Reno?
Letter #12 does nothing to protect your core work, so portions of your work could be contracted out, within your
station, as long as they provide you with some other work.
The Company could contract out the ticket counter work and make everyone a lobby coordinator, or contract out
special functions in the reservation department (i.e., vacations, partner desk).
What's worse, Letter #12 does nothing to gain new work when the Company chooses to fly to a new city. Most
importantly, we have none of the numerous jobs created where the majority of our aircraft have been redeployed to
more lucrative markets such as HAWAII.
We all need to stand together and not accept another contract without the removal of Article 2, paragraph D, which
currently allows the Company to subcontract out our work. There are other contracts out there who own all of their
work (i.e., Alaska Airlines-Flight Attendants and Pilots, Southwest-All Union employees, Spirit Aero Systems-Wichita,
KS.)
Let's stand up and unite and gain real job security once and for all.
Tell your managers you won't accept a contract without Article 2, paragraph D, removed!
Stay Union Strong.
In unity,
Stephen M. Gordon,
President/Directing General Chair
Negotiating Committee Members
Jackie Fay, General Chair
Joe Shultz Sandy Field Bea Knott Kiana Peacock Jeff Tobius
asnegotiations@iamdl143.org
June 30, 2010Negotiators' report for week ending June 29, 2010
The Union Committee was informed this week that some stations currently staffed by Alaska Union members could be outsourced in the near future. After receiving this information, PDGC Steve Gordon, along with GC Jackie Fay and GC Nan Otto, held a conference call with Alaska Airlines to confirm the information. Here is what was learned:
- On July 19, 2010, Letter #12 will expire. Letter #12 was a job protection letter with restriction on subcontracting.
- On July 19, 2010, Alaska Airlines says it will plan on putting out RFP's (request for
proposal) to vendors.
This means that they will contact vendors to find out if anyone can do our jobs cheaper.
The Company talks about trust; however, this conflicts with their business plan. The Company talks about Alaska's
Spirit, but yet they want to eliminate their own work force that creates that spirit.
Vendors are not winning the JD Power's award. The Alaska employees are.
Tell the Company how vital we are to Alaska's success by emailing or calling Corporate to voice your concern. If
you hear about any bad service that the vendors are giving at DFW, HNL or any other station where COPS agents
are currently outsourced, Corporate should be told.
Stand up and shout it out!
In unity,
Stephen M. Gordon,
President/Directing General Chair
Negotiating Committee Members
Jackie Fay, General Chair
Joe Shultz Sandy Field Bea Knott Kiana Peacock Jeff Tobius
asnegotiations@iamdl143.org
June 25, 2010Negotiators' report for week ending June 25, 2010
After the completion of last week's talks with the Company, the Union set to work this week preparing counter proposals. We have several proposals prepared and will present at least eight (8) next week.
Your Committee heard the Company loud and strong last week when they expressed the "need" for Management Assist and Job Selection. We indicated last week that we need our membership to send a message back to management that if they want a speedy end to the negotiation process, they will not find it based on the two items above.
After all the layoffs and the part-time increases, do you want management to be able to do bargaining unit work? Or do you trust management to select the best employee for the job? Do we get a say in the Supervisors and Managers that are hired?
Every chance you get, you need to let the Company know that there is a seniority and bidding system with a probation period that they signed and agreed to follow in 1999. Ask Seattle Ticket Counter how well Management Assist worked in the last agreement. By the way, Alaska, what can you give in return that could possibly make this enticing? Your Committee has not seen anything at this time. The Union is still waiting for the Company's response to our need for job security. Management Assist and Job Select are not the answer.
Stay Union strong!
In unity,
Stephen M. Gordon,
President/Directing General Chair
Negotiating Committee Members
Jackie Fay, General Chair
Joe Shultz Sandy Field Bea Knott Kiana Peacock Jeff Tobius
asnegotiations@iamdl143.org
June 18, 2010Negotiators' report for week ending June 18, 2010
As this week's round of face-to-face negotiations comes to a close, the Union has presented all of their language openers at least one time. Financial proposals have yet to be exchanged. The Company gave us ten (10) counter proposals owed to the Union—some that dated back to March. They included Articles 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17 and a new article for Field Service. Unfortunately, the attitude of goodwill the Union witnessed when achieving a tentative agreement on Article 18 has now disappeared. Their counter proposals all had the same theme: No. No. No. Even though the Union offered the Company a couple of proposals that would provide the Company cost savings, those proposals were rejected outright and we were unable to reach any common ground.
The Company stands firm on job selection versus job bid awards by seniority and the resurrection of Management Assist. The Union argued against these issues. The bottom line comes down to our membership as you have the final say with your vote. We need our members to let the Company know that Company Select for bid awards and Management Assist are unacceptable if they want to reach an agreement with the COPS work group.
We can say "No" too! No to Management Assist and No to Job Select.
Stay Union strong!
In unity,
Stephen M. Gordon,
President/Directing General Chair
Negotiating Committee Members
Jackie Fay, General Chair
Joe Shultz Sandy Field Bea Knott Kiana Peacock Jeff Tobius
asnegotiations@iamdl143.org
June 11, 2010Negotiators' report for week ending June 11, 2010
The negotiating team met this week to prepare Article 4, Classification of Work. When we present this article to the Company next week, June 15, this will complete the Union's exchange of language change proposals. The Company and the Union started this process with the expectation of reaching an agreement expeditiously; however, the Company owes the Union counter proposals to 11 articles dating back to March 3, 2010. The Company has yet to propose the language for the Home Agent Program.
We spent part of the week meeting with agents in SEA, ANC and PHX at the ticket counters, reservations centers, OASYS, CLP and crew scheduling. Some of the agents we spoke to had recently felt the effects of furlough. We find it appalling that we have people out on furlough and yet the Company continues to propose Management Assist. (Hmmm, I've been laid off and the Company wants more flexibility to allow a manager to do my job???)
We noticed the Company's motivation to reach a tentative agreement (TA) on Article 18 last week. We hope this is a genuine change to the tenor of negotiations for the remaining articles. We will be petitioning the National Mediation Board (NMB) for mediation services on June 19, 2010, per Article 27 of the COPS agreement. A mediator will hasten the negotiations process and assist us in reaching our goal of a swift and profitable negotiations. Tell your manager you support your negotiators and want to see a full agreement before the height of the summer travel season.
Stay Union strong!
In unity,
Stephen M. Gordon,
President/Directing General Chair
Negotiating Committee Members
Jackie Fay, General Chair
Joe Shultz Sandy Field Bea Knott Kiana Peacock Jeff Tobius
asnegotiations@iamdl143.org
June 4, 2010Negotiators' report for week ending June 4, 2010
Negotiations with the Company took place in Seattle this week with a lot of focus on the CSA uniforms under Article 18. The order period for the new uniforms has begun and the Union and Company worked diligently to try to resolve an interim process for the implementation of the new uniform for January 2011. A tentative agreement was reached on this article which will benefit our members at the conclusion of the ratification of a total agreement.
This tentative agreement does not change the language in the current agreement. So, a few questions remain with regard to the present ordering process. We encourage you to order on time but make sure you order the basic pieces that the Company will be requiring you to wear as outlined on the CSA Matrix and CSA Guidelines located at Alaskaworld under the CSA Uniform order site.
We had continued discussions on Article 10 regarding selection for jobs versus job bidding by
seniority. No headway was made in this area and the Union remains unconvinced that any change
is necessary. From the Union's perspective, the Company's proposal is unfounded.
Future dates for negotiations in August, September, October, November and December were offered
by the Company. The Union accepted the dates but will continue to ask for more time. Our
next meeting date with the Company is the week of June 15.
Stay Union strong!
In unity,
Stephen M. Gordon,
President/Directing General Chair
Negotiating Committee Members
Jackie Fay, General Chair
Joe Shultz Sandy Field Bea Knott Kiana Peacock Jeff Tobius
asnegotiations@iamdl143.org
May 28, 2010Negotiators' report for week ending May 28, 2010
The Union Committee spent this week preparing for face-to-face negotiations which will be held the week of June 1. The Company has requested we conduct discussions on Article 4, Classification of Work, where the Company openers propose to eliminate bidding between the Clerical and Agent divisions, remove quotas from the lead classifications, include Company selection of all job bidding, and allow Management Assist system wide. An overwhelming concern is the Company's opener and insistence of "Job Select" in place of job bidding by seniority. During our station visits, and from the survey results and emails received, we have heard you loud and clear on this subject. The Union is NOT interested in Company Selection. We have been down this road before.
The 1999 COPS Agreement eliminated the Company Select process because it was not successful. We do not
want to return to this unsuccessful procedure. We really want the Company to manage training programs for all
classifications and utilize the probationary process. These management tools were agreed to by both the Union and
the Company in 1999. Company Select undermines the Union's seniority system. The Company needs to show us
where this process isn't working. The Union's philosophy is to give all members an equal opportunity to apply for
jobs under our agreement and to level the playing field. Allowing everyone to bid for these jobs based on their
seniority eliminates the Company's flawed subjective methods.
The Company's opener to have Management Assist was a program that was not successful under our current agreement. It was introduced in the ratification of our agreement in July 2006. It had a sunset clause which the Company and the Union agreed could be exercised by either party if the program was not working. The Union exercised their rights in January 2008 and terminated Management Assist. We do not want to allow the Company to do bargaining unit work and further diminish our job security. Again, in 1999, the bridge for the Clerical and Agent divisions was made available to allow agents in both divisions to job bid and maintain seniority. We cannot think of one good reason to revert back to a method that would eliminate this ability.
Stay Union strong!
