Dear Brothers and Sisters,
It has been quite busy for us lately. I have some updates for you.
Pay raises. As I expect that you have heard by now, there was an agreement between the company and the TWU/IAM Association to modify pay scales. The agreement was signed on August 5 and became effective immediately. While you will not see the pay rate reflected on your check until this coming November, you will be issued the difference of your posted pay rate and your new pay rate in two separate payments. The following explanation (in bold) of the payment schedule is from page 6 of the Association Pay Q & A:
The Company will estimate the number of the hours you will work over the next 90 days. To calculate that estimate, each full-time employee will be paid based on 40 hours of work per week and each part-time employee will be paid based on 20 hours of work per week. That will be the basis.
The company will then multiply those hours by the difference of your “old” (pre-interim agreement) hourly rate + applicable premiums and your “new” pay rate (based on the interim agreement) + applicable premiums to get the lump sum payment due to you.
On Aug. 26, 2016, eligible employees will receive a lump sum payment in the manner you would receive your regular paycheck today (e.g. direct deposit or paper check).
Payroll and IT expect to have all of the programming in place in about 90 days. Until that time, your paycheck will look the same as it does today.
At the 90-day mark, the company will compare the actual hours you were paid over the 90-day period to what was estimated in the lump sum payment. If you should have been paid more than was included in the August lump sum payment, the company will make a supplemental payment. That payment will be equal to the amount that the lump sum differed from the hours paid and will be made no later than 150 days after Aug. 5, 2016.
Work Rules: While we work under our existing separate contracts, there is going to be some change in how the TWU and IAM members interact. Essentially, we will work each other’s aircraft and preform related duties. The following explanation is (in bold) from page 1 of the Association Q&A:
As part of this agreement, the Association agreed to a uniform cross utilization. Today, under the IAM contract, legacy American TWU Mechanic & Related and Fleet Service employees can perform work on legacy US Airways aircraft at a station where both TWU and IAM are represented. However, the opposite is not the case. The flexibility the parties agreed to will allow both IAM and TWU Mechanic & Related and Fleet Service employees to perform work on either legacy carrier’s aircraft. If the company uses this flexibility at a station, Association- represented employees, by classification cross utilized, would be protected at that station.
Contract Negotiations: This is ongoing as we work toward a combined TWU/IAM Association Collective Bargaining Agreement. There are two groups at the table: Fleet Service and Maintenance & Related. Harry Clark remains on the M&R Sub Committee. I was appointed to the main Fleet Service Negotiating Committee this past Wednesday, August 10. I will be given a full briefing on the negotiations thus far by Andre Sutton, President of Local 502 on Wednesday, August 17 in LAX as I prepare to join the group at the table. The upcoming negotiating schedule is as follows:
• August 22-25 in New York
• August 29-Sept 1 in Washington, DC
• September 19-22 in Dallas/Fort Worth
• September 26-29 in New York
Benefits Enrollment: Rick Friedman and I will be attending the Annual TWU Benefits Conference on September 7 & 8 in DFW. We are working the schedule for the Enrollment Counsellors that can assist in your Jetnet enrollment. As soon as we have the final details we will pass that along.
As my schedule has dramatically changed due to being appointed to the Negotiating Committee, I will be out of town on a regular basis. As such, Kevin Hagn and Trevor Chalcraft will see changes in their schedules too. We are very fortunate to have Chris Biancalana, Dwight Davis, and Mike Lenehan fill in as needed. Included in our upcoming schedule are the Deicing season preparations, the fall shift bid, new hire orientation, the two 29(d) arbitration cases on the System Board docket, as well as Seniority Integration. Trevor has also been organizing training seminars for all our Shop Stewards. As we are not always in the office, please leave a message when you call the office, or you can always call our cell phones.
On a final note, I would like to address communications. As your official representatives, we are committed to providing you with timely, factual, pertinent, and verifiable information. We do that through e-mails, web site postings, Kevin’s weekly update, and bulletin board postings. We also have a Facebook page. We now have a Local 512 app for your smart phone. The International has a new smart phone app, and a large percentage of our membership have provided their email addresses to the International for the Communication Campaign. When it comes to contract information, we are limited to posting what is approved by the TWU/IAM Association. While social media may be the quickest form of communication, we will only utilize safe and secure methods when sharing information with you.
Fraternally,
Tim Murphy
President T.W.U. Local 512
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