TWU Local 556 Negotiating Committee Update #40

TWU LOCAL 556 NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE UPDATE #40
Your Only Official Source of Factual Information

Dear Member:

The Union met with the Company on December 10 to continue discussions on cost-saving opportunities to avoid both furloughs of TWU Local 556 Members and concessions to your Contract.

30-second summary:

• Based on conversations in a meeting with the Company on December 3, the Union came to the December 10 meeting with the understanding that the Company was going to present a proposal to offer additional voluntary programs. The Company did not provide a new proposal, but rather referred to its November 9 proposal that would not gain the cost savings the Company indicated it needs and would require concessions without adequate protection from furloughs.
• In the spirit of collaboration, the Union created another proposal that would give the Company the certainty it requires. Once again, the Union put on the table a viable solution based on Members’ ability to step up and help, stressing that anyone agreeing to participate in a voluntary program is one less person needed to furlough, and that every job counts.
• The Company advised that it would not be offering any more paid voluntary programs and indicated it would instead consider offering additional unpaid leave programs.
• The Union advised the Company that any proposal presented must be accompanied by specific cost-savings goals so that the proposal can be thoroughly reviewed with clarity on specific objectives the Company needs to attain.
• After the Company stated it was unable to meet Monday to discuss its proposal, the Union created time for the Company on the morning of Tuesday, December 15, to accommodate the Company’s timeline.

Full recap:

Full Recap:

Your Negotiating Team met the Company at the bargaining table December 10 to continue discussions on avoiding both concessions and furloughs in light of the Company’s previously-stated position that cost savings were needed. In advocating for you, the Members of TWU Local 556, your Union is committed to leaving no stone unturned in an effort to save jobs through voluntary solutions rather than through furloughs or contract concessions.

In previous meetings, the Company rejected Union proposals that would achieve cost savings and avoid both furloughs and concessions. However, the Company indicated an interest in opening up additional unpaid leave programs for bidding. In the last meeting, on December 3, your Union requested that the Company put any cost-savings proposals, including unpaid leave programs, in writing so that the options could be thoroughly evaluated. The Company failed to provide any additional proposal on December 10, and instead referred to a proposal it presented November 9, which did not meet its own stated objectives and requires concessions without protection from furloughs. Like many other work groups on property have also done, TWU Local 556 pointed out that the language around furloughs in the Company’s proposal is too broad and does not provide the furlough protection that Members would need.

Since, once again, the Company was not willing to present a new proposal to offer voluntary programs and specific parameters on how those would be implemented, your Union drafted and presented that language at the table. Your Union did so in the spirit of collaboration and to advocate for you, the Members, in an effort to save jobs and protect the contract. The proposal presented at the table would allow Members who could step up to take the Company’s voluntary programs the opportunity to do so. Reducing headcount in this way—as opposed to involuntary furloughs—would give the Company the cost reduction it is seeking while preserving respect for the vast contributions of Flight Attendants.

After reviewing the proposal, the Company advised the Negotiating Team that it would not be offering another round of voluntary paid leave programs, stating that it is not in a position to “pay people not to work.” Many Members have already made the tough financial decisions to take ExTO programs and reduced compensation in an effort to assist the Company, and the Union considers the Company’s attitude to be disrespectful to Members’ sacrifices and willing participation in the Company’s own cost-cutting programs.

The Company indicated that it would consider the possibility of offering additional unpaid leaves, and the Union invited the Company to submit a new proposal on that program offering. The Union also stressed how vital it was that specific financial goals be included in this new proposal for the Union to review.
The Union offered to meet with the Company as soon as Monday to address the Company’s stated need for decisions to be made under certain deadlines. The Company said it would not be ready by then. The Union then offered to accommodate the needs of the Company, and the parties agreed to meet December 15 to review the Company’s proposal.

Have questions about the Company’s prior proposals? Watch a replay of the December 4 Zoomcast in which your Negotiating Team and industry experts discuss why the Union has rejected the Company’s ideas.

Want to help? As TWU Local 556 continues to advocate on behalf of Southwest Airlines Flight Attendants, securing an extension of the CARES Act is incredibly important. It is strongly recommended that all Members reach out to your representatives to make our voices heard. If you have already reached out, please do so again, and ask your family and friends to do the same. Please click here to email your representative.

In Solidarity,

Your TWU Local 556 Negotiating Committee