In unity,
Stephen M. Gordon,
President/Directing General Chair
Negotiating Committee Members
Jackie Fay, General Chair
Joe Shultz Sandy Field Bea Knott Kiana Peacock Jeff Tobius
asnegotiations@iamdl143.org
May 25, 2010Negotiators’ report for week ending May 21, 2010
Negotiations between the Union and the Company were conducted this week in Seattle. There was further discussion on Article 18, Uniforms. However, there has been no resolve on this matter at the close of the week. Instead of being able to provide you with an update on the ordering process, we can only report that we are still waiting for the Company's determination of the associated costs in regard to the replacement of the uniform. The only advice we can give you is to order only uniform items that appear in the contract under "basic uniform" (Article 18.C.3., p.75). There is no bank system associated with our contract at this time. If you don't want to end up paying for any new uniform pieces, do not order anything outside of the basic Female CSA or Male CSA uniform.
The Union Committee invited GC Nan Otto to join them at the table for discussions this week on Article 5, Hours of Service, and Article 10, Vacancies. The Company opened with their version of Article 5, and the Union quickly responded with a counter. While there are vast differences in some paragraphs, we are working hard to find areas of mutual understanding where possible.
Your Committee attended the AAG Annual Stock Holders Meeting on Tuesday, May 18, at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. We were surprised by the attendance of the Horizon Air Pilots and Mechanics. The Horizon Mechanics, who are members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), expressed several times at the microphone during the open forum their discontent with the Air Group's decision to farm out some of their work. The Horizon Pilots also spoke at the microphone. They have been in negotiations for 3-1/2 years. No peace at Horizon Air for either of those union groups.
We tried to attain dates for further negotiations for the months of July and August. The Company will only commit to the week of July 26 through 30. June 19 is fast approaching. That is the date we will apply for mediation through the National Mediation Board (NMB). We will continue our pursuit of more dates through that process as well.
STAY UNION STRONG!
Negotiating Committee Members
President and Directing General Chair Stephen Gordon
Jackie Fay, General Chair
Joe Shultz, Sandy Field, Bea Knott, Kiana Peacock and Jeff Tobius
asnegotiations@iamdl143.org
May 17, 2010Negotiators' report for week ending May 14, 2010
What is going on with the new CSA uniforms and the ordering process at Alaska Airlines? That has been the hot topic this week for your negotiators and District 143. Some of the things we are hearing from the agent group are as follows:
Rumor—There is a $600 bank for each employee to use when ordering new uniform pieces.
Fact—Not true. We are in a status quo due to contract negotiations and a banking system has NOT been
established. At present, there is no banking system for ordering.
Rumor—Agents can select any clothing pieces in the Twin Hill Clothing line regardless if they are part of the
basic allotment in the current contract or not and, the cost of the pieces will simply be deducted from the $600
bank.
Fact—The only sure language we have is in our current contract, Article 18.C.1., p. 74, "The cost of the initial
basic uniform pieces shall be borne by the employee at the time of hire or entry into the CSA classification.
The Company shall thereafter provide all replacements of the basic uniform pieces as necessitated by normal
on-the-job wear, on an exchange basis. ...The cost of the accessory and optional items shall be borne by the
employee."
Rumor—The employees will have to pay for shipping, alterations, belts and scarves.
Fact—Currently, there have not been any changes to our contract in Article 18. There should be no deviation
or changes from past practice for ordering, fitting and shipping until further notice. Any changes to this section
must be bargained. Once again, we are in status quo and there cannot be any changes to our contract without
coming through the bargaining table.
Rumor—Employees are expected to get fitted on their own time regardless of where the Twin Hills representatives
are located.
Fact—The Union has not been provided with a schedule in regards to Twin Hills station visits, and is unaware
if Twin Hill will be coming to all stations or a select few. The Twin Hill representatives were in ANC and the
fitting was done on Company time. The Twin Hill representatives are in SEA and the fittings are being done on
Company time. However, other areas like FAI and ORD are being told they have to come to SEA and/or ANC
to get fitted and this will be done on their own time. The Union does not support anyone having to use their
own vacation time, comp time, trade time or any unpaid time off to go out of station for a fitting. The Company
needs to make other arrangements for the CSAs to get fitted. This is not acceptable.
Whatever contract Alaska Airlines has with Twin Hills is between the two of them. The contract that Alaska Airlines
has with the IAM is current and binding. If you have any questions about this process, be sure to make your supervisors
and managers aware of the discrepancies. Your negotiators have asked the Company for more information about the
new uniforms and anticipate full discussions about them when we meet next week.
The Committee is still waiting to hear from the Company about future meeting dates for negotiations. The Company
was asked to commit to dates for July and August last week. We are awaiting their reply.
May 13, 2010, was the five (5) year anniversary of the Seattle Ramp Lock Out. That is a day that will forever be
remembered by all IAM union members at Alaska Airlines.
STAY UNION STRONG!
In unity,
Stephen M. Gordon,
President/Directing General Chair
Jackie Fay, General Chair
Negotiating Committee Members:
Joe Schultz, Sandy Field, Bea Knott, Kiana Peacock, Jeff Tobius
May 7, 2010Negotiators' report for week ending May 7, 2010
Negotiations between the Union and the Company were conducted this week in Seattle on May 4,
5 and 6. During the 3 days, we only reached one tentative agreement, which was on Article 1,
Purpose of Agreement. At the conclusion of the week, all articles have been exchanged at least one
time except for Article 5, Hours of Service, and the Articles that comprise the financial benefit
package.
Janelle Gmitter from the IAMAW National Pension Plan came to Seattle and joined the Union and Company teams to give a presentation on the IAM's pension plan. We were joined by Company guests Brandon Pedersen/V.P. Finance and Controller, Jay Schaefer/VP Finance and Treasurer, and Tom Richards/Managing Director Employee Benefits for the presentation. The NPP was requested to make a presentation by the Union Committee. The Union openers and survey results show that the membership wants to investigate the possibility of re-establishing a defined benefit plan for all members. Some of the features of the NPP are: it is a multi-employer plan, it is 50 years old, and it has assets of over 7.3 billion dollars for 2010. They have 1,750 employer participants, and the plan is insured by the PBGC. More information can be found at their web site www.iampf.org.
At this time, we only have dates for future negotiations through July 1. We have asked the Company for dates for July and August but have not received any commitment from them beyond July 1. We will continue to pursue our request to obtain time with the Company.
Stay Union Strong!
In unity,
Stephen M. Gordon
President/Directing General Chair
Negotiating Committee Members
Jackie Fay, General Chair
Joe Schultz, Sandy Field, Bea Knott, Kiana Peackock, Jeff Tobius
asnegotiations@iamdl143.org
May 3, 2010Negotiators' report for week ending April 30, 2010
The Company was not available to meet with us this week, so we traveled to Washington, DC to
meet with the Union's financial consultant, Tom Roth. Tom has been the advisor for our COPS negotiations
since 1999. During our meetings, we discussed items such as wage scales, differentials, the
health care package and pensions, including the 401k. These meetings will help us be better prepared
when we meet in the future with the Company and begin discussions on the financial package.
During this trip, we made time to meet with our coworkers at DCA. When DCA first opened, the work
was vendored out; however, since 2006, we have had our own staff. There are a total of 17 agents.
Meeting and visiting this station drove home once more the importance of having our own agents at
all stations. If Alaska Airlines wants our own brand of customer service properly represented, then
the COPS members need to be there. As we stated in our very first bulletin in January, "The Union's
openers represent long-term job security while recognizing the need for a successful business plan
for the Company."
Our agents are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to bring the Alaska Airlines brand to all cities that the Company services, including Hawaii, which will have 101 flights per week by the end of the year. The majority of the DCA agents have less than five years seniority, and they had questions relating to our pension plans. As a reminder: Agents who were hired after the July 2006 contract do not have a defined benefit plan; they only have a 401k plan. The Committee is exploring the possibility of obtaining a defined benefit plan and has invited IAM National Pension Plan's administrators to come to the table to make a presentation. This would give newer members the opportunity to have a 401k plan and defined benefit plan and/or a choice of plan just as the more senior members have.
The National
Pension Plan will be in SEA next week to make their presentation to both the Company and
Union negotiating committees.
Congratulations are in order again this week to Alaska Airlines and its Chief Financial Officer, Glenn
Johnson, for a recent award from the Human Rights Commission on being one of the "Best Places to
Work for LGBT Equality." This is the second year in a row for recognition from the HRC.
Stay Union Strong
April 26, 2010Negotiators' report for week ending April 23, 2010
Congratulations to all Union members who work for Alaska Airlines. The Company announced a
net profit of $13.1 million for January through March 2010. They also stated that this is only the third
time in 11 years that AAG has reported a first-quarter profit. More good news included additional
routes from San Diego to Maui and more seasonal flights from San Diego to Puerto Vallarta. ASA
continues to expand its Hawaii market and will have 101 roundtrips per week to four major Hawaiian
Islands by this winter. Are you thinking what your Committee is thinking? Why didn't the
announcement include the decision to staff these Hawaiian stations with our COPS members?
Once more, ASA was not available to meet with your negotiators the week of April 19, so we spent the week in Seattle working on proposals for negotiations that will be exchanged the week of May 4. Our focus in these proposals has been to cover any articles not previously discussed and respond to Company-proposed articles received in prior sessions. After receiving the results of the surveys, conducting station visits, and listening to membership comments, the Committee will continue to emphasize job security at the table along with an industry-leading financial benefit package.
The Committee's proposals are written based on the Union openers found on the website. Potential
openers were written by our members during August and September 2009. They were
submitted to each respective local lodge for approval, and those that were approved were
sent to District 143 by November 2009. During December 2009, delegates from each local attended
the District 143 Proposals Conference in Seattle and voted to approve these changes,
which became our official contract openers. Suggestions for changes to our contract cannot
be processed in any other manner. These procedures are part of District 143's bylaws and must
be adhered to so all members in good standing can have an equal right to participate in the
negotiating process. Preparation for negotiations began months before the request for Section
VI openers were sent to the Company in February 2010. The Committee is required to work within
these parameters during the course of these negotiations.
In Unity,
Stephen M. Gordon,
President/Directing General Chair
Negotiating Committee Members:
Jackie Fay, General Chair
Joe Shultz, Sandy Field, Bea Knott, Kiana Peacock, Jeff Tobius
April 16, 2010Negotiators' report for week ending April 16, 2010
Since the Company continues to be unavailable to meet for face-to-face negotiations this month, your negotiators went back on the road this week to visit more stations—ONT, BUR, OAK and SJC. These visits allow us to speak directly to the membership and are proving to be invaluable.
The discussions with our members, no matter where we go, continue to reinforce the core theme of the need for job security and are providing a view of a systemwide pattern of doing more with less. Our members are feeling inadequately compensated for their loyalty and hard work that has helped to gain such achievements as the J.D. Powers Award, Best On-Time Performance for 2009 per the Department of Transportation, and a 2009 pretax profit of $237 million. These goals could NOT have been obtained without the hard work of the COPS members who have been rewarded with furloughs and part-time employment.
The negotiating team is seeing that, with the reduction of members and work schedules, things such as the prep time and clean-up time in the Reservation offices has been eliminated. Restocking and clean-up at airports are being done by members on their own time, and negotiated breaks are not being obtained. Is this our "reward" for helping to reach the 2009 awards and profits? When reading Alaska Airlines' AlaskaWorld and Horizon Air's Leading Edge, we see that last year AAG earned more than $195 million in non-ticket revenues (such as bag fees) and saw a rise in charter flight revenues in 2009 at Alaska Airlines of over $9 million.
Your negotiating team believes that a fair and equitable contract is possible and asks for your continued support. Our members believe that choosing this time to negotiate with the Company was a good decision. We have many matters that need to be addressed and can only be done by going through this process. Alaska Airlines did not do themselves any favors by "rubbing salt in the wound" (to quote this week's comments from our members) when they admonished us for this decision. Members at each station we visit have been vocal about Alaska's persistent comments on their "disappointment" in our work group for our choice.
Remember—Stay Union Strong.
April 9, 2010Negotiators' report for week ending April 9, 2010
The Union Committee did not meet with Alaska Airlines this week for face-to-face negotiations as the Company
was unavailable. In fact, the Company was unable to provide any dates to meet during the month of
April.
This week your Committee met in Seattle and worked on proposals for three articles that will be presented the next time we meet (May 4-5-6). The proposals for two of the articles are counter proposals to Company proposals previously received. The third set of proposals is on an article that has not yet had any exchanges. During this week we also worked on a schedule for more station visits. We will go out on the road beginning Monday, April 12, and visit the stations of ONT, BUR and OAK. While in the Bay Area, we will attend the monthly union lodge meeting at Burlingame at Local Lodge 1781 on Wednesday, April 14.
The following is a list of Local meetings that the committee will be attending in April. We invite you to come to the meetings to hear our reports and have direct contact with the negotiators about the updates on negotiations.
April 13, Tuesday, 4:00 PM: Local Lodge 2559/PHX
April 14, Wednesday, 4:00 PM: Local Lodge 1781/SFO
April 20, Wednesday, 5:30 PM: Local Lodge 601/ANC
April 20, Wednesday, 4:00 PM: Local Lodge 2202/SEA
April 5, 2010Negotiators' report for week ending April 2, 2010
This week your negotiating team did not meet with the Company as they were unavailable. Instead, we
went out on the road for more station visits. We split up into two teams to cover more territory and were
then able to visit SIT, KTN, WRG, PSG, SFO and SJC. With the flying time and the face-to-face visitations
at the stations, our days were filled from morning until evening. However, we were once again assured
that our focus at the bargaining table is on point in representing our membership. We appreciate that
reassurance and want to thank all of those who took the time to talk with us.
For those members that might not be aware, the operation at WRG and PSG is unique to the rest of our system. The agents at the two locations have a multifaceted responsibility. They perform not only the Customer Service function but the Ramp, Air Freight and Departure Coordinator functions. The flying time between WRG and PSG is approximately 20 minutes—not much time to work out weight and balance with our Centralized Load Planners in SEA. Teamwork and experience is key in working at these two stations.
There were some very good comments made by our members this week, both at the stations and via emails. Agents are becoming more familiar with the openers that are posted on the District 143 website, and shared their opinions and concerns about them. Listed below are this week's subjects.
Topic - Company Select for Lead Agents and elimination of the minimum/maximum requirement for
having a lead on duty.
Response - Overall, the response was unanimous. Members were not interested in having the Company
choose who the leads are. There is a bidding procedure with a probation period in the contract, and that
should be followed. We need to maintain the minimum and maximum language as it provides a protection
to assure lead coverage and jobs.
Topic - Job Security
Response - This is an absolute necessity. It doesn't do us any good to get a pay raise if we don't have jobs.
(This continues to be in the forefront of our members' concerns no matter where we go!)
Topic - What? No 1st step grievance process? And the Union has to pay for all time that shop stewards do
any work on the property?
Response - Our members do not want to lose the 1st step grievance process, nor the opportunity to work
out local issues with the local management. If the Union has to pay for lost time for the shop stewards to
help the members at the bid location, the members feel they would lose their right to union advocacy at the
local level. Isn't this a union-busting tactic?
Topic - Company Uniforms.
Response - We need a review of the basic company uniform. Having a layered look would be more
practical so agents in both hot climates and cold climates could dress more comfortably. Also, the description
of uniforms needs to be revised to include Station Agents who actually wear ramp uniforms. They need
gloves, rain gear and other items to be part of the replacement that the Company provides. Wearing a blazer
while loading/unloading igloos is just not the right fit. Frequently, we are hearing that agents have uniform
pieces hanging in their closets that are unworn and with the original tags still on them. Perhaps an update of
this language would eliminate this cost and allow the agents to maximize the pieces that are worn.
Topic - Why is the Union asking to reduce the percentage of part-time in the contract from 40% to 25%?
Response - For many years the Company's business model was based on 25% part-time even though there
was language that allowed 40%. Recently, with furloughs, that has increased to 33%. Full-time agents who
are reduced to part-time are struggling to meet their financial obligations. In addition, the insurance premiums
increase to the employee when s/he goes from full-time to part-time. In the state of California, members
cannot turn down a part-time job and then be eligible to collect unemployment. The philosophy of the
Union has always been to provide a living wage for our members. We would like to see the Company's
business model return to a 25% part-time workforce.
Topic - Will the Departure Coordinator job duties be included in the new contract?
Response - The Union has a proposal to discuss this new addition of job duties and whether or not it is a
separate job classification. By visiting and talking to our members around the system, we have discovered
that there are a variety of ways in which this new job is performed. We are anxious to talk to the Company
on this topic. The size of the operation should be considered when working out these details.
Topic - Since Letter #12, in the back of the book, is due to expire July 19, 2010, does that mean that the
Company could close stations and turn the operation over to Horizon Air?
Response - The Company already did that to Reno in April 2008.
Topic - Did anyone express to the Company that sending two letters to our homes and running articles in the
Alaska's World and in the Services Online Training areas about their disappointment in our work group is
insulting? The decision to turn down the contract extension was the majority rule and should be respected.
Response - Yes.
Fraternally and in solidarity,
Stephen M. Gordon
President/Directing General Chair
March 26, 2010Negotiator's report for week ending March 26, 2010
This week your negotiating team met with the Company in Seattle. During this session they provided the Company our proposals regarding Article 2-Recognition and Scope of Agreement (job security) and Article 3-Status of Agreement (merger protection). They spent a lot of time researching these articles by utilizing resources from the Grand Lodge and looking at language in other IAM contracts - Hawaiian, United, Northwest and Southwest. We got the message from our membership during station visits that they are very concerned with these two issues so that is why we have addressed them early in the game. The Company will know it is very important to us to achieve reinforcements and improvements in these areas.
At the conclusion of our second full week of negotiations there have been a total of 12 articles exchanged. Although we have no tentative agreements on any of these articles, we have had some very thorough discussions, which we feel will lead to tentative agreements in the future.
Our next scheduled negotiations session with the Company is May 3-7, 2010. During the month of April, your negotiators are planning station visits and will be preparing additional proposals for upcoming sessions.
Stay Union. Stay Strong.
March 19, 2010Negotiator's report for week ending March 19, 2010
Your committee continued to work on proposals to be presented to the Company during the next round of face-to-face negotiations scheduled the week of March 22. A lot of research is being conducted on the openers for Articles 2 and 3 (which focus on subcontracting and mergers), including communications with Tom Brickner, the International Airline Coordinator.
Tuesday, March 16, the committee split up to make visits to Local Lodge 601 (ANC) and Local
Lodge 2202 (SEA) monthly lodge meetings and report in more detail to the membership. The
members commented on the Company's opener regarding the changes to the lead classification. It
has been made clear to the committee that our members are not interested in the Company proposal
regarding management select on the bid award process classification and feel outraged at the
diminishing respect toward the Union's seniority process.
To get acquainted with your negotiating committee, a picture and bio for the individual members have been posted on the District 143 website. Your committee consists of five (5) elected members plus General Chair Jackie Fay and President/Directing General Chair Stephen Gordon.
NOTE: Your committee was informed that there is an article about our CEO Bill Ayer in the Juneau empire about his 2009 pay. You can read about it at http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/031710/sta_591970173.shtml.
March 12, 2010Negotiator's report for week ending March 12, 2010
 |
(l. to r.) Sandy Field, Bea Knott, Jeffrey Tobius, Joe Shultz, Kiana Peacock |
Your negotiating committee spent the week of March 12 working in Seattle on contract proposals that will be presented in the next round of face-to-face time with the Company on March 23.
In addition, we conducted a station visit to the reservation agents in Boise on Wednesday, March 10. We arrived at the reservation center around 11 a.m. and spent the day visiting with members and answering questions until we departed for the airport at 7:30 p.m. Some of the questions centered on the Union's contract openers. Here are some of those questions:
Q. What is a "Me Too" clause?
A. A "Me Too" clause is an industry term that has been used in other labor contracts such as at NWA and
even the Flight Attendant's contract at Alaska. The simple explanation of a "Me Too" clause, it allows
one labor group on the property to benefit from the gains of another.
Q. How do we translate the language used in the Union's openers?
A. Openers are the Union's proposals for changes to the current COPS agreement that were written
by our members and approved by delegates at the Contract Proposal Conference in December 2009.
The proposed changes reference each article and paragraph within the current COPS contract.
For example, Number 3 under Article 4 is the proposal to eliminate the paragraph that currently
allows management to perform COPS work.
Q. Why can't you give more specifics and details in the openers as well as the negotiation updates
on the web site?
A. We are unable to be specific because the process of negotiations is ongoing and ever-changing.
Nothing is permanent until we have reached a tentative agreement. Some dialogue must remain
confidential until this is achieved. During our station visits with the members, we will continue to
answer questions in more detail.
Your elected negotiators are committed to bringing you the best agreement they can negotiate—Union Strong.
March 5, 2010Negotiator's report for week ending March 5, 2010
This week, your Negotiating Team met with Company officials in Seattle to exchange Contract Openers. Please look for the Union’s proposals as well as the Company’s Openers on this page located at the top of the sidebar.
The Company feels that their proposals will help them reach their business goals through flexibility and productivity.
The Union’s openers reflect our key goals, which represent long-term job security while recognizing the need for a successful business plan for the Company. President Gordon emphasized “the need for mutual respect during the bargaining process,” as well as “our expectation for reaching an agreement expeditiously.”
After the openers were received, we dove right into the exchange of proposals. By the end of the weekly session, six Articles had been proffered. Much debate took place, and we feel progress has been made.
The Union Negotiators will be meeting next week to begin work on counter proposals for the negotiation sessions that will take place the week of March 22nd and to finalize a schedule for more station visits. Due to full flights during our first round of station visits, we were unable to get to Boise and will make a visit to the Reservations Center there the week of March 8th. Once a schedule is completed, the local Shop Stewards and General Chairs will be contacted in order to alert the membership.
If you still have surveys in your location, please send them as soon as possible to District 143.
Continue to be Union Strong as we go through this process in solidarity.
March 3, 2010Negotiations Update
ALASKA AIRLINES OPENERS FOR MARCH 2010
February 26, 2010Negotiators' report for week ending February 26, 2010
The Countdown Begins. Four Days to Opening Day: March 2! Audit of Health Care Dependent Coverage to Begin
The negotiators, along with other union groups on the property, met with Company Benefits Director Tom Richards and outside consulting firm AON regarding health care dependents. The Company's purpose of this meeting was to advise that:
AON will be conducting an audit of dependents under our health plan;
AON will be sending a letter in March to employees listing the employee's dependents and giving information to requalify under dependent status;
This audit should be completed by June.
Employees who show dependents who do not qualify will then need to remove them from their benefits.
February 19, 2010Negotiators' Report for Week Ending February 19, 2010
February 12, 2010Negotiators' Report for Week Ending February 12, 2010
The COPS Negotiators continued the week of February 8 with station visits to the membership. Visits were made
to the night shift agents in the Kent Centerpoint Building, Juneau Ticket Counter and Cargo, Phoenix Ticket Counter
and Reservations, Portland Ticket Counter, Seattle Accounting and the night shift agents at the Seattle Ticket Counter.
No matter what the location, the Negotiators' message is the same, we need to move forward and go forward—
united. The members we visited understand and are ready to stand together to achieve this message. Please
continue to complete the surveys and turn them in to your shop stewards. The surveys will guide your committee
in the upcoming negotiations.
When visiting the stations this week, the Negotiators met agents who supported the Union's recommendation of
"Vote No" on the extension and agents who did not. One agent identified himself as having voted yes on the
extension, but wanted the 2010 Negotiators to know that he is supportive of the current position and has pledged
his support as we move ahead.
Face-to-face negotiations have been confirmed to begin on March 2 in Seattle. At that time, the Union will present
their openers to the Company and will receive the Company's openers in return.
In closing, as the Negotiators have traveled about the system, there have been a couple of questions that need to be clarified. Here are the questions and correct facts. We hope this will help any of our members who might have misinformation about how the extension ratification process was conducted:
| Q. | Is it true that members who did not vote were counted as part of the "No Vote" (65%)? |
| A. | Not true. Only members who voted were counted in the final results of 65% No and 35% Yes. |
| Q. | What was done with the ballots at the end of voting in each city? |
| A. | The sealed ballots were sent via UPS to MSP at the end of the voting day at each city. If there was no UPS facility, the ballots were sent as soon as possible at the next city where there was a UPS facility. For example, PDX ballots were sent from the UPS facility at the PDX airport. However, ballots from Bethel were taken to ANC and sent from a UPS facility near the ANC airport. |
| Q. | What was the process for tallying these votes? |
| A. | After all ballots were received in MSP upon the final vote in PHX on December 15, 2009, tellers from the Northwest property tallied the votes and results were posted December 17, 2009. |
February 5, 2010Negotiating committee begins station visits
During this past week (February 1-5) your Negotiating Team began their station visits with the following locations:
Anchorage: We began with the Ticket Counter on Monday and concluded with Air Cargo
on Tuesday. The members were glad to meet the negotiators and excited to fill out the surveys —
which enable our members to be a part of the negotiating process.
Seattle: When we arrived, we visited Flight Operations, Centerpoint, Ticket Counter and
Air Cargo and stressed the importance of solidarity as we move forward into negotiations — a
message which was well received.
Los Angeles: On Thursday and Friday, we traveled to Los Angeles and met with the Ticket
Counter Agents — who are aware of the issues we all face and the importance of bringing these
issues to the table.
Have you Received and Completed the 2010 Bargaining Survey?
The 2010 Bargaining Surveys have been sent to each IAM Steward in sufficient quantity for the
members at each station. We would like every member to take a moment to complete the brief,
yet important, survey in order for us to achieve the best possible collective bargaining agreement
for you and your families. If you have not yet received a survey, make sure to contact your shop
steward. When you have completed the survey, please return it before March 1, 2010 to a COPS
chief steward or steward. We appreciate your participation.
Monitor the IAM Website Please continue to utilize the IAM Air Transport District's website at www.iam143.org to stay up to date with negotiations.
January 28, 2010 Negotiations bulletin
Your negotiating team spent the week of January 25th in Seattle organizing the union’s opening contract proposals that were passed at the District Proposal Conference in December.
In addition to working on openers, we developed a plan to communicate with the membership, which we believe will assist our members to stay informed and involved with the negotiation process. We will begin with station visits to several hubs.
The week of February 1st through 5th, the negotiating team will be in Anchorage, Seattle and Los Angeles. The week of February 8th through 12th, the committee will be in Juneau, Seattle, Boise, San Francisco, and Portland. Please contact a shop steward for specific dates and times that the committee will be visiting your station.
Surveys have been sent to all shop stewards, which will be distributed to you in the upcoming weeks. Surveys are due back to your shop stewards by Monday, March 1st. The survey will prioritize the contract issues, and will greatly assist your negotiating team’s focus when talking with the company.
We look forward to visiting with you,
Your Negotiating Committee – Bea Knott, Kiana Peacock, Jeffrey Tobius, Joe Shultz, Sandy Field
January 22, 2010Negotiators preparing for the upcoming contract negotiations
District 143 Alaska Airlines COPS negotiators, along with General Chair Jackie Fay and President Stephen Gordon met this week at the William W. Winpisinger Education & Technology Center to prepare for upcoming contract negotiations with the Company. District 143 has sent a Section 6 Notice to Alaska Airlines, which is the first step in modifying existing contracts by either side.
“We are committed to working with corporate leaders throughout the negotiations process to address many of our challenges and more importantly opportunities, exchange ideas and reach an agreement that serves the best interests of our membership, their families, customers, and the many communities we serve”, stated President Gordon, “However, the Company must recognize that their ongoing tactics of trying to negotiate directly with the families of our membership via sending letters wherein they state that they are disappointed only function as an impediment to the negotiation of difficult issues at hand”.
Your elected negotiators spent long hour’s fine tuning bargaining strategies, prioritizing adopted proposals, and participating in countless collective bargaining exercises. “The work of the negotiators this week has certainly prepared them to negotiate an agreement that must provide for the will of the membership who overwhelmingly rejected the Company’s proposed extension”, said PDGC Gordon.
In addition to classroom exercises, your negotiators established a communication structure that will provide the membership with negotiation updates throughout the process. District 143 will establish an Alaska Airlines Negotiation “tab” on the District web site www.iam143.org for weekly updates, utilize Negotiation Update bulletins, as well as hold conference calls with applicable shop committee and chief shop stewards. It is important that all members make sure that they stay current with the progress of the negotiation process; clearly this will suppress rumors.
We would like to thank everyone for their continued support. We look forward to the commencement of negotiations.