Hot News for May 2010
Statement by
T. C. Gillespie, President Tarrant County Central Labor Council
on comments by Gerard Arpey in recent Fort Worth Star Telegram Article
>>> Click Here for Article <<<
May 20, 2010
As president of the Tarrant County Central Labor Council, I found the article and comments by American Airlines CEO Gerard Arpey very disturbing and outlandish. Mr. Arpey wants to talk about the disgraceful breaking of contracts through bankruptcy as an excuse to not give the employees of American Airlines a fair and equitable contract—the employees who saved this airline when they were called on to do so.
What is so disturbing is the fact that Mr. Arpey and the other executives have not given anything in comparison to the employees. They instead have taken their bonuses to the bank. The bonuses that came off the sweat and production of the employees that gave so much to keep their airline flying. When you fly on American Airlines, it is not the executives who turn the wrench, inspect the plane wingtip to wingtip, fuel and service the aircraft to make it flight-worthy. The flight attendants, who make the cabin safe and as comfortable as possible, the flight attendants, who suffer from air quality problems from long hours in aircraft with recycled air, the flight attendants, who are expected to (God forbid) ensure all passengers are saved in an emergency before themselves….The pilots who, without their training and sacrifice to attain that status (and I dare to say the aircraft would not get anywhere without them)….The baggage handlers, the ticket agents, and the other employees that make the airline – yes, Mr. Arpey should stop and remember he actually contributes nothing to your next trip.
The fact that these employees are union and under contract is not the problem, Mr. Arpey. Southwest Airlines is a union airline, and at my last check that airline is profitable. The argument that Labor costs are too high is only an excuse as to why the contract negotiations at American have been ongoing for years without an agreement being reached. Mr. Arpey and the American Airlines executives are only playing games with the stringent bargaining rule that the Railway Act imