May 20, 2012
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UA OPENS NEW DOMICILES!!! On May 15, 2012, UA announced that "we will open S-CO domestic bases in SFO, DEN, LAX, ORD, and IAD" and in Phase II will have ".....more changes in international flying with S-CO wide body departures increased in SFO, LAX, and Dulles...." due to aircraft deployment changes. The new domiciles for CAL f/a's will be as follows: LAX (300), ORD (250), DEN (200), SFO (300) and IAD (200) for a total increase of 1250 positions in these five NEW CAL domiciles. Any overages by S-CO in EWR, CLE and IAH will be absorbed by the transfers to the five new domiciles. The changes for UA flight attendants will be an increase in JFK (500) and IAH (350). The overages for S-UA flight attendants in ORD, DEN and LAX will be for approximately 500 lineholders, as flying is replaced by the CAL flight attendants at these domiciles, as they open. It also remains to be seen what will happen if UA cannot get a total of 850 UA flight attendants to transfer into JFK or IAH.
UA
has over 1700 UA flight attendants on furlough while the CAL new hires
continue to graduate from the IAH Training Center. CAL currently has
plans to continue hiring through November 2012.
Can Afa read the........
Handwriting on the Wall?
Forward this message to a friend MORE UA MEC BLUNDERS! The UA MEC contributed to the "shrinking" of UA by NOT having entered into combined contract negotiations with CAL last year. Instead, they insisted on the ill- fated single "expedited" negotiations. The contract ratified in February is the second time the UA MEC negotiated a so-called "expedited" contract (2010-2016). The last "expedited" contract negotiated by Afa resulted in the 1987-1996 ten year contract (second ten year contract was 1996-2006). Both ten year contracts negotiated by the Afa are the longest contracts negotiated in the airline industry! Now, the Afa is spewing the decades old rhetoric from their 90's playbook and bag of tricks to justify their colossal ineptitude. The AFA E-lines dated May 18, 2012 states:
"United management would like nothing more than to have United and Continental Flight Attendants at odds with each other."
That is the exact opposite of what the Company hopes to achieve. Apparently, Afa couldn't think of anything original this time a round. The UA MEC must have also forgotten that the CAL MEC is in the middle of their own Section 6 negotiations for their single contract (amendable in September, 2012). Of course, this is after the UA MEC ignored CAL MEC and tried their hand at the disastrous expedited negotiations. Who can forget the UA contract ratified in February that did not give us parity with CAL or "snap back" to the last UA contract from over a decade ago? But don't listen to us, as the AFA E-lines also states confidently:
"The
best way to combat fear of the unknown is with accurate information
from your Union. Don't rely on rumor, social media or renegade
propaganda that only serves to disseminate apprehension and create
division."
Rumor, social media and fear mongering are the exact methods used by the Afa in winning the representation election. When was the last time Afa UA MEC was right about anything? Was it the $64.00 an hour they promised? Is it the industry leading contract they were going to get far surpassing CAL's current contract? Or was it the immediate "combined" contract negotiations they were going to enter with CAL?
BUT WAIT!!!
The May 18th E-Lines also states:
"We
have industry experts and professionals to advise us and we will
protect United Flight Attendant jobs and maximize opportunities for our
flight attendant community."
Would these experts be the "infamous and polarizing duo" - Lum and Kande from previous failed negotiations? Would it be the same Afa lawyers getting paid six figures for ten year contracts and negotiating our weak scope and furlough clauses? Are these experts the same Afa International Officers who will ALL be getting a 30% raise on June 1, 2012? The same experts and professionals that are coincidentally RAISING OUR DUES on June 1, 2012! But don't listen to anything we have to say, because we are only the "renegade propagandists" that Afa would love to silence! And of course, do as Afa suggests, don't post this information anywhere on the social networking sites. It would be helpful if you all quit reading ANYTHING different from what Afa writes! UA MEC'S Success Hinges on the Ignorance of the Membership! Forward this message to a friend FUTURE OF OUR CONTRACTS THE UA MEC The UA MEC wasted almost a year with the expedited/single contract negotiations and promised the UA flight attendants more pay, ($64 an hour), while demanding the preservation of antiquated work rules. In the end, UA MEC, notorious for "stonewalling" and unable to negotiate "itself out of a wet paper bag" was not able to get CAL's pay parity nor keep the promised work rules. And had they not insisted in continuing separate Section 6 negotiations instead of a combined contract, the Company would not need to establish all their intended new sub domiciles. THE CAL MEC The CAL MEC negotiators wasted no time and exchanged "early" opening letters for their single contract (amendable September 2012) and met with the company on April 24th and 25th. Significant progress has been already reported by CAL and the next bargaining session with the company is scheduled for June 4th, 5th, and 6th. The new CAL contract will give the CAL flight attendants the ability to preserve benefits, flexibility, and the financial security they currently enjoy before CAL MEC enters into combined contract talks with UA MEC. THE COMPANY Mr. Risoli's May 15th announcement cites delivery of larger replacement aircraft as the primary driver of continued hiring at S-CO and the opening of new domiciles for CAL flight attendants. Risoli reminds everyone that it won't be until "we have one contract and one seniority list, (that) we will be able to greatly reduce or in some cases eliminate many of these problems and inefficiencies." The company message seems to be clear. Unless a combined contract is reached between UA and CAL sooner rather than later to streamline both airline operations, UA f/a's can and will face major changes. Once the new domiciles are opened, future announcements may include UA domicile closures and/or more furloughs. The company will do what is necessary to avoid possible redundancies until Afa UA MEC starts to understand that they have NO LEVERAGE as long as there is other work groups (CAL/CMI) available to provide the productivity necessary for the company to stay profitable and successful. Forward this message to a friend AFA's "Backroom Dealings" On May 9th, two of the worst candidates were elected to the JNC (Joint Negotiation Committee) by the UA MEC. Kevin Lum and Jack Kande, both with previous legacies of failed contracts, were "voted in" behind closed doors
by 14 LECP's and UA MEC President Greg Davidowitch. Candidates far
more qualified than Kande or Lum were "shut out" for these positions
that were supposed to be "elected" but in TRUTH were "appointed".An unprecedented number of flight attendants mobilized in several domiciles across the country to contact their LECP's to express their support for candidates, (13 in total), other than Lum and Kande. The extensive email and phone campaign by flight attendants were all but ignored by LECP's in SFO (Black), IAD (Curlee), LAX (Harris), ORD (Sesko), and SEA (Tucker) in the undemocratic process exercised by the UA MEC to select two members to the JNC. In the UA MEC "rigged" election -
Only 3 of the 13 candidates received any votes at all!
The formerly disgraced UA MEC President Kevin Lum and HKG LECP Jack Kande were "elected" in back room horse trading despite the rare participation by UA flight attendants across the system who are not able to vote in MEC elections but wanted their voices heard. In fact, the following statement was made back in January of 2004, regarding Kevin Lum, by now current DENLEC-President Ken Kyle:
"Sure
he is free to participate here....but I have zero respect for his
opinion or his "knowledge" of the contract. He has a history of being as
deceptive in practice as much as DMB and the MOOT-10. His 'legacy' of
contract 'knowledge' means that he was instrumental in the grey-area
language and loopholes we are affected by on a daily basis. I do not
trust his 'opinion' or 'knowledge' nor do I believe he would have any
interest in participating in this or any forum. "
Ken Kyle
It is supreme irony that Kevin Lum has chosen to resurrect himself at this point in time. After all, as Ken Kyle had previously pointed out, it is his MECs' awful 1996-2006 agreement, extended through 2010, that is still with us today. With no true checks and balances in place, the UA MEC, without a direct vote of the membership, appointed the two as our "best and brightest". Of course, Mr. Kande's ineptitude in the last round of negotiations, culminating in the "Swiss Cheese" contract, should be fresh in everyone's mind. Why he was given the chance to try again defies reason. The JNC appointments of Jack Kande, and especially of Kevin Lum, not only underscores the utter contempt of the UAL MEC for their members, but does not bode well for the continued employment of subsidiary UA flight attendants. We have often wondered how many S-UA jobs the UA MEC is willing to sacrifice to prove a point, and we now have our answer:
ALL OF THEM!
http:// UA CROSSOVERS NEW EXPERIENCES "How I changed my life, career and bank account by merely crossing the Hudson." Read more on the CrossChecked Blog.
"Anonymity
is not a lack of courage, but rather the absence of ego – it is only
the collective good of a combined work force working until a combined
contract with an integrated seniority list NOW – not six years down the
line - that is the aim of the FACC. No one person dictates the terms or
direction of the group. That is the very definition of “member-driven”
and the purest form of democracy."
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