In the last election, the AFA needed 212 votes to organize.
However, it only received 201 in the election. Just
think, a mere 11 votes separated the AFA from victory and the
$197,964 per year in increased dues revenue.
The Frontier Flight Attendants have sent the same message to the
AFA for the third time. Hopefully, the AFA will respect
this
third decision by the Frontier flight attendants and leave.
However, the AFA's past behavior shows that it values another chance at
getting more dues payers more than respecting a "no"
decision. We have seen it at Delta. We also see it at
Frontier.
We think that the Frontier flight attendants who were courageous enough
to stand up and speak out against AFA representation should be
congratulated. You won the election by a margin of 11
votes. Clearly, your arguments were persuasive and made the
difference in your election.
As of the date of publication of this update, the AFA has yet to issue
any press release or publish information on the AFA website about its
latest defeat. The AFA's silence speaks volumes.
This article is from Rocky
Mountain News
Frontier staff rejects union
Flight attendants decide against
representation by just 11 votes
By David Kesmodel, News Staff Writer
June 8, 2002
Flight attendants for Frontier Airlines Inc.
voted against joining a union by a mere 11 votes, the third time they
have rejected representation in four years.
Denver-based Frontier said 201 of 423 eligible attendants cast
ballots in favor of joining the Association of Flight Attendants, shy of
the simple majority of 212 required for certification.
The AFA previously lost elections at the discount carrier in 1998 and
2000. In 2000, it fell 33 votes short.
"We are extremely pleased that the majority of our flight
attendants have expressed their continued belief in working directly
with Frontier leadership," Frontier Chief Executive Jeff Potter
said after the ballots were tallied Friday.
"I'm very passionate about the culture and the environment we
have here," he said. "We have always said we want direct
communication with our employees."
Union organizers had been confident they would win on their third
try, saying many attendants were upset about inconsistent work rules and
schedules and wanted better pay.
"We're hugely disappointed," the AFA's Scott Barnes said.
"These workers need representation. They have a management team
that is not exactly honest with them."
The vote is a stamp of approval for the way Frontier works with
attendants, one airline analyst said.
"It says (the attendants) identify with this airline and that
they are comfortable with their direct relationship with
management," said James Parker of Raymond James & Associates.
The AFA was coming off a major setback earlier this year, when
attendants at Delta Air Lines Inc., the nation's No. 3 carrier, rejected
unionization.
The AFA must wait a year before it can file a petition with federal
mediators to hold another vote at Frontier.
"If (Frontier attendants) call us again in a year, we will be
right there for them," Barnes said.
The union represents more than 50,000 flight attendants, including
about 26,000 at UAL Corp.'s United Airlines, the dominant carrier at
Denver International Airport.
Three other Frontier employee groups are represented by unions: the
pilots, mechanics and flight dispatchers.
The above article suggests that Frontier's AFA
organizer, much like our Delta organizer, does not understand the word
"no."
Item 2
The dignity and respect of a contract . . . . .
During the election, the AFA said that it would get an industry leading
contract for Delta flight attendants. The company said that a
contract will not guarantee anything, and our group could move backwards.
The anti-union group pointed out that Delta pays us a premium not to
organize.
For proof, let us now look at our pilot ground instructors.
They organized in 1999. They negotiated for two and a half
years. This Summer, they are looking at furloughs. With this threat,
they finally swallowed their pride, put their collective tails between
their collective legs, and signed a concessionary contract.
According to their union, they are working for $20,000 per year less
than the industry average.
Visit the Delta Delta Pilot Ground
Instructor website to learn more about their defeat, or read this
article by Nancy Fonti from the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution. You can also visit the AJC
Delta Insider.
Delta trainers OK pact with pay-rate freeze
Nancy Fonti
-
Staff
Wednesday, June 12, 2002
Delta Air Lines pilot ground-training instructors have approved a
seven-month contract freezing pay rates.
Robert Costales, president of the Transport Workers Union branch
representing the 145 instructors, called the deal
"concessionary."
He said the union was willing to accept it because airlines are
reporting large losses and other workers in the industry have lost jobs
amid the industry slump that was deepened by the Sept. 11 attacks.
Eighty-two percent of union members approved the pact. It is the first
contract for the workers, who narrowly voted for union representation 2
1/2 years ago in a rare win for organizers at Delta.
Delta would not comment on the contract, which is amendable Jan. 1,
2003.
"Delta is happy to see these negotiations concluded," said
spokesman John Kennedy.
Costales said instructor wage rates at Delta fall behind those of
American and United.
"We don't want anyone to believe that we think this agreement is
fair," he said. "We need to be on a par scale with the industry.
We are willing to accept this because it is a short-term agreement."
Talks had been under way since shortly after the organizing vote.
Costales said the union wanted a deal before the summer because Delta has
indicated it may lay off 30 instructors in July, and the contract spells
out how layoffs are handled.
Kennedy would not confirm any impending layoffs. "We have not made
any announcement or any decision on furloughs in the pilot training
instructor group," he said.
The instructors earn $37,000 to $63,000 a year, depending on seniority,
Costales said. The union originally sought raises of 35 percent.
Bill Gray, president of Local 547 at US Airways, said Delta's rates are
about $20,000 a year behind the industry.
"That's unfortunate that Delta, especially in its financial
position, has chosen to be noncompetitive," Gray said.
Read the article on the AJC
website
This would have been our future under the AFA. Delta plays
hardball with unions. If an activist tells you differently, they do not
have a firm grasp on reality.
Item 3
We have all read about the Delta Benefits Survey currently going
on. Surveys are due on June 14. If you would like to
have some input on our benefits, go to http://www.deltabenefitsurvey.com/
and voice your opinion. While we do not have a union, we do have a
voice. Use yours.
Item 4
Still no word on the results of the National Mediation Board's
investigation into the AFA's charges of interference. If the AFA's claims
of "massive interference" were true, we think that the NMB would
have been able to render a decision by now.
Item 5
Got TV? Watch this America Undercover special on a Teamsters
strike. This is the latest in the award winning documentary series
by HBO. Get the whole family, grab the popcorn, and watch the union
bust itself.
American
Standoff
Premieres June 10 at 8 PM (HBO)
Search the
schedule here
American Standoff is about a do-or-die strike by the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters against the nation's largest non-union trucking
company, Overnite Transportation. October 1999. Upset with management's
decision to scale back hours and reduce employee benefits, drivers at the
non-union Overnite Transportation go on strike. In four terminals -
Atlanta, Memphis, Long Island and Chicago - union organizers arrive to
recruit strikers. James P. Hoffa (son of the legendary Jimmy Hoffa, the
man who made the teamsters the largest, richest and most powerful union in
America) was elected president of the Teamsters earlier in the year. Hoffa
vowed during his campaign that his "top priority" would be the
Overnite situation.
The strike begins, and workers hit the picket line for what they hope will
be a quick resolution, but three weeks pass, then three months, now over
two years. As the strike drags on into winter, we come to know several men
and women on the picket line. In Atlanta we meet Joe Reeves, who has
worked for Overnite since he was 18, considers Overnite his family, and
yet is still committed to a strike. In Long Island we are introduced to
Mike Ferriolo, who feels discriminated against because of his union views.
In Chicago, we meet Hope Hampleman, the only female tractor-trailer driver
out of 75 Overland workers. Although concerned about the strike's
financial impact on her family (she's a single mom with five kids), Hope
sees no recourse.
The strikers' initial resolve is eroded by lost pay, the sight of
co-workers crossing the line... and endless waiting. Though the Teamsters
help many striking workers get replacement jobs, the strike takes its toll
on even diehard union members. To this day the strike remains unresolved.
Produced by two-time Academy Award winnerŪ Barbara Kopple, American
Standoff takes a riveting, behind-the-scenes look at the trials and
tribulations of the strike and ultimately speaks to the state of the labor
movement in this country today.
We enjoyed the Sharon video. However, we hope the company will
send us a copy of this documentary if there is ever a re-run election.
Item 6
The AFA did have a bit of good news this past month. Flight
attendants at United were awarded 48 million dollars in the last round of
Wage Arbitration. To greatly simplify and summarize, the
United contract calls for an arbitration panel to look at the costs of
United flight attendants versus the average costs of comparable carriers (e.g.
American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines, and US
Airways). This panel determined that United flight attendants lagged
behind the average compensation of these carriers by 48 million dollars.
The AFA says that this equates to a 7.5% raise. However, this 48
million dollar sum was not determined by averaging only the salaries. The
wage arbitration process looked at the total costs including: sick leave, language pay, vacation, work rules, etc.
It is possible that the 48 million dollars could be added back to UAL flight attendant
compensation in a category other than pay. Visit the UAL
MEC website for more information.
The down side to this award is that United is still losing money. UAL
management intends to seek wage and work rule concessions to lower UAL's
costs. This 48 million dollar increase could end up being
given back to the company. It is also possible that UAL will get no
concessions from its unions and start down the same path as Eastern and
the other airline industry fatalities.
Item 7
Things are looking grim for our friends at US Airways. Their
company is in serious financial trouble. The company is asking
for concessions and the unions are trying to pitch in to do their part to
save the company. We wish them luck.
Here is a summary of the negotiations that a currently on-going (Source
USAirways AFA website E-lines):
US Airways Management's
proposal of 6/5 included:
