Northwest Airlines Flight Attendant Forum Postings Page
By Carol Huang
NEW YORK, April 23 (Reuters) - Northwest Airlines Corp <NWAC.O> cut short its annual shareholders meeting on Friday after union members heckled company officials in a clear sign labor woes at the nation's fourth-largest airline are far from over.
The airline is still recovering from a strike by its pilots last summer that cost it more than $600 million before it signed a new contract with
them. And now it is facing increasingly-contentious talks with flight attendants.
The annual meeting ended with Northwest Chairman Gary Wilson walking off
stage after members of the Teamster's union representing the airline's 11,000 flight attendants continued shouting out questions despite Wilson's requests for peace.
"Either the rules of conduct are observed, or we discontinue this process," Wilson warned minutes before he walked out amid boos and catcalls.
As part of its campaign to put pressure on the airline to conclude a contract with its flight attendants, the Teamsters union inflated a giant rat outside the skyscraper in Manhattan's theater district where Northwest held the meeting.
"These flight attendants have been in negotiations for two and a half years," Ray Benning, director of the airline division for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, said while standing under the rat, one of the Teamsters' favorite symbols of corporate greed.
An airline spokesman said the airline is hopeful both sides can agree to a new contract, but company executives sounded less than conciliatory during the meeting.
When asked whether the airline was prepared to endure another costly labor battle, Wilson said Northwest had to keep its costs competitive with those at rival airlines.
"We are anxious as you are to have a contract that is fair to you and the company," Wilson said, adding however that the airline would not make concessions that would hurt its cost structure in the future.
"That is the reason that at some point you have to have strikes," he said.
Labor groups at Northwest have pushed harder for better contracts in recent years as the airline has recovered from its near bankruptcy in 1993 and as its profits have risen.
Labor officials say Northwest employees deserve a share in the airline's
profits in light of the pay cuts they accepted in 1993 as part of a plan to rescue the airline.
Apart from a 3 percent increase in 1996, Northwest flight attendants have not had a raise in 10 years.
Jon Austin, a spokesman for the airline, said Northwest flight attendant
salaries start in the low teens and rise to $40,000 or $50,000 a year for senior flight attendants.
"There is no dispute on either side that salaries have fallen behind the
industry (average)," Austin said. "Everybody acknowledges the flight attendants need pay increases. We're just negotiating how much."
Flight attendants remain one of the last labor groups at Northwest still
mired in contract talks.
Besides a pact with its pilots, the company has reached contracts with its flight dispatchers, aircraft technicians and five out of six groups represented by the International Association of Machinists.
Northwest officials said labor expenses at Northwest are the No. 2 cost after fuel, but the Teamsters say Northwest's labor costs are the lowest of any leading U.S. airline.
Airline flight attendants, like airline pilots, are covered under the National Railway Labor Act, which requires federal mediators to declare an impasse in talks and to release parties from further mediation before a strike can take place.
Under the law, labor groups who have been released from mediation must wait for a 30-day cooling off period to end before they stage a strike.
Flight attendants at the meeting say they are frustrated and would support a strike. "The majority of us want to get out today. Enough is enough," said Danny Blackmon, a flight attendant for 15 years.
REUTERS
From: Moderator
Date: 5/19/99
Time: 6:41:02 PM
1. Retro pay will be 3.5% instead of 100% of what we did not get for the past three years. This sets a precedent for NWA to delay all future negotiations and save money for management bonuses.
2. Our pay increase will be in the 20% range spread out over 5 years. If your base pay is now $2400 per month think of it as an extra $96 per month before taxes. Is this what we have been waiting for?
3. A purser/permanent lead position that pays the same basically as the South flight attendants main cabin coordinator position for the past few years. We have been fighting this for the past twenty years and now it will become a reality on all international flights.
4. Language qualified flight attendant pay for designated routes by the company.
5. Reimbursement up to $2500 for flight attendants to learn a second language the company feels is useful. To be paid after you pass the company proficiency test. The amount is not much incentive to learn let alone pay for at today's college tuition rates.
6. Pension plan to be at $51 per year of service. After thirty years at NWA and being 65 you can collect $1530. If we had used the final average earnings plan that the union negotiators felt was too costly for the company (Stockholm syndrome) to start up to match the pilot and management plans a thirty year flight attendant making $45,000 on the final average earnings plan would take home $2250 per month. The difference is $27,000 per year on retirement and $18,360. These are rough numbers for salary as salaries differ according to types of flying and so forth but those making $60,000 per year would take home on retirement $36,000. Anyway you look at the final average earnings plan would make us more in retirement. Why else would the management team have elected that plan for themselves. Did they think it was too costly to start up? Will social security be there for us in ten twenty years as the union negotiators think?
7. Holiday pay for two holidays per year. Christmas and New Years. NWA has twelve holidays on their calendar what happened to the other ten? Will that make you want to work the Fourth of July this year? Is this what we have been waiting for?
8. TWA is being released into an impasse and the union feels that we would not be released by the mediation board as the president will not allow two airlines to strike after the governors and politicians complained last time. Is this good timing or what?
9. Have been told the contract will be available at road shows. Do we want a copy to see in its enirety before signing? I believe we all do. I think the synopsis idea failed us all last time. 11,000 eyes are better than six when it affects us all. We can't complain about it later if we read the entire contract and sign it prior. I believe our dues covers this expense. Again a low ball figure of $30 per month dues times 11,000 is $330,000 per month the union receives. Some of us pay more ($38).
10. The duration of the contract will be 6 years plus the 3 we have already given them. That totals 9 years. Who had the nerve to laugh when United signed a ten year contract?
That is basically the what we have been told from the union yesterday in LAX. Is it good news? NO I DON'T THINK SO!!!! What can we do? First get those Strike ballots in soon. They must be in before the 5th of June. VOTE YES to strike.
Secondly call your Union negotiators and let them know how you feel. It seems the Stockholm syndrome has set in with them. We have fought long and hard to get ahead and it has been a very long struggle. Lets not let them get detracted from a fair and industry leading contract. We shared the pain now lets share the gain. Who wants to be in the Guinness book of records for Oldest Flight Attendant not able to retire?
Thirdly work to contract. If you are short crew don't compensate by giving the extra service. We now do a full DC-10 with six. That is four in the back. We had five for years when the FAA allowed it and the company feels six is more than enough. Don't do all the prep work for the ala cart service on the ground. Per diem is not minimum wage. When the door closes you are at your hourly rate. Both the Republicans and the Democrats believe $1.40 an hour is substandard. Why does NWA believe they can pay us that and force us to work 1.5 hours for that rate? Perhaps Walter Mondale and the board have different ideas on fairness. Will he run again? Would you vote for him? Also don't fly high time. A canceled flight now will bring a contract much sooner than you think. We said it years ago if we all do high time they will never hire more people. The result will be a stagnated seniority number. Reserves will remain on reserve for a long time.
Fourthly we must remain United and strong. When we vote to strike we must mean it. Get your finances in order. Borrow against that 401k plan the company refuses to match. Pay yourself the 9.25% interest instead of all the credit card companies we have been forced to rely on for the past few years. When people question why we are not paid enough ask them what they made 15 years ago and if they could still live on that salary? How much has a loaf of bread gone up? How much has insurance gone up. When we got laid off in 1982 our insurance premium was $55. What is it now? We all live check to check and it has been way too long. We are not Mike Levine and getting a golden parachute out the door with millions of dollars and passes for life after five years working here.
Last but not least for today apply at United and Delta. They are hiring and I hear the pay is good. They have been doing their recruiting on the NWA flights and at the gates. A lot of NWA flight attendant with 10 years seniority are over in training now. Don't wait too long and be the junior one at the respectable airlines. We just had 18 new hire trainees on the flight to LAX the other night. The majority of them were 18 years old. One girl left high school early to be in training. What next kindergarten recruits? By the way those training them to be our replacements are not doing us a favor. Let them know that.
Have a great day.
From: HNL FA from Joses email
Date: 6/16/99
Time: 4:07:05 AM
Remote Name: 152.163.205.62
Let me take this item from the article I just sent you . .
This sentence was a quote from our Union. >> Teamsters Local 2000 hopes to distribute the proposed contract within two weeks and conduct a ratification vote in mid July. <<
First Question. Our Union has access to telephone hotlines and the internet bulk email list. Why is the news media finding out about the release of our T.A. before all of us who voted 99.4% for Strike Authorization?
Second Question. Why two weeks? Two weeks is the end of June.
a) With the AA contract we understood that they could not release it because they had to bring it to their Executive Board Members first. It then went out to the members. We understood the delay and waited.
b) In our case the Executive Board was not asked for their opinion or input as we have seen it in print in the news article prior to this one.
c) Our T.A. needs no further approval or rejection from anyone else other then ourselves.
d) If they can make 16 copies for our Base Representatives, they can simply copy it from a file which already exist and place it on the internet for FREE.
>>A ratification vote in mid July? <<
What is going on here? This is the 11th of June and last time I checked my calendar it shows that - mid July is the 15th of July. We will have a vote count by Mid July?
We will have two weeks to read the entire contract and vote on it.
In less then two weeks we will decide our future?
ACTION: It is also apparent from this new news article that our calls to our Union Offices are making a difference. I request we call 800.428.6772 or 612.854.2738 and express our UNION MESSAGE
- WE WANT THE CONTRACT LANGUAGE NOW - - A SKELETON OUTLINE WILL NOT DO -
Northwest Flight Attendants Accord Draws Opposition
St. Paul, Minnesota, June 17 (Bloomberg) -- Northwest Airlines Corp.'s tentative agreement with flight attendants on a five-year labor contract raising pay an average 25 percent could be in jeopardy if a campaign against the proposal gains momentum.
Some attendants are railing against last week's agreement with the fourth-biggest U.S. airline, saying the increases in pension and wages aren't enough. The detractors are organizing meetings and urging their Teamster union leaders and colleagues to oppose the contract.
If a majority of the 11,000 attendants vote against the contract, Northwest could face another round of the contentious negotiations and possible labor actions during the busy summer travel months. A vote could come in late July or early August.
``Some of the people are chomping at the bit to strike,'' said Andy Damis, a Seattle-based flight attendant who opposes the contract. About 100 attendants who came to two meetings he held Tuesday in Seattle to discuss the pact shared his view, he said.
While it's not clear whether the opponents could build enough support to block the contract, the movement underscores the difficult labor situation at St. Paul, Minnesota-based Northwest. A pilots strike last August shut down the carrier for two weeks, and causing it to post a loss for the year.
Northwest officials declined to comment. A spokesman at the national Teamsters office in Washington defended the contract, saying it made solid gains in wages and benefits. For example, the pay of an attendant hired this year would more than double over five years $32.72 an hour, spokesman Chip Roth said.
``I don't know of any other group of workers in America that are experiencing these kinds of economic increases,'' Roth said.
Regaining Ground
Like other Northwest workers, the attendants made contract concessions in 1993 to help the airline avoid bankruptcy. Now, they want to be repaid for those sacrifices. Before the agreement was reached had voted to give the union their blessings to call a strike if needed.
The detractors are upset that the new contract doesn't give them the best pay in the industry, which union leaders had said was one of their demands. Highlights released by the union only said that attendants would be the best paid among unionized attendants, which excludes those at Delta Air Lines Inc.
The contract would boost wages an average 13.9 percent immediately and provide another 11 percent raise over the life of the contract. Attendants also would get a 3.5 percent lump sum payment on all wages earned since Aug. 1, 1996, to compensate for increases skipped during the almost three years of negotiations.
Salaries for Northwest flight attendants range from about $15,000 to $59,000 a year, though some attendants say few make more than $45,000.
Gary Helton, an attendant based in southern California, has invited Northwest co-workers to his home next week for a pool party at which they'll discuss the contract proposal.
``It's not my intent, to get people so riled up that they can't see straight, but just to have an intelligent discussion as to why the tentative agreement's not so great,'' Helton said.
Minneapolis-based flight attendant Lynn Kokal, who has been with Northwest for 10 years and makes $28,000, said some attendants also aren't happy with retirement benefits. Both she and Damis were part of union's team of volunteers who helped communicate with members during the talks.
Retirement
Retirement benefits rose to $55 a month for every year of a service, from $35. That means an 20-year attendant would receive $1,100 each month, instead of $700, if the pact is approved.
Opponents say the changes aren't enough to encourage retirements, which would help others rise in seniority. Damis, for example, said he ranks 500 among the 660 attendants based in Seattle, even after 13 1/2 years. He's encouraging colleagues to show opposition by cutting an 'X' on the green union ribbons they've been wearing.
Still, the retirement package compares favorably against a lot of other unionized labor groups in America, Teamsters spokesman Roth said. A ``distinct minority of workers in America get pensions,'' he said.
The union leaders are meeting in Minneapolis this week to review the full agreement before it's presented to attendants.
``These things are really tough to predict,'' said Brian Harris, a Salomon Smith Barney analyst, said of the ratification vote. Harris this week raised his Northwest rating to ``buy'' from ``outperform'' and pushed up his second-quarter earnings estimate for the airline to $1 from 90 cents a share, in part because of the settlement.
Northwest shares fell 1 to 33 7/16.
Jun/17/1999 16:49
The Following is a list of LowLights that a group of concerned Flight Attendants in HNL have put together for the purpose of letting you know what the Union and the Company are trying to sell you. We have gone over this contract very thoroughly. For those that have not read it in its entirety please refer to the sections that we have highlighted. This Tentative Agreement is bad for us ALL, whether senior or junior ,schedule holder or reserve it is not up to Industry Standards. We must stand together for an Industry Leading Contract!
CLEARDAZE LOWLIGHTS FROM A CONCERNED GROUP OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS
SCOPE SECTION
DEFINITIONS
COMPENSATION
EXPENSES
HOURS OF SERVICE
SCHEDULING
RESERVES
MEDICAL
RETRO PAY
RETIREMENT
UNION ACTIVITIES
SIDE LETTERS
VACATION
SIGNING BONUS
SPECIFICS =========== In my effort to provide you with accurate information, I requested the official text of letters between IBT Airline Division Director Ray Banning, and our Elected Official who was to arrange the specifics of the ballot count. This situation began July 9, 1999, when Billie Davenport called for a conference call of our Executive Board to discuss the balloting (vote count) process.
Local 2000 Executive Board: Billie Davenport (President), Al Habib (Vice President), Danny G. Campbell (Secretary Treasurer), Anne Toombs (Recording Secretary), Trustees - Lovey Offerle, Joan Prince Crandall and Shadlea Bennett-Williams.
The following events have since taken place:
***** Prior to July 9, 1999 hundreds of us who took the time to email James Hoffa Jr. (IBT General President) received email replies that stated; "As you know, the IBT has shown respect to you for your decisions. You elected the Local Union Leaders of your Local. ... " whoever wrote on Hoffa's behalf continued to express that the International was here to respect our Leaderships' decisions and to assist in carrying them forward.
***** July 9, 1999 - A conference call took place where our Executive Board voted unanimously for Local 2000 to conduct its own Contract Ratification Referendum (balloting process). In addition, Billie Davenport promised during the conference call that a neutral party (not employed by Local 2000 or the IBT) would conduct the process, and that the vote would take place at a base. It was recommended that the Bureau of Mediation Services (BMS) in MSP be contacted as the neutral party, and all present agreed.
***** July 11, 1999 - Billie Davenport recorded the weekly Union Hotline where she stated, "The ballot process is underway. Secretary Treasurer Danny Campbell is presently attending to details and we hope to have ballots out in approximately 1 week to 10 days. The ballot count will be held in MSP and will be available for observation for any member of Teamsters Local Union 2000. The ballot will be out for 30 days as previous ratification votes have been."
***** July 9 to July 12, 1999 - Our Secretary Treasurer set all facets of the balloting process: scheduling, printing process, and items that would be included in the envelopes to be mailed to the membership. The process, which was set up to allow Flight Attendants FULL OBSERVER RIGHTS at all phases, would have only granted the BMS access to the P.O. Box containing the returned ballots (votes).
***** July 12, 1999 - Billie Davenport's Private Secretary asked our Secretary Treasurer to contact Ray Banning (IBT Director of Airline Division) to further discuss the balloting process. Here is what took place in their conversations as stated in the following letters:
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LETTER # 1 - FROM Danny Campbell to Ray Banning !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! July 14, 1999
Ray Benning, Director Airline Division INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS 25 Louisiana Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001
Re: Cost Estimate for Ratification Vote on Tentative Agreement
Dear Ray:
As a follow-up to our conversation on Monday and Tuesday, I am attaching the cost estimate I received from Goodwill Printing for the production of balloting materials required for the upcoming contract referendum. As I explained to you, there is no cost for the services of the Bureau of Mediation Services in St. Paul, MN.
Please let our bookkeeper, Lynn Miller, know who at the International office in Washington, DC is to receive the invoices for the printing and mailing incurred in the referendum. She can be reached at 612.854.2738.
Thank you again for your time and consideration. If you have any further questions pertaining to this ratification process, please contact me directly at 734.699.7297 ext. 14.
Fraternally,
Danny G. Campbell, Secretary Treasurer TEAMSTERS LOCAL UNION NO. 2000
c.c. Executive Board, L2000
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LETTER # 2 - FROM Ray Banning to Danny Campbell !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To: Danny G. Campbell Secretary Treasurer Local 2000
From: Ray Benning Director, Airline Division
Re: Ratification vote
Date: July 14, 1999
Per our phone conversation, the IBT will save Local 2000 the cost of the ratification vote as Local 2000 has requested. The IBT will mail the ballots out of Washington, D.C., and the ballots will be returned to D.C. Northwest Flight Attendants will be welcome to observe the process. In fact, we will be utilizing the same process former IBT President Ron Carey used when the Flight Attendants voted on the last Contract in May of 1993.
c.c. Billie Davenport James P. Hoffa
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LETTER # 3 - FROM Danny Campbell to Ray Banning !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MEMO
DATE: Thursday, July 15, 1999
TO: Ray Benning, Director - Airline Division
FROM: Danny G. Campbell, Secretary Treasurer
RE: Ratification Vote on the TA (Tentative Agreement)
The Executive Board of Local 2000 voted unanimously in a special meeting on July 9, 1999 to conduct its own contract ratification referendum. I request that the International Union honor the decision of the Executive Board to conduct its own referendum.
The Board's decision was made in accordance with the Local 2000 Bylaws, and it is consistent with the frequent public pronouncements of General President Hoffa that his administration is deeply committed to preserving local union autonomy. This decision by the Local 2000 Executive Board has been communicated for the past week to the entire membership by our President, Billie Davenport, over the Local 2000 hotline and on its official internet site. You may listen to it yourself. Billie Davenport;s official internet message to members includes the following statement:
"The ballot process is underway. Secretary Treasurer, Danny Campbell is presently attending to details and we hope to have ballots out in approximately 1 week to 10 days. The ballot count will be held in MSP and will be available for observations for any member of Teamsters Local Union 2000. The ballot will be out for 30 days as previous ratification votes have been."
We ask you to honor the unanimous decision of the Local 2000 Executive Board to reject the International Union's offer to conduct the referendum and, instead, to conduct it ourselves. If you have questions or wish to discuss this matter, please feel free to call me or Billie Davenport.
c.c. Billie Davenport James P. Hoffa
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LETTER # 4 - Final Letter - FROM Ray Banning to Danny Campbell !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MEMO
To: Danny Campbell Secretary Treasurer Teamsters Local 2000
From: Ray Benning Director, Airline Division
Date: July 16, 1999
Re: Balloting Process/Tentative Agreement
The IBT has changed the place for the balloting process. The ballots will now be mailed out of Detroit, and returned to Detroit. The entire process will be handled by an Independent Election Supervisor and paid for by the IBT as requested by Local 2000 Leadership.
A letter will be drafted explaining the entire process.
c.c. Billie Davenport James P, Hoffa
IN SUMMARY ============= * Billie promised the membership that the Local 2000 "Executive Board" would decide the manner in which the balloting would take place. She further promised that A.) A neutral party would conduct the process and B.) That it would take place at a base.
* The Executive Board voted on July 9th to conduct the balloting and to have the Bureau of Mediation Services (BMS) in MSP tabulate the votes. Secretary Treasurer Danny Campbell worked to set up this process that would allow FULL OBSERVER RIGHTS for the membership. As previously stated, ONLY THE BMS would have access to the P.O. Box that would have contained the returned ballots (votes).
* This week, the International (James Hoffa and Ray Benning) disregarded the decision of the Local 2000 Executive Board and have demanded that their own person conduct the balloting.
* Hoffa insists that Jim Dehaan conduct the balloting. Mr. Dehaan works and is paid by Hoffa and Larry Brennan (Michigan Joint Council President who first put Hoffa on Teamsters payroll).
* Billie Davenport has not put her foot down and is not respecting her fellow Executive Board members. In fact, she verbally (or in writing) requested that the IBT handle the count, prior to the Executive Board meeting on July 9th. She has no authority to do this without conferring with the Executive Board and she is therefore allowing the IBT to control the process.
From: Mike Withorn-dtw f/a
Date: 7/29/99
Time: 12:15:36 PM
Remote Name: 152.163.207.183
Attention one and all!!! The yellow secret ballot envelope is not so secret just hold it up to a window and see what you can see...I'm voting NO and I'm also making a copy of it...THESE BALLOTS ARE NOT SECRET ANYONE CAN SEE WHAT YOU VOTE....
From: Lets stick together we can't let NWA strap us anymore MSP
fa's
Date: 8/17/99
Time: 9:50:56 AM
Remote Name: 204.246.67.100
Published Friday, August 13, 1999
One year after strike, NWA is cruising at full throttle
Tony Kennedy / Star TribuneFlight attendant vote
The next big event in Northwest's comeback from a year of costly employee relations is the tabulation of contract ratification ballots cast by flight attendants. Teamsters General President James Hoffa Jr. has endorsed the tentative five-year agreement, but a well-organized group of rank-and-file flight attendants is urging a "No" vote.
"Certainly there's a lot of flight attendants who don't think there's peace," said Kristi Valenzuela, a Northwest flight attendant based in Seattle. "We haven't got our piece of the pie." She believes the contract will be voted down.
Austin declined to predict the outcome of the vote. If the contract is rejected, negotiators probably would resume bargaining under continued mediation by the National Mediation Board. That board would have to declare an impasse for a strike to occur. Even then, the two sides could talk during a mandatory 30-day cooling-off period.
Meantime, negotiations are expected this fall between Northwest and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), the union that won representation rights to Northwest mechanics in November.
One year after the strike, the cast of leading executives at Northwest is radically different than a year ago. Most importantly, Anderson is looking more and more likely to succeed John Dasburg as chief executive officer.
Anderson, a lawyer and former criminal prosecutor in Harris County, Texas, was named executive vice president and chief operating officer in mid-December.
Even though Dasburg has pledged a "long-term" commitment to Northwest, many industry observers think he'll give up the CEO's job by year's end.
If Anderson succeeds Dasburg, he'll be faced with updating the oldest fleet in the domestic airline industry. But he'll also head an airline that is well positioned in two other key strategic battlefronts: worldwide alliances with other airlines and distribution of airplane tickets via the Internet.
"Those are the two big winds blowing through the industry," Austin said.
It was a tad more painstaking than fixing a flat tire, but Northwest Airlines is rolling again as if it had never broken down.
One year after Northwest pilots became pickets for 15 days, the company has restored its service reliability, recovered its market share and returned to the profitability levels of its peer group.
Though it still must seal a tentative contract agreement with flight attendants and negotiate a new labor deal with a volatile group of mechanics, the nation's fourth-largest airline is cruising at full throttle and hoping desperately not to lose its post-strike momentum.
"At this point I see no major long-term effects," said Morris Kleiner, a management professor at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute. "The pilots and managers didn't forget how to run an airline during the strike."
Nor have unions and managers forgotten deep-seated animosity -- which ensure continued clashes between executives and workers.
"Earnings-wise, they have been the comeback kids," said Ernie Arvai, president of the Windham, N.H.-based Arvai Group. "But from an employee-relations standpoint, it's still the same old Northwest. The next contract talks will be as difficult as past ones."
Northwest spokesman Jon Austin begged to differ.
"Since that time [end of strike] we have settled seven contracts," Austin said. "Clearly, something has changed.
"Whatever side of the table you're on, if we haven't learned from the experience, we're poor stewards of our responsibility," he said.
Two perfect days
Since May, Northwest has recorded two perfect days of uncanceled, on-time flight operations, even as air traffic control delays have become problematic for the industry. Those perfect-day rarities have become emblematic of Chief Operating Officer Richard Anderson's increasingly successful push to return Northwest to its mid-'90s form as the industry's No. 1 on-time airline.
"It is in some way a remarkable comment about what people on the line are doing," Austin said. "We're doing a better job of giving our customers what they want."
For months leading up to the strike, Northwest's image was tattered by dismal service related to a slowdown by mechanics and other ground workers. For most of the summer, amid countless flight cancellations and loud protests from labor groups that contract negotiations were going nowhere, bad publicity hung in the air like combusted jet fuel during an airport rush hour.
During the strike
When the pilots' strike began at 11:01 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, the biggest surprise was that bedlam didn't break out among Northwest's passengers in the airline's strongholds of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit and Memphis. Airport officials and hotel managers had expected hordes of stranded ticket holders. But most people had heeded warnings to book travel on other airlines as the pre-strike rhetoric between Northwest and its 6,200 pilots had swelled.
On Sept. 12, when the Northwest Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) ratified a four-year tentative contract mediated by the White House, Northwest began a start-up that was as orderly as its shutdown had been.
The cost of the year's civil war between management and labor would total $1 billion, but the strike seemed to wipe the slate clean. Anderson's management team has moved forward ever since -- stumbling only once by stranding thousands of customers in planes grounded at snowy Detroit Metro Airport during the first weekend of the new year.
An early indication of Northwest's strong comeback was the absence of a blockbuster "welcome back" fare sale, which had been predicted by industry observers throughout the country. Since then, Northwest has gone along with industry fare increases that have totaled 11 percent.
The company lost money for three consecutive quarters, then turned a healthy $264 million operating profit for the three-month period that ended June 30. "We have recovered from last year's disruptions and strike and customers have returned," Executive Vice President Tim Griffin told reporters last month.
Wall Street has acknowledged the rebound by mildly upgrading Northwest's stock, which has been trading north of $30 a share since mid-April. In the dark days of September, the stock had plummeted to a 52-week low of $18.62½. Shares closed unchanged Thursday at $31.25.
'How long does it last?'
"It's academic that results have improved after deteriorating to levels that nobody envisioned," said PaineWebber airline analyst Sam Buttrick. "The question is, 'How good does it get and how long does it last?' "
In mid-June of this year, Salomon Smith Barney analyst Brian Harris upgraded his rating on Northwest stock to "buy, high risk" from outperform. New contracts have increased Northwest's annual labor costs by $145 million, but Harris noted that "improved operational performance and lack of post-strike woes" would help enable Northwest's revenues in 2000 to significantly outperform the industry.
Nevertheless, Austin said the pilots strike was a clear failure for management and labor. Megabucks lost during the strike could have been spent to improve the airline or banked for the future, he said.
"I hope it does factor into how we behave in the future," he said.
For their part, leaders of the pilots union said they have no regrets for temporarily abandoning Northwest's fleet of more than 400 red-tailed jetliners. They believe it taught the entire industry a lesson. For example, they said, the strike provided at least some of the impetus for United Airlines to strive for a new pilots contract this year before the existing one is due for renewal.
Model for pilots
Northwest ALPA Chairman Steve Zoller said pilot unions from as far away as New Zealand, Japan and South Africa have sought strategic advice from Northwest ALPA.
"If there is anything clear from what happened, it's that you can't try to take advantage in good times of employees who saved you in bad times," said Northwest ALPA Vice Chairman Curt Kruse. He was referring to 1993 pilot pay cuts that helped save Northwest from bankruptcy. The contract at stake in last year's negotiations was viewed by pilots as their reward for those concessions.
National ALPA President Duane Woerth, a Northwest pilot who was a member of Northwest's board of directors as a labor representative during the strike, has said Northwest lost at least $500 million on the 15-day strike -- nearly four times as much as the first-year cost of the eventual settlement.
Austin said the company didn't plan on taking a strike and he declined to comment on Woerth's calculations.
"I'm not going to go back and argue numbers with the pilots," he said.
According to the transcript of a speech Woerth gave last month in Boston and New York City, he said Northwest stashed profits made during the concessionary period to brace for a possible market downturn or recession.
"In the end, however, this contingency fund -- this war chest -- was used against Northwest's employees," the transcript said.
Zoller and Kruse said time has healed much of the bitterness created by the strike, but they said a "residual effect" lingers on both sides. They said the union and company have been working fairly well on day-to-day operational issues.
From: Kristi Valenzuela-Sea
F/A
Date: 8/17/99
Time: 12:36:22 PM
Remote Name: 216.192.14.7
I would encourage all of you to ask that the sleeping CAT be brought out of retirement. Call your perspective base representatives and the Executive Board-1-800-428-6772 and make this request. The C.A.T was originated to serve & speak for the flight attendant group and have worked tirelessly for our benefit. We are not politically motivated and work for free. If a NO votes comes in, we must be activated to strengthen our resolve for a new agreement. If it is a YES vote, we have volunteered to be a source of information. Either way the C.A.T represents the rank & file members. Our purpose remains to inform, educate and activate our group. Thank you for your support.
From: Kevin Griffin 19 yrs
Date: 8/20/99
Time: 7:49:08 AM
Remote Name: 209.154.5.145
The following article is taken from the Convoy Dispatch. It is the Voice of the Teamster Rank and File newspaper.
Teamster Democracy in Action
NWA Contract Being Debated
Copies of the tentative agreement reached between Northwest Airlines and the negotiating committee for Teamsters Local 2000 are on their way to the 11,000 flight attendants who will study and dis-cuss the deal before voting. The Local's Executive Board agreed to send the pro-posed five-year contract to the members, but did not give a recommendation. Dis-cussions of the tentative agreement are scheduled for all the bases in the coming weeks and a vote is likely in late July.
Just days before the agreement was reached at the table, an incredible 93 per-cent of members voted on strike authoriza-tion, with 99 percent of them voting Yes. Rallies were held at bases around the coun-try to send the message "Please release us from mediation.” (The National Mediation Board must "release" unions under the Railway Labor Act before they can legally strike.) Many members were shocked by the timing of the deal, believing the next marching orders they would get would be to prepare for HAVOC, a selective strike.
In Seattle, flight attendants called a rank and file meeting after the agreement was announced and 100 turned out, some corn-ing from other bases. "People were asking, 'what happened?' " says Seattle CAT coor-dinator Andy Damis.
"People are wondering why we didn't call for impasse," says Damis. "The pump was primed. If this was the best they could do, why didn't we request an impasse?" Damis points to the recent deal at America West, saying, "They were looking at an of-fer with $50 million in improvements, but after a 30-day cooling off period the company came back with an $80 million offer. That's more than a 50 percent increase from pre- to post-impasse, and they're an itty-bitty company."
Phoenix CAT coordinator Kaki Androsiuk says, "I truly believe this is a Teamster International contract, pressured by the In-ternational for our negotiators to sign. Why else would the International be spending the kind of money they are to market this? And why are they doing an 'informal' phone poll to see how the flight attendants are going to vote?"
Mobilizing Success
During the past year of bargaining talks, rank and file members have led an un-precedented mobilization effort as the unions Contract Action Team (CAT). The CAT built a highly successful member to-member network that was responsible for airport rallies, customer outreach, and preparing members to potentially strike. TDU helped Local 2000 in devel-oping the CAT program.
Now the members are continuing their involvement with discussion of the contract and the ratification process. Damis says he has started going through the contract and is compiling a list of the "lowlights." He says, "We've seen the highlights, and there are some really good things in the proposal, but there are some bad things that aren't being talked about. We're getting the facts out there so people can make an informed decision." One of the bad things, Damis points out, is an increase in mandatory working hours, or "flex up" -essentially Over-time hours without overtime pay. The number of hours was increased from five to eight.
Retirement 'Not Enough'
CAT coordinator Kristi Valenzuela says, "People are saying they don't need to read anything else. The retirement is not enough." The proposal would in-crease the retirement formula fr6m $35 per year of service to $55 for the first four years of the co ntract, and then to $62.50 the fifth year. This is bad news to senior flight attendants who have been waiting to retire.
Stephanie Bylin, a senior flight attendant in Detroit, is among the bigger losers if the deal passes. "I was sick when I saw the retirement proposal," said Bylin. Those who worked with Republic Airlines before it merged with Northwest, like Bylin, received a one-tune lump sum payment when their pen-sion plan was bought out. Because of this payment, they have an "offset" which greatly reduces any pension they would get from Northwest. Bylin' s payment was only $5,000, which can't make up for what she'll be denied in Northwest's plan. A key retirement demand was to eliminate these offsets for people who were merged into Northwest, but only slight reductions were negotiated. "People won't be able to retire," says Bylin. "Why should one group have to suffer so much?"
Minneapolis CAT coordinator Anne Meyer is telling people to read the agree-ment. She says, "People on the line are saying they are disappointed that the ne-gotiators couldn't get more. I don't think any flight attendant is going to be happy with this contract if they still have to take on a second job to make ends meet."
"They went back 30 years with this agreement and gave up things we won years ago," says flight attendant Connie Mason-Harper. "We've waited three years for industry standards and now we won't get them for five years. What will the standard be then?"
The workers gave Northwest concessions in 1993 to save the company from bankruptcy. Since then, Northwest profits are up 325 percent and CEOs have received millions in salaries and perks. Meanwhile, airline customers have launched class action suits against declining service, and Northwest is finding it tough to recruit new hires.
The union negotiating committee members are urging members to hold off taking a stand until they hear the committee presentations at the "road show" meetings at all 10 bases. Their position is that they got all they could without a strike, and that the settlement will pro-vide an industry-leading standard.
Hoffa Administration Tactics
While members are waiting to see the full agreement, and union representatives are still trying to digest it, the Hoffa administration is already selling it to the press and the members.
"What I find so interesting," says San Francisco CAT coordinator Amy Morton, "is that Mr. Hoffa immediately came out in favor of the contract, yet I am sure I could safely say that he hasn't even read it!"
The International Union holds the bargaining rights for Local 2000, even though the local union has all 11,000 flight attendants in it.
Now the International is using an old-guard heavy sell approach that conflicts with the more democratic style that Local 2000 uses.
International officials like Airline Director Ray Benning are using standard scare tactics such as "if you vote no it will take another nine months," "you'll never get to impasse," or "the International won't provide the funding to continue bargaining." International Union attorney Roland Wilder has said he's not going back to the table and ruining his reputation.
Benning even threatened an audit of Local 2000, just by "coincidence" after some officers and base reps questioned some of the terms of the proposed con-tract.
The International mailed a sales brochure to all 11,000 members without any officers of Local 2000 even being aware of it. On a mid June flight Hoffa himself passed out a three page pitch on the contract which ends with a list of threats if the contract is voted down (that sound like the company wrote them!).
Other threats are coming from Hoffa' S camp too. After Hoffa fired field service staff from the campaign, he sent replacements who used some heavy-handed tactics and disrespected Local 2000 leadership. At the recent Detroit airport rally, Teamsters Joint Council 43 President Larry Brennan threatened base representative Bob Krabbe and Secretary-Treasurer Danny Campbell, telling them to "get rid of that * * * * lawyer," referring to Local 2000 attorney Barbara Harvey with disgusting sexual epithets. Krabbe said, "It shows that they only believe in local union autonomy when you do as they say, and it shows they don't respect our elected leadership (who hired Harvey)."
Building for the Future
The flight attendants have shown they are committed to getting the contract they feel they deserve, and to democratic discussion of the pros and cons of the offer. Members have gotten more involved, more informed, and more united than ever before. In the process, Local 2000 has turned itself into a real union.
The old guard Teamster leaders are not comfortable with this large local, 80 percent women, charting its own course. But they may have to get used to it. Continuing the member involvement and maintaining the network that the CAT built will insure a strong local union into the future.
From: Kevin Griffin 19 yrs
Date: 8/26/99
Time: 12:30:08 AM
Remote Name: 152.163.197.181
Dear Fellow Flight Attendants,
As tomorrow looms around the corner for the much-anticipated results of the Tentative Agreement ballot count, many others and I are heading to Detroit to oversee the ballot process. I will try to keep you posted throughout the day of the happenings and will have the results as soon as they are in. If the ballot goes the way I would like it to ( a NO VOTE) I am sending the following letter to the Negotiations committee asking they get things back on track as expeditiously as possible and without the delays we have seen in the past. I have composed the following letter and it basically asks that they correct all the Low lights. If you agree with the letter or want to add some issues of your own please do and send it to the committee members and the IBT in Washington to let them know we are serious and want that industry leading contract now. The delays we have seen in the past few months have divided many of us and stressed many friendships. We are all tired of waiting for that so called “Industry Leading Contract”. So for thirty -five cents let us let them know. It would also be a good Idea to send it to Maggie Jacobson, the mediator and President Clinton. We are united to get a decent contract. I will also be keeping the web site going for an indefinite time at this point as it has been a major source of education for all of us here at NWA. I receive email daily from other union people throughout the country who have visited the site and wish they had done a forum during their contract negotiations. It is past time that we were paid decent wages and given the benefits that the few corporate executives have taken for themselves.
Another reason to keep the site alive is that daily we learn new issues that concern us all but that neither the Company or Union feel is beneficial to tell us about. Issues such as in the past few weeks about the domestic partnership benefits given to single Flight Attendants at United, American, and USair. Also the issues of the Pilots given preferential treatment on pass travel commuting to work over the Flight Attendant group. These issues concern us all and if we are able to publicize them freely in a forum we may be able to change the way we have been treated by NWA a lot quicker. We eventually may have that "Industry Leading Contract" and feel appreciated for all our work.
Whatever the results of tomorrow’s count remember we are united now more than ever and should continue to improve the unity. Keep the information flowing. Don’t take the abuse of management any longer. I think if grievances were publicized and many other issues they would be settled faster by the company and the union. They said Its’ Time and they were right! Expose the Pat Rummages of this company when they give the answers they do to justify Company Policy as in Bob Krabbe's posting here in the forum.
Remember Our Strength is in Our Unity!
I will update you tomorrow as things progress.
Kevin P.S. the letter will follow this posting.
September 8, 1999Local 2000 Negotiations Team
| Attention: | Ms. Billie Davenport Ms. Lovey Offerle Ms. Irene Kochendorfer Mr. Richard Stone Ms. Anne Marie Mastalerz Mr. Steven Selleck Mr. Randy Thompson |
Dear Local 2000 Negotiations Team,
SUBJECT: CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
We, the membership of Local 2000 elected you to represent us at the table over three years ago to get us contract dealing with Raises, Routes and Retirement. We have been patient and very supportive of your efforts for past three years. We realize you have been and are dealing with a very tough adversary-Northwest Management and their lawyers. We have all seen the Tentative Agreement that you have all overwhelmingly supported and now have had the chance to vote on. As you can see it has been rejected by the membership.
We now are requesting that you go back in to the bargaining table and achieve for us what you once touted as an " industry leading" contract that respects us all. We also are asking that you go in and achieve this in a more expeditious manner. The management of Northwest Airlines has achieved their goal of delaying any settlement of a decent contract for the past three years and any work action we may have achieved for the duration of the summer season. We are tired of the delays and the waiting. The slogan "Its Time" is very appropriate at this time. We all fully believe this slogan at this time more than ever.
You have all stated that if the Tentative Agreement were to be turned down you would begin a new survey. We do not feel this is warranted, as our basic contract demands have not changed in three years. We want a contract that gives us Raises, Routes, and a livable Retirement. We also want Respect.
We have outlined below what we believe is deficient in the Tentative Agreement we just turned down. We hope you will take these into consideration as you begin your next negotiations with Northwest Airlines.
You have seen the Low Lights and now we offer you the remedy for them here.
SCOPE SECTION
1. The SCOPE, RECOGNITION AND JOB SECURITY is less than 6 pages of very large print long compared to 19 pages of very small print that ALPA has in their contract. Definitely not defined enough to protect our jobs now. Remedy- (Use the full text of the Allegheny /Mohawk Merger LPPs and change the names of the Company. Do not use the terminology "no less than" as it leaves the scope and LPPS open to interpretation later.
2. IN SECTION 1 (RECOGNITION, SCOPE AND JOB SECURITY) We on PAGE 1.1 B2.b tie ourselves to ALPA and its System Board Of Adjustment for grievance procedures when the company violates this section. We rely on ALPA to grieve any violation of the scope agreement before we are able to file a grievance on our own. When we merge with Continental (as Richard Anderson has said) they will begin trading passenger flights for cargo flights and we are not guaranteed the pilots will grieve the lost flying. As Vicki Frankovich said "Lets just hold our breath and hope". Remedy- Eliminate the tying of our grievance process procedure to ALPA and their System Board of Adjustment.
3. On PAGE 1.3 letter D All the bases are not covered. SFO, JFK, EWR, LGA, ORD been left out. Those are some of Continentals' large bases at present. Remedy- Include all bases current and of duplicity with future merging airlines. Our Scope and Labor Protective Provisions should be designed to protect our jobs not NWA routes and aircraft. That it is why it should be in our contract.
4. On PAGE 1.4 number (12) and (13)…We are not protecting 100% of all current flying between the United States and NRT/KIX/OSA pursuant to the 1952 bilateral agreement instead only fifty percent (50%). Remedy- change the language to include 100% of all Flying pursuant to the 1952 Bilateral Agreement.
5. On PAGE 1.4 E. of the Labor Protective Provisions -the provisions of the Allegheny- Mohawk merger are not published here and we are we not including the sections 8 and 9 dealing with Transfer expenses and Home Purchase. Remedy- leave all sections of the Allegheny/Mohawk Merger intact .
6. On Page 1.4 and 1.5 dealing with the Labor Protective Provisions section E the seniority integration process is going to be left up to either Date of Hire or" Fair and Equitable" before an Arbitrator. This is very ambiguous language for a defined scope clause protecting our jobs. Remedy-a precedent was set with the NWA/Republic Merger so let us use Date of Hire specifically and eliminate the need for arbitration in the future.
7. On page 1.5 F (Information Sharing) the language is too ambiguous and left up to the company's discretion. Remedy- Remove the ambiguities in the clause "Subject to an appropriate confidentiality agreement, if necessary, the Company shall provide to the Union, upon request, information and operational data reasonably necessary to monitor compliance with this Section 1." Also remove the language The Company shall meet with designated representatives of the Union upon request to review. We want no meet and confer clauses in this contract benefiting the company or changing the contract in mid term.
DEFINITIONS
8. On Page 2.4 HH the definition of International Pattern now has been changed from 50% to 100%. Remedy- change back to 50%.
9. On Page 2.5 NN the Company may redefine the definition of "month" on an annual basis. Remedy-define all months now at the beginning of the contract and leave the same for the duration of the contract.
10. On Page 2.7 YY. (Primary Line Adjustment Period) the period commencing at 0001 not the same as for everything else at 0000.Remedy- make it the same throughout the contract.
11. On Page 2.8 OOO. (Staffing Grids) the union is acknowledging these exist and can be determined at the free will of the company. It says they are published but we do not know where they can they be found. Remedy- Use very defined language as to what the staffing should be on all aircraft Do not leave this up to the marketing and scheduling departments.
12. There is not a definition for "Transit Duties" that On Premise Reserves will be doing. Just think about babysitting unaccompanied minors, moving elderly between gates and etc. Think of all the new revisions that will be added to define these duties. Remedy- define all the possible duties that would be involved here so there is no possible misinterpretation later. Have the definition include boarding and aircraft duties and nothing more.
COMPENSATION
13. On PAGE 3.3 E. 3 it says a Reserve Flight Attendant's monthly guarantee of seventy-two hours shall be reduced by the following: a. Any flight time lost due to a leave or his/ her unavailability, and/or b. Four Hours (4:00) per on duty reserve day not actually served. This means that if a reserve asks for early release or to be released that the 72:00 will go to 68:00, 64:00 etc. Remedy- guarantee all Reserves the pay of 72:00 hours unless granted a leave.
14. On Page 3.4 dealing with Purser Pay credited hours for Purser pay purposes do not include: Removal Credit, Int'l Ground Holding Pay, Trip hour credit etc. Remedy- remove 3.4 2section 2 and include all time credited.
15. On Page 3.5 I (Holiday Pay) 1.c. it only includes the number of hours away from the base ON the holiday and not the entire pattern operating over the holiday. If you left at 10:30 PM on Christmas Day or New Years' Day you only get 1:30 of holiday pay. Remedy- change the language to include All trips operating over the Holiday.
16. We are not getting the 12 holidays or 10 like other NWA personnel. The holidays defined on page 2.4 FF for scheduling purposes are: New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving day, Christmas Eve Day, and New Years Eve Day. If you leave at 10:30 PM Christmas Day you will have 1:30 of Holiday Pay for the trip. A nice Holiday gift for leaving friends and family. Remedy- Include all Holidays for Pay purposes that the company uses for scheduling purposes.
17. On Page 3.7 (Quarterly Overtime) Hours accrued in high lines are excluded. This excludes up to 30 hours of quarterly overtime for high line holders. Remedy- remove phrase on page 3.7 "subject to the exclusion of hours accrued in high lines in accordance with Section 5.D., of this Agreement."
18. On Page 3.8 O. & P. dealing with Domestic and International Ground Holding Pay we still working one hour for free. We are we not paid from sign in to block out. Remedy- Have pay commence at time of report to release.
19. On Page 3.10 the DC-9 and narrow body aircraft short crew pay has been reduced. Remedy-increase all aircraft compensation for short crew.
20. On Page 3.10 3. (Day to Day Operational Difficulties) we are not receiving penalty pay for situations that result if a crewmember becomes unavailable downline and the company cannot find replacement. This is still short crew. Remedy- remove the sentence"If such difficulties result in the unavailability of a required crew member at other than a base station, the Company will attempt to replace the unavailable crew member but will suffer no penalty if unable to do so." Make the scheduling department more efficient.
21. On Page 3.11 R. (Pattern Guarantee) we are not guaranteed for all pattern adjustments; only the original line. Remedy- change the language to include all adjustments.
22. The cost of living and inflation index according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics government web site has gone up since 1988 (last contract raise) a combined 34%. These statistics were not even considered for our raises. Remedy- Adjust all pay to meet the 1999 Bureau of Labor Statistics. Give us all the increase we deserve for the position. Use statistics for pay that include all airlines at 1999 and future levels.
EXPENSES
23. In Section 4(Expenses) on page 4.1 A 2 the definitions - "Reasonable" and "Comparable priced" accommodations are too ambiguous and not specifically defined leaving the interpretation up to the company later. Remedy- remove all ambiguous language terms.
24. On page 4.2 B. 2. They use the term "downtown-like" which again is not specific and left up to management to define and change at their discretion. These terms and definitions need to be more defined and specific. Remedy- Define these terms to meet certain criteria.
25. On Page 4.2 B. 3. a, b, c, and d, not defined and left to the interpretation of the Vice President, In-flight Services to determine.
26. On Page 4.4 D. (Per Diem) per diem rates increase by five cents (.05) beginning in 5 years (DOS+60) and not annually. Remedy- increase per diem annually and/ or adjust to meet the cost of living in the city that is being used for a layover. KLM uses the latter.
27. On Page 4.5 (Crew Meals) the crew meals will not always be "First Class" or "Business Class" meals specifically. They have been reduced to "other meals offered to passengers shall be deemed sufficient". Remedy - make the crew meal a "First class" or "Business class" meal.
28. On Page 4.5 the pilots time parameters for calling a cab to hotel on layover are not the same as ours. Remedy- Adjust the wording to be the same 30 minutes.
HOURS OF SERVICE
29. On Page 5.7 NOTE: paragraph stating Regular Flight Attendant may elect a monthly maximum of one hour (1:00), two hours (2:00), or three hours (3:00) of credit time greater than his/her scheduled monthly maximum, as provided in Section 6.B.3.c (6) of this agreement. This and the high line system mean fewer lines created and more reserves.
30. On Page 5.7 we are allowing the Weekly Limitations of Thirty-in-seven (30-in-7) to be waived when we fought so hard in the past to establish these. Also in the Twenty four-in-seven Provisions we are allowing the company to reschedule us as "must deadhead" during a required twenty-four (24:00) hour rest. Remedy- remove the language "unless he/she elects to exceed this weekly limitation in accordance with Section 6.B.3.c. (5). And 6.G.2.f. (16) of this agreement." Also remove the language allowing the Flight Attendant to "must deadhead" during such rest.
31. On Page 5.9 (High Value Turns) the reserves are not given the option of declining High Value Turns? Remedy- allow Reserve Flight Attendants to decline High Value turns.
32. On Page 5.20 5b. (Actual Duty Limitations) this is not clarified as to what specific circumstances would lead to working over 15:00 duty day on non-extended duty day flights. Remedy- eliminate the option for the Company to keep Flight Attendants on duty for over 15:00 hours on non- extended duty flights.
33. On Page 5.21 6.a.2. (Extended Duty Flights) stops planned prior to departure for mechanical, weather, emergencies, and fuel are grounds for keeping the flights status as nonstop. . Remedy- remove this language in paragraph 2.
34. On Page 5.22b.3 (Actual on Duty Limitations) when departing a station other than a base station we have no option to being on duty up to 20:00 hours. Remedy- change the language to limit the on duty to 18:00 hours or double crew the flights over 18 hours (18:00).
35. In Side Letter 71 states that " whenever a delay to an extended duty flight projects the on-duty period to exceed eighteen (18:00) hour, Flight Attendants shall receive a period of at least three (3:00) hours for the rest on board the aircraft, provided that such a break can physically be accomplished and WILL NOT RESULT IN A REDUCTION IN SERVICE DELIVERY. The Purser or Lead Flight Attendant shall be responsible for making this determination and administering the extended breaks." This so ambiguous and left to future interpretation of any one individual and not guaranteed. Remedy- Remove all side letters and the need for Compendiums later with more specific language in the contract sections.
36. On Page 5.25 (Rest Upon Return to Base) the deadhead hours are not included when calculating double flight time off for rest period. Remedy- include all hours flown for rest time whether it be deadheading or working.
37. There so many "MEET AND CONFER STATEMENTS" IN THIS TA! All the issues are not completed and open to talks and back room deals later. We should have learned our lesson last time in regards to retirement and side letter 59 in the present red contract. Remedy- remove All meet and confer clauses and use visionary language that will protect us throughout the duration of this contract.
38. In Side Letter 53 the company restricts the % of Flex lines. Remedy- remove all side letters.
39. On Page 5.37 E. (Flex Line Provisions) we give the company the option to designate any given month. Remedy- define all Flex Line months and provisions.
40. There are 85-side letters in this agreement and many more Compendiums to be included later. Remedy- remove all side letters and incorporate everything into the contract with definitive wording and no gray areas.
SCHEDULING
41. We still have critical bid for the month of December. This was supposed to be taken care of with Holiday pay. Remedy- give holiday pay and remove critical bid month language.
42. The required availability period for a time available, short line, priority line and partial line required day obligation is now from 0900 to 1700. The company and union agree to once again "Meet and Confer" to modify these hours for Flight Attendants requesting different hours. Side Letter of agreement 51 Remedy- change the language back to the present contract hours and remove all "meet and confer" language.
43. Short Line and Time Available Flight Attendants can opt to sit Time Available for hours other than 9-5 but side letter A.51 says that the hours aren't determined yet and that the Union will "Meet and Confer" with the Company on this issue. It is offered in some parts of this section, but not under 6.26.d3. Remedy- remove all 'Meet and confer" language and define the hours specifically.
44. In section 6.32- the Flight Attendant check in call been changed to 2:30 out instead of 2:00. We have to tell them we are using an airphone, which may be outside the 100-mile limit. Remedy- change the language so the two (20 hour call is the same or eliminate it all together.
45. In section 6.41 the percent days still here, and are they going to work better for us. We thought one of our goals was to get rid of them and make scheduling more efficient. Remedy- remove restricted days and make management and scheduling more responsible for staffing.
46. In section 5.9(High Value Turns) we are not giving the reserves the option of declining High Value Turns. Remedy- give reserves the option.
47. On Page 6.53 there is a NOTE that says" A Flight Attendant may request and shall be granted, subject to the approval of Flight Attendant Scheduling, the option to drop any pattern on his/her line regardless of the above requirements". This encourages fraternization and favoritism with the schedulers disregarding the seniority system. Remedy- remove this language all together.'
48. On Page 6.47.1(2) mutual patterns are no longer allowed up until check in. Now it has been changed to three hours (3:00) at the base and four hours (4:00) downline. Remedy- change the language back to current contract.
49. On Page6.50 lines m further restrictions have now been placed on pattern drops for "OverProjection" and we limit the options for the most critical month for Flight attendants- December. Remedy- Holiday pay.
50. On Page 6.673 we will now be able to enter into the computer (prior to a trip) a preference for downline rescheduling. This could effect a reserves ability to complete flying. Remedy- improve Reserve lines
RESERVES
51. With the proposed option for block holders to fly up to 83 hours there is potential for more Flight Attendants to be on reserve as well as with High Lines and Flex up Lines.
52. On Page 7.13 the reserve guarantee has been increased to seventy-two hours (72:00) however if they should ask for release their guarantee will be reduced by four hours (4:00) each time. Remedy - leave the guarantee alone unless Reserve asks for an unpaid leave.
53. High Time still goes ahead of reserves. Remedy- limit the category for high time to be after Reserve unless in defined circumstances.
54. With the OPR system at the airport (which is not a true "hot seat") they will be doing Transit duties, boarding flights etc. These duties have not been defined in the definitions' section yet but I am sure there will be many revisions on this definition after we sign. Think about those many possible assignments (babysitting unaccompanied minors, helping the elderly or anyone needing assistance to get to their next flight etc.). Remedy- eliminate OPR or pay for the entire duty day. Define the Transit duties in "Definitions section" of the contract. Place all OPR ahead of High time and other categories.
55. On Page 7.23J the RSV's will have their hours accumulated as "actual" versus "schedule" and therefore will have to fly more hours to get their hours in. The lost the option of choosing either schedule or actual. Remedy- restore the option.
56. The number of On Premise Reserve days the Flight Attendant must serve is two (2) days of OPR per month the first year, three days (3) per month the second year, and three (3) days per month the third year. (See side letter of agreement 67). Remedy- Remove all side letters and define for the duration of the contract a consistent number of OPR days.
57. The number of OPR days increase each year and the union agrees to "Meet and Confer" on this issue in the future? Remedy- remove all Meet and Confer statements.
58. We will now have an OPR system, but with no relief? At other airlines after you reach certain seniority you aren't on RSV anymore. Many airlines have "rotating" reserve where everyone takes a turn at reserve now and then. RSV is now a career at some bases. Most airlines have some form of it with some sort of relief. Remedy- offer some form of relief if this is a necessary evil we must endure.
59. On Premise Reserve will be available at the airport for six hours (6) and only get paid for four hours and fifteen minutes (4:15). Remedy - compensate for the entire day.
60. OPR can be assigned if no one bids it. Remedy- improve the OPR system and pay.
61. Reserve Flight Attendants or High Time Flight Attendants at the airport may be given a trip before On Premise Reserves.
62. Again many "Meet and confer" clauses in this section of the contract. Remedy- remove all.
63. No increase in the number of Ready Reserve lines. Remedy- increase the number of Ready reserve lines.
64. Day trades still limited by percentages: limited number of reserves will hold weekends, holidays, first and last four days of the month. Remedy- remove the restricted day system and make scheduling and management more accountable for staffing.
65. If an OPR request early release she/he will get credit for one (1) hour for each two (2) hours served. Remedy- compensate for entire time served.
66. Now reserves get paid 2:36 per day to sit at home and have a life. With this TA they will become company slaves for 4:15. Remedy- eliminate the OPR system.
67. Reserves can be required to remain at the airport for up to thirty (30) minutes upon completion of a pattern at base if contacted by crew scheduling. Just think of those boarding duties on another flight where the inbound crew is late. Remedy - eliminate language allowing this.
MEDICAL
68. Medical deduction has now increased to $200.00 from $100.00. Remedy- change the language in the policy to allow Flight Attendants with spouse/ partner plans to collect 100% as in the pilot plan. Give all single Flight Attendants the benefits of dental/medical plan for one designated partner.
RETRO PAY
69. The company will be giving you 3.5% of your last three years base pay and keeping the 96.5% for themselves. This is not enough incentive to settle a contract on time but rather to stall and save billions of dollars. Remedy- include contract language to place a penalty on present and all future negotiations to include full retroactive payment for amendable contracts if not settled on time.
RETIREMENT
70. The Final Average Earnings Retirement Plan is in effect and used for management and the Pilot group. We are being told that it will be too costly a plan to start up for the Flight Attendant group. (Stockholm syndrome). They already have the computer software and know-how and we should not be worrying about how much it cost them as they have it for themselves. Management knows it is a good plan or they would have the defined earnings plan like we now presently have. Remedy- include the final average earnings ( 60% of best 36 months) plan in contract language. Include a matching 401k plan.
71. On Page 30.1 of the Retirement Plan Agreement letter D (Inter-Contract Escalator Clause) why is the retirement section limited? If a flight Attendant retires in 2 months prior to the Date of Signing or 2 months after the Date of Signing she/he qualifies for the $62.50 rate after 54 months from this Date of signing but if the Flight Attendant turns 62 on the 61st day after Date of Signing she/he will have to work nearly 5 years longer to qualify for the $62.50 rate. It should be that anyone who retires during the life of the agreement qualifies for the $62.50 rate at age 62 or 55 depending on normal or early retirement. Remedy- remove this clause and language so all are covered during the duration of the contract.
72. In the Retirement section of the contract there is nothing about a Medical Plan. It is covered in generalities on Page 29.3 of Insurance but the specifics of the plan and who will pay what and how much is not mentioned. Remedy- use the same language and plan management have achieved for themselves so Flight Attendants will not have to rely on Medicare or Medicaid governments plans during retirement years.
UNION ACTIVITIES
73. On Page 23.2 it states" The company shall credit the Union Flight Pay loss Account with One Hundred and Fifty thousand dollars ($150,000.00) on the first day of July, following ratification and on each succeeding July 1st thereafter during the term of this agreement, subject to the terms of Letter of Agreement 13." I realize the process of keeping union representatives on payroll for benefits etc. but for the company to contribute almost a million dollars to the union and not get anything in return looks bad and that we are not a separate entity. Remedy- change the language and way the company keeps the union representatives with benefits and seniority without involving large sums of financial compensation to the union, an independent entity.
74. The LM-2 of 1998, (which is the Labor Organization Annual Report filed with the U.S. Department of Labor) shows that 9,640 members of Local 2000 contributed $3,706,243.00. See the link LM-2 for 1998. We are not broke. This contract will be worth approximately 20 million dollars over the life of the contract.
SIDE LETTERS
75. Side Letter 32. For unbunked 747 it will take 30 months to either reconfigure with bunks or switch AC's for the seasonal extended duty routes. Remedy resolve all bunk issues and crew rest issues providing bunks on all wide body aircraft operating over 13 hours prior to signing or within a 6 month deadline. Remove all side letters.
76. Side Letter 76. "In order to be eligible for the purser qualification training, a Flight attendant must have a record free from any formal discipline related to job performance, conduct, safety, or dependability and a satisfactory record of attendance. Remedy- define all training and duties of purser position and qualifications that are involved. Make it a true seniority chosen position and not left up to the company's discretion.
VACATION & AUTOMATED COMPUTER SYSTEMS
77. The company, in consultation with the IBT, shall, as soon as practical but no later than eighteen (18) months following ratification of this Agreement, implement an automated system for the bidding and awarding of open vacation. Remedy- implement an automated computer system for all Flight Attendants within six (6) months. Place WinZTerm on the World Wide Web for free to all NWA Flight Attendants as they do the NWA reservation system. In this way all Flight Attendants could have access to scheduling regardless of the Internet Service Provider they use.
SIGNING BONUS
78. The Pilot group received five (5) million shares to be split amongst 5,000 pilots or 1,000 shares each of NWA stocks and we have been offered NOTHING! Remedy- get profit sharing or Stock options as a signing bonus.
Domestic Partner and Single Flight Attendant Benefit Issues
There are none now. Remedy- give the single flight attendants the same benefits that United, American, and Us Air have just given their employees.
DURATION OF THE CONTRACT
Remedy-Limit the duration of the contract to Three (3) years if all of the above is not achieved.
Above you have seen the remedies to the Low Lights. Now we ask you to go back in there and achieve that "industry leading" contract that is on par if not above the industry. Let us for once set an example to the labor force in this industry and the rest of the unionized labor throughout the country. We are united to win a decent contract. We deserve a contract with wages, labor protective clauses, and a retirement that we can live with as Americans.
We ask you also to go back in there this time with a new strategy and that is to keep the membership informed of the negotiation process. We do not want the secrecy that has prevailed in the past. Information creates power and unity. Please keep us all involved, as it is all our futures you are dealing with. With 11,000 eyes and ears we are determined and bound to achieve a contract that is good for all of us.
We ask you also to do this in an expeditious manner. If the company is not willing to deal directly and expeditiously ask the mediator for that impasse you have said you would ask for in June. Let us begin with work action and stop the procrastination NWA has been so clever at accomplishing. It is time for a contract and we have waited far too long.
At this time we are also asking that the IBT approve the Bylaw Amendments from 1998 and 1999. We have voted and approved our Bylaw changes and it is past time to begin implementing them. We should not have anyone in MSP or elsewhere training our replacements in the case of a work action.
One last item is - Please use a law firm and get this contract wording as strong as possible and leave out all ambiguities. This will save us countless dollars and hours later resolving issues . Make this a contract that respects us All.
Remember Our Strength is in our Unity and Knowledge is Power. Good Luck!
Sincerely and Fraternally yours,
Kevin M. Griffin, 19 years, HNL
Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa has heralded the proposed contract for Northwest Airlines flight attendants as "a victory for all working Americans." But unless the tentative agreement wins rank-and-file ratification today in Detroit, the deal will be a non-starter and negotiations will enter a fourth year
Airline industry analyst Brad Bartholomew, who specializes in foreshadowing labor moves, said in a report this week that the flight attendants' contract vote at Northwest is too close to call.
From: Rob Hodges SFO
Date: 8/26/99
Time: 8:32:01 PM
Remote Name: 205.134.227.92
6108 NO 2727 YES .......... 69.1% NO VOTE Thank you everybody!
From: Kathy Parker- SFO
Date: 8/26/99
Time: 11:44:09 PM
Remote Name: 205.188.199.154
Thanks everyone for keeping us informed... this web site has been incredibly insightful and informative...keep it up!
From: DAN HENRY DTW
Date: 8/26/99
Time: 9:47:30 PM
Remote Name: 216.214.82.34
A SPECIAL THANKS TO JOSE, KEVIN, DANNY C. ALL CAT COORDINATORS, AND ALL WHO WORKED SO HARD TO GET INFO TO US F/AS AND ALLOWED US TO VOICE OURSELVES. MUCH MORE WORK AHEAD....
From: Kevin Compton
Date: 8/26/99
Time: 9:05:19 PM
Remote Name: 152.163.201.64
Kevin, I tip my hat to yourself, Jose and Andy among others who deserve a BIG thank-you from all of us for what happened... Your hard work and perseverance has rewarded you handsomely!! Many tanks! Kevin Compton.
From: Kevin Griffin 19yrs
Date: 8/27/99
Time: 11:32:07 PM
Remote Name: 205.188.196.38
Thank you Kevin C. for all your support and the rest of the group out there who have done wonders for the group as far as educating ourselves on the contract negotiations process. It has been a long struggle but we have made it part way. By creating the site my partner Randy and I have learned many things as well and I wish we had done this many years ago. We work with a great group of people and this contract negotiations process has divided many of us as the company has done in the past. We never had the means to communicate our thoughts until this computer age came along and now it is working for us. Communication brings information which empowers us. Let us all keep it flowing for we are united . Thanks again for you kind words.
From: Sis of 2 DTW FAs
Date: 8/27/99
Time: 10:26:57 AM
Remote Name: 216.17.156.102
You FAs are rockin'!!!
RESEARCH ALERT - Northwest Airlines cut
NEW YORK, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette said Friday that analyst Jim Higgins had cut his rating on Northwest Airlines Corp. (Nasdaq:NWAC - news) to market perform from buy.
-- cited Thursday's vote by airline's flight attendants rejecting a proposed five-year labor contract.
-- ``We were unnerved by the balance of no's (69 percent) vs yeses,'' Higgins said. ``It suggests the flight attendant rank-and-file are further from the company's view of a fair contract than we expected.''
-- said rejection raises risk for the company ``in terms of potential disruptions and higher costs.''
-- shares off 1-6/16 at 30-9/16.
From: Junior
Date: 8/27/99
Time: 2:23:04 PM
Remote Name: 24.92.226.142
Northwest was down 7.5% today at 215PM the lowest it has been since June 10....another significant day for Flight Attendants. Is there something we can learn from this? Yes. This is added incentive (pressure) for management to give us a fair, equitable, and respectful agreement.
From: NWA Flight Attendant
Date: 8/27/99
Time: 8:18:54 PM
Remote Name: 205.188.192.33
Since 70 percent of the rank and file rejected the tentative agreement, and voted no, and we totally embarrassed Management in Mecca. Do not be surprised to see manual checks and uniform evaluations and check rides at an all time high. Don't be intimidated by any action NWA will try to place upon our group. Keep your mind focused on only accepting an agreement that reflects adequate pay raises at ALL seniority level and a final earnings average on retirement and FULL retro payment. I am not going to accept anything less! Together if we remain focused and don't give in to NWA deplorable and unethical tactics we will win a contract that we can live and work under well into 2010. NWA will get "real nasty" with our group but I for one will do whatever it takes and if it means to walk a picket line and shut down the airline so be it. Enough is enough and NWA you WILL NOT take away my pride. Thank you all for your support and unity.
From: Bob Krabbe, DTW Base
Rep
Date: 8/27/99
Time: 9:51:25 PM
Remote Name: 205.188.195.27
It is no secret that I am pleased that this tentative agreement was not ratified yesterday. The reason I am most pleased, however, has nothing to do with personalities or politics, it has to do with education. I have watched over the past two months an incredable thing happen with this group of Flight Attendants. I have seen a group of people educate themselves. Whether you voted for or against this agreement is a moot point now. It is done and overwith and can not be changed.
What is important is that for or against, the Flight Attendants took the TA, read it, re-read it and asked questions. They sat down and read the current Agreement and compared the two. Many people told me that they learned things about the current Agreement they never knew. No matter what the company throws at us in the future, you will always have that knowledge.
But knowledge is not the only thing that we gained. We have also gained power. For the third time in a year and a half, through our voting, we have shown the company and the world that Northwest Flight Attendants know what they want and are willing to fight to get it.
But now is not the time to rest. We still have a monster to battle and it's initials are NWA. Wherever we stood on the T/A we have to remember that NWA still stood on the other side of the battlefield. We may disagree but, like family, when the chips are down we band together and form a ring stronger than steel. NWA needs to understand that the longer this goes, the stronger we get.
I urge everyone to put aside their differences and to fight for what we, as a group, demand. I know there are some who say we were foolish to vote this down. To them I say in the end wouldnt you rather have a better contract than be right? I know I would.
To all those Flight Attendants who took the time to thoughtfully read and consider this T/A (regardless of how you voted) I say Kudos to you! To those who chose to sit on the sidelines I say come and join us. It is always more fun to win when you are a part of the team and have people to celebrate with.
As a group we have the power to make change happen. We need only believe in ourselves and continue to work for what we want.
From: Ashley McNeely - HNL
Base Rep
Date: 8/28/99
Time: 8:33:25 PM
Remote Name: 216.192.150.10
Bob -
I couldn't have said it better myself. As usual - you hit the nail right on the head.
Now lets get to work on a somewhat newer and much more improved tentative agreement everybody!
From: Kevin Griffin 19 yrs
Date: 8/28/99
Time: 1:56:48 AM
Remote Name: 152.163.201.213
Dear Fellow Flight Attendants,
Yesterday we witnessed a “First” here at NWA. We voted in record numbers and in a record way. True, we were not always as large a group as we are now but from the percentage stand point (as the company likes to use for pay raises) we turned out more voters than ever before. This really means we do care about our contract and livelihoods. We are voicing our opinions democratically.
As an observer to the balloting process for the first time I was very impressed. It started with 5 of us going to the post office to meet James DeHaan as he picked up the ballots from the postmaster. They loaded them into the car and we followed him to the Marriott Hotel where they were to be counted. At the Hotel we had many other Flight Attendants waiting to begin observing the process. Throughout the day many more Flight Attendants joined us and really very closely watched the process of counting. I have to admit it is a very tedious process Mr. DeHaans’ 17 workers had to do. They did it professionally and Mr. DeHaan talked to the group of Flight Attendants each step of the way informing us of the process as the day went along.
A group of us paid for a room and set up a communication center so we could document the day as it progressed and get the word out as soon as it came down. I decided to add photos to the sites so you could see how the day was going and even brought a Digital video camera to hook up to the site. We decided to hold off on putting the photos out on the sites, as they tend to slow down the Internet process and tie up the sites limiting the number of Flight Attendants entering the sites. We held off until the afternoon when it became more tedious and sort of monotonous watching the balloting process and really did not have much to update you on. We placed the first set of photos on then. I am placing the rest on soon so you will see the day as it happened. It was very educational to see democracy in action. It was totally honest as far as I could see and have no doubt about the election credibility. I encourage all to do this sometime.
Now we must continue our struggle with NWA to get that “Industry Leading” contract. We must continue to unite our group and educate ourselves about the industry and our job. We have seen democracy in action and have let the company know by the numbers that we deserve better. We did not all agree and probably never will on everything but the idea is to make an educated decision and vote it and stand by it. I flew a flight today and the Flight Attendants on board voted No but had not even read the contract to base that decision on. The same goes for many Yes voters. We put out the Low Lights a while back and referenced the Tentative Agreement. We read the contract in its entirety as many others did. We all need to read the contract offers as they affect all our lives here at NWA. We need to get the contract that is good for all of us from the most senior to the most junior. I hope many have saved the Low Lights so we can see the next Tentative Agreement and ensure what we did not like is changed. The idea is we all need to read and educate ourselves and communicate. That is what this forum is all about.
So let us get back to the business of uniting and educating each other here in the forum. Please let us make the name-calling and “old wars” a part of our history. They serve no purpose except to divide us. We now hold the upper hand with NWA. True, it would have been nice to see that pay raise now along with a decent retirement plan, and many improvements in work rules etc. but if we remain united we will win the respect of NWA and perhaps next time we will make that record number a Yes vote. We deserve it and now is the time. Urge your elected negotiations committee and executive board to make this a more expeditious and open process. We have waited too long. Show your support and join the process of getting an industry-leading contract for all of us. Most of all -communicate now so there is no questions later. Let’s keep the information flowing. Call your union representatives and negotiators today and voice your opinions. Many of them read the information in the forum and get a better feel of our wants and needs so voice them here too if you do not want to make that call. I know for a fact that this forum has been a sore point for many of the elected members but I feel I would rather speak up freely now than live with the bad contracts and working conditions of the past.
Our Strength is in Our Unity and Information is Power