CWA LOCAL 3641
MEMBERSHIP MEETING
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012
9:30 – 10:30 am
CWA LOCAL 3641
CONFERENCE ROOM,
756 TYVOLA RD
CHARLOTTE, NC
704-488-3275
2012 Pay Increase
You may have noticed what appears to be an incorrect rate of
pay reflected in "My HR." The US Airways payroll department
advises that, because our customer contact increase became
effective on 12/31/2011, it was loaded in the computer system
first. Our pay increase was effective on 1/1/2012 and is
currently being loaded. The Local has received assurance that
the update will be completed shortly and that your January 13
paycheck will be correct. Be sure to compare it with your
negotiated rate of pay in the CWA/IBT contract, beginning on
page 197. Don't forget to add the 30 cent customer contact
premium to the figure you see there to find the total amount of
your hourly pay.
To those that ask "what good is having a Union, what have
they done for me?
If we did not have a Union representing us, the proposal the
company made in 2004 regarding our wages would have been a
reality. See this actual copy of the proposal by US Airways.
Then look at your contract and see what we actually negotiated
for pay.
This is just one small example, we have many more we can share.
ELECTION 2012
The election results are in! The incoming Local 3641 Executive
Board will be seated
on December 8, 2011 and will serve until December 8, 2014.
President: Janice Garris
Executive Vice President: Dan Skerl
Vice President: Tom Paskutis
Vice President: Paul Zoll
Secretary/Treasurer: Shelley Oberholser
Area Representatives: Ernest Marvin, John Pascucci, Deanna
Messer, Eula Smith
Congratulations to all and Welcome to our newest members.
Union Holidays 2012
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SUN, JAN 1 |
NEW YEARS' DAY |
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MON, JAN 16 |
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR DAY |
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MON, FEB 20 |
PRESIDENTS' DAY |
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MON, MAY 28 |
MEMORIAL DAY |
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WED, JULY 4 |
INDEPENDENCE DAY |
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WED, SEPT 3 |
LABOR DAY |
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MON, OCT 8 |
COLUMBUS DAY |
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THU, NOV 22 |
THANKSGIVING DAY |
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FRI, NOV 23 |
DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING |
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TUES, DEC 25 |
CHRISTMAS
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Stop Air
Tax Now - CLICK HERE
Retirement Department Name Change
The Retirement Planning and Administration department has been
renamed 401(k) & Savings Programs.
This change has been made to
make it easier for employees to connect with the right
department and to clarify what they do. The new department
mailbox address is:
my401k@usairways.com.
The former mailbox address,
retirement.benefits@usairways.com , will run concurrently
for the next two months but any email sent to this address will
be redirected to the new address.
To access their account at Fidelity, employees should log onto
NetBenefits at www.401k.com or contact Fidelity at (800)
354-3412.
For any questions, please contact:
Patti Yurkovich
Director, 401(k) & Savings Programs
480-693-8952
patti.yurkovich@usairways.com
HOLIDAY BID 2012
Have you decided on Option I or Option II??
US Airways advises that your choice will remain in effect “for
the calendar year 2012 and for all subsequent years until a new
collective bargaining agreement is effective.”
CWA suggests that you choose Option II.
That gives you two extra weeks of vacation in 2012 and the
possibility to pick up overtime on a designated holiday, paid at
the double time rate (page 82 line 16)
Be sure to log in to Wings between Wednesday, September 7
through
Sunday, October 2, 2011 to make your selection or else the
Company will choose Option I for you!
Charlotte Airport Employee Shuttle Buses: At the last meeting,
it was suggested that the buses should make two stops in front
of the terminal rather than just one. The city has since
explained that
the current drop off point in front of the D doors is the only
area that is not leased out by private companies, and that no
additional stops will be made.
Local 3641 was presented with this award at the CWA 2011
National Convention for our participation in the successful
effort to organize Piedmont Airlines.
The Executive Board would like to thank CWA for this
recognition. We look forward to welcoming our Brothers and
Sisters at Piedmont into our ranks.
SHOP
STEWARDS’ TRAINING CLASS
The next Stewards’ class has been scheduled for Wednesday,
September 21 and Thursday, September 22, 2011.
If you are interested in becoming a Shop Steward, email the
Secretary/Treasurer, Shelley Oberholser, at
rochelle65@carolina.rr.com.
Be sure to provide your name, address and phone number.
Applications must be received no later than Monday, September 12
 On
Tuesday, May 31 the US Airways Pilots Association staged a
demonstration at the Charlotte/Douglas Airport and on June 1
they filed a lawsuit against the Company, claiming that
management has intentionally delayed contract negotiations.
Local 3641 supports the Association’s Brothers and Sisters in
their efforts to obtain a fair and equitable agreement, and we
send our hopes for a speedy conclusion to this six-year long
battle.
cwa3641.com
This album has 1 photo and will be available on SkyDrive until
8/30/2011.
ID
TAGS
It is
US Airways’ policy that every agent must wear a name tag on
his/her outermost garment. The Company has received numerous
complaints that the IDs are causing allergic reactions, so the
manufacturer has supplied the airline with rubber backings to
eliminate the problem. Contact your local Station Manager for
the replacements.
Voluntary Shift Extensions
If you volunteer to work beyond your scheduled time off, you
have one hour from the time you agreed to stay in which to
advise Management if you’ve changed your mind.
Early Out Positions
Early Out positions will cease to exist as of January 1,
2012. Any agent currently in an EO position who wants a non-EO
position must have a transfer request on file before that date,
or his/her status will not change.
Contract Negotiations
Mainline contract negotiations are scheduled to begin on
July 1, 2011. Make sure that the Union has your current mailing
address so that we can send you a ballot when the voting begins.
To update your contact information, email Shelley Oberholser,
the Local Secretary/Treasurer, at
rochelle65@carolina.rr.com
Shift Briefings
Management is conducting briefings in the employee break
rooms and has scheduled these meetings during our members’
lunch breaks. The meetings are not mandatory and no agent is
required to sign an attendance sheet.
Membership Meetings
The next membership meetings will be held at the
Charlotte/Douglas Airport Business Center in the Quiet Zone
“A” conference room on Wednesday, December 15. The morning
meeting is scheduled from 9am until 10am and the afternoon
meeting will be held from 1pm until 2pm. All CWA members are
encouraged to attend.
Shift Trades
CWA has won the arbitration regarding shift trades.
Management will no longer be able to take away swapping
privileges from someone who calls in sick on a trade or to
use the loss of trading ability as a disciplinary measure.
CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS TO BEGIN IN 2011
Local 3641 congratulates Area Representative Dan Skerl on
his election to the 2011 Contract Negotiating Team. Along
with PIT agent Millicent Burnett, Dan will represent our
interests and fight for our rights once negotiations begin
in the summer of 2011. The Executive Board is proud to have
one of our own officers selected for this very important
position.
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UNION HOLIDAYS 2011 |
Bank Holidays Date |
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Sun, Jan 17 |
Martin Luther King Day |
Mon, Jan 3 |
New Years Day |
Mon, Oct 10 |
Columbus Day |
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Sun, July 4 |
Independence Day |
Mon, Jan 17 |
Martin L King's Birthday |
Fri, Nov 11 |
Veteran’s Day |
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Mon, Sept 5 |
Labor Day |
Mon, Feb 21 |
Presidents' Day |
Thurs, Nov 24 |
Thanksgiving Day |
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Thurs, Nov 24 |
Thanksgiving |
Mon, May 30 |
Memorial Day |
Mon, Dec 26 |
Christmas Day |
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Sat, Dec 25 |
Christmas |
Mon, July 4 |
Independence Day |
Mon, Jan 2 |
New Years Day
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Mon, Sept 5 |
Labor Day |
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A
REMINDER:
All
airport ID badges have an expiration date and must be renewed no
more than 30 days prior to that date. Any employee with an
expired badge will not be allowed to work. The Local strongly
urges our members to renew their badges as early as possible.
UPDATE ON THE US AIRWAYS HEALTH
CARE INSURANCE PLAN
US Airways has reviewed the new health care insurance
legislation and made the decision to allow those full-time
students that were covered under the plan as of April 1, 2010,
to remain as covered child dependents in the health plans. In
other words, these dependents will not lose coverage even if
they lose their full-time student status after April 1, 2010.
Adult child dependents that were not enrolled in the US Airways'
health plans because they were not fulltime students at the time
of the new legislation or were over the age of 23 as of Dec. 31,
2009, will be allowed to enroll as dependents in their parent’s
coverage during Annual Enrollment this fall with coverage
effective on Jan. 1, 2011, consistent with the new legislation.
FOUR EASY WAYS TO LET YOUR UNION
KNOW IF YOU HAVE A
CHANGE OF ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER OR EMAIL:
CALL
704-665-9940
FAX
704-665-9943
EMAIL
rochelle65@carolina.rr.com
CLICK ON
ADDRESS CHANGE FORM
REMEMBER, WE CAN'T REPRESENT YOU IF WE CAN'T CONTACT YOU!
From the CWA National
website :
Mandatory overtime rules being abused by the company
systemwide in the Airports!
If you have not been given 1 hour written or electronic notice
and the reason and duration of the mandatory overtime, then the
company is in violation of the Contract -File a grievance if
this happens to you! If you are not in front of a computer for
the electronic pop up regarding overtime, how are you to know
you have been mandatoried? YOU DO NOT have to find a manager
before the end of your shift to "find out" if they need you to
stay., the contract is very clear, they are to notify YOU. It is
the RESPONSIBILITY of local managers to MANAGE the coverage, not
ours. The company has been told many times the staffing is not
adequate even when we had the SABRE system, they are finding out
the hard way. See pages 34 and 40 in your contract to review the
Mandatory overtime rule. For ATO's Article 6 Item U. and for RES
Article 7, Item L.
NON-REV UPDATE
From theHub:
Starting Wednesday, April 29, employees and retirees nonrevving
will be boarded based on their date of hire (year/month/day)
rather than the current process of year of hire. Why the
change? At the beginning of 2007, we announced the airline’s
combined non-rev boarding policy would be by date of hire.
Employees asked why we would only process by year of hire and
not date of hire. Our technology was not able to allow for this
functionality at the time without extensive work. Since then,
and because of employee feedback, our IT department has worked
hard to update our technology to allow for this capability and
we’re ready to make the switch next week. If you’ve created a
listing in the ETC for travel on or after April 29, IT will
change the listing to reflect your full date of hire. If you
feel the date of hire in your listing is wrong due to an
unforeseen technical error, first cancel the PNR and re-book it
through the ETC. If this does not change the date or you feel it
is still incorrect, send an e-mail to
DOH@usairways.com. If you
are traveling on April 29, please make your listing before or
after the outage. If necessary, you may see an Airport Customer
Service agent who can assist in adding the year/ month/day into
your existing PNR. As a friendly reminder, all guest passes and
SA1P vacation passes must be booked through the ETC only. If you
are booking other space available records in QIK or Shares, you
must include the traveler’s legal name and the employee’s badge
number in the record. For more information, please refer to the
Employee Travel Guide on Wings and theHub and as always, if you
have any travel-related questions, please contact
Employee.Travel@usairways.com.
How Date of Hire Boarding Works
• If you were hired Aug. 12, 1988, your boarding priority will
be listed as SA3P880812. Your priority would be higher than
someone who was hired Sept. 12, 1988.
• If two non-revs with the same exact hire date (year/month/day)
happen to be listed for the same flight, time of check-in will
determine who is first on the list.
This new date of hire information
will be listed in your employee profile in the Employee Travel
Center (ETC).
MIRACLE ON THE HUDSON
On February 25th the Company held a "US Airways Flight 1549
Recognition Event" to honor the Captain and crew of the
Charlotte-bound flight. Local 3641 was invited to send a
representative to the function. Executive Vice President Brad
Lockridge attended the event and accepted a commemorative plaque on
behalf of our CWA Brothers and Sisters for their part in the
recovery and aftermath of the accident. The Executive Board of our
Local would like to express our pride and thanks to all of our
members who were involved in the recovery effort.
US Airways Policies:
Members are reminded of two Company policies which must be followed:
· Agents are not allowed to leave the airport premises during their
shifts, even during the unpaid lunch period.
· All agents must remain in their immediate work areas until they
clock out. It is not acceptable, for example, for a gate agent to
wait at the ticket counter to clock out.
Alert! TSA security violations can result in individual
fines of up to $25,00.00.
See the link below for full details.
Shortcut to:
http://www.tsa.gov/assets/pdf/FINALSanctionGuidancev1.12.07.pdf
COMPANION PASS ALERT!
We’ve learned that theHub may not keep an accurate count of the
number of companion passes issued, so it is possible to go over your
allotment. The Company has issued the following statement:
“Please know that tracking and monitoring the amount of guest pass
usage according to the yearly allotment is the sole responsibility
of the employee. Any misuse of guest passes or exceeding the amount
allotted to you could result in suspension of pass privileges and/or
disciplinary action up to and including termination.”
EXECUTIVE BOARD ELECTION 2009
The votes have been tabulated and the winners announced.
Join us in congratulating the Executive Board office holders for
2009:
PRESIDENT - JANICE GARRIS
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT - BRAD LOCKRIDGE
VICE PRESIDENTS - TOM PASKUTIS & PAUL ZOLL
SECRETARY/TREASURER - SHELLEY OBERHOLSER
AREA REPRESENTATIVES
DICK LEE
DEANNA MESSER
JOHN PASCUCCI
DAN SKERL
Date-of-Hire Arbitration: CWA was victorious in
its’ bid to return employee pass riding status to date-of-hire,
rather than year-of-hire. The computers will be updated and the
change will take effect in the Spring of 2009.
Mandatory Overtime
Please note that CWA does not support walking on mandatory overtime.
We do expect mandatory procedures to be administered according to
the contract, but if this does not happen, we suggest that the
agents involved work the extra hours and then grieve the violation.
Our management team has asked that we remind our members that
refusing mandatory overtime is a serious matter and will result in
reprimands.
SICK CALLS
Management has informed us that they will now be enforcing the
following policy:
"Pursuant to Article 13.D of the Fleet Service collective bargaining
agreement (CBA) and Article 18.D of the Passenger Service CBA,
“Employees may be required to present confirmation of illness and
the Company reserves the right to require, when in doubt of bona
fide claim, a physician’s certificate to confirm such sick claim.”
The Company deems the following to be doubt of bona fide claim and a
physician’s certificate is required when:
A consecutive absence period of three (3) days.
Other patterns where the Company notifies the
employee in writing of the requirement and the reason a physician’s
certificate will be required for future absences (e.g. absences in
conjunction with days off when the employee has previously called
off in conjunction with days off).
When medical certification is required, as
described above, for a non-FMLA qualifying event, the employee must
submit the certification to the Company on the first day the
employee returns to work, except when the absence exceeds five (5)
days the certification must be submitted to the Company within seven
(7) days of the date the absence began.
The certification must be completed by the medical provider and must
meet the following criteria:
Actual date(s) seen by the medical provider(s)
(which should be on or immediately prior to or following the date of
absence).
The probable duration of the absence (e.g., the
length of time the employee is expected to be out of work).
What about the current condition prevents the employee from
performing their essential job functions.
The name, address and telephone number of the Physician on the
Company’s Health Care Provider form or pre-printed letterhead or
prescription pad.
Employee’s name
Medical Provider’s signature.
All information must be legible.
If faxed, an original must follow-up the fax copy within seven days.
The Company reserves the right to verify any medical documentation
presented."
FILING YOUR INCOME TAXES
Did you know that your Union dues are tax deductible? The total
amount that you paid for the year is shown on the year-to-date portion of
your last pay stub for that year.
In-Station Transfer Requests:
In-station transfer requests will remain valid through December 31st
of the year in which they are submitted. If you have a request on
file, be sure to resubmit it before the end of the year.
UNIONIZING PIEDMONT AIRLINES
On November
4th the votes were tallied and we are delighted to announce that
CWA was victorious in its efforts to unionize Piedmont Airlines’
3,000 passenger service and fleet service agents. 1,107
employees voted in favor of the proposal, while 638 voted
against. The Executive Board of Local 3641 would like to
congratulate our new Brothers and Sisters and welcome them to
our Union. We have established a new Piedmont page that will
contain news and updates about the transition. To view it, we
invite you to click on the Piedmont link on our homepage.
We are currently
in the process of scheduling Shop Steward training classes.
If you are interested in becoming a Steward, contact the Local
at 704/665-9940 as soon as possible.
BREAKS!:
Take your breaks as
scheduled. It is your right to take them per the contract.
Do not let the local managers intimidate you nor make you feel
guilty for leaving your co-workers to handle the lines when you
need a break. Stand up for your rights.
A note about Training
and Testing:
DO NOT DO TRAINING or TESTING ON YOUR OWN
TIME or AT HOME!
The company is responsible for
allowing enough time for training and Testing while on the job!
On Tuesday, February 20, 2007, the CWA-IBT Passenger
Service Employee Association reached final agreement on the Overtime
and Hours of Service Letters of Agreement
The big news is the number of swaps is moving from 20 to 26 per
quarter. The other changes in Article 5, Hours of Service is the
option to have a 4 day work week for Part-time employees, pending
programming changes by the company. We have always had the option to
have 4 - 10 hour days for full-time, based on the needs of service.
Keep in mind, the schedule is determined by the company, so if your
location is interested in a 4 day work week for full and/or part
time, you need to encourage local management to implement them into
your schedules.
The number of hours an employee can work as a result of shift trades
was 12 hours or more on consecutive days. It has now been changed to
12 "paid" hours. It is a minor change. The Association attempted to
negotiate 16 hours on consecutive days, since we can work 16 hours
on consecutive days if we are working overtime or are mandatoried.
The company refuses to allow employees to trade themselves into
double back to back shifts.
Overtime-Article 6
The changes to the overtime language involve the company's ability
to zero out equalization every quarter. The other alteration to the
overtime language at the airports is that you are not charged for
overtime if you are not signed up on the volunteer list. In the
past, you got charged even when you did not sign up on the list.
For more details on the changes and the actual Letters of Agreement,
visit cwa.net
CWA Officers and Staff
from theHub:
EMERGENCY TRAVEL REQUESTS NOW HANDLED BY INVENTORY SERVICES
Effective immediately, all emergency travel requests will be handled
by US Airways Inventory Services. The phone contact is: 1
888-260-7169. This office is open 24/7 and will be handling
emergency travel requests from active and retired employees for
emergency travel regarding death or critical illness of an immediate
family member. This will consolidate and centralize emergency travel
requests and authorizations and will hopefully allow for smoother
and more efficient handling of these situations.
HELP WANTED:
CWA Local 3641 encourages participation in the Shop Steward
program. As a Steward, you would be expected to distribute membership
cards to new employees, be knowledgeable about the contract, help in
filing grievances, sit in on disciplinary meetings between employees
and management, and educate our members concerning their contractual
rights and obligations. If you are interested in this important
position and would like to attend our next Shop Steward training
class, please call the Local at 877/665-9940 or email me at
rochelle65@carolina.rr.com
Shelley Oberholser
Secretary/Treasurer
The US Airways management team
wants us to remind everyone that name tags are considered a
mandatory uniform item and must be worn by all agents. If you need a
new name tag, contact your shift manager
HOW TO AVOID AN INJURY ON DUTY WHEN ASSISTING A PASSENGER
We have had some recent OJI's reported in some of the stations
across the system because agents are trying to lift passengers on
their own. If you are called upon to lift a passenger into a
straight back or push a wheelchair up a jetway and the passenger
weighs over 70lbs, you should always ask for and insist on
assistance. Do not attempt to do this yourself, the consequences are
very costly. The company should always have enough staff on duty to
handle any wheelchair assist passengers. If you find yourself in
this situation, wait for assistance and please advise local
management of the problem if you are unable to get any help in a
timely manner. Your safety should be your main concern. Work safe
and work smart. If a situation looks unsafe, it probably is. |
