TWU Local 556 Negotiation Update #19
Your Negotiating Committee met with Management for a two-day session this week on December 10th-11th. This week’s session continued the theme of productivity and saw the teams, collectively, pass 10 proposals/ counterproposals across the table.
On the first day of bargaining, the Company started with counterproposals to Article 17: Medical Examinations, Article 19: Grievance Procedures, and Article 20: Board of Adjustment. There was productive conversation regarding Article 17, but the Company continued in its misguided approach of tying its acceptance of our proposed language in Article 17 with unrelated language it had proposed in Article 20. The Company’s counterproposals for Article 19 and Article 20 were similar to its previous proposals. However, we are cautiously optimistic, based upon the vigor in which the Company spoke about the need to work together to process grievances in a timely fashion, and we hope the Company’s actions going forward in this respect will match its words. Your Negotiating team then provided a short presentation regarding technology before presenting a proposal for a new article, Flight Attendant Workplace Technology Security and Protections. With the proliferation of technological advances in our work place and the requirement to possess a company-owned device, your team feels it is imperative our work group has contractual language, which protects your privacy. After that, we presented counterproposals for Article 33: Commuter and Article 35: Hotels and Transportation. We had very minor changes from our last proposal for Article 33 and reiterated to the Company the importance of a ground commuter policy to our workgroup. In Article 35, we merged our first proposal with what the Company proposed, and developed language we believe would provide the Company with some of the oversight it is seeking; while still upholding high standards for hotel selections.
On Day two, your Negotiating Team utilized the morning to caucus and continue formulating counterproposals to ensure this session was as productive as possible. When we met with the Company, we presented a counter to Article 17 and, after informative discussion, we believe the two teams are close to reaching tentative agreement on this article. Following this discussion, we presented counterproposals for Article 19 and Article 20, which were similar to our last counterproposals and more closely aligned with the current CBA language. We also presented a counterproposal to Article 32: Attendance Policy. Our counterproposal was notably different than what the Company proposed. We made it clear to the Company negotiators, in no uncertain terms, that what the Company presented with its last proposal on this article was not acceptable and wholly undesirable to our workgroup. The Company understood our position, but remains resolute in its belief that attendance is an area in which it needs to seek significant changes.
We were again encouraged by the number of proposals and productive dialogue exchanged between the parties. The next bargaining session is scheduled for January 21-23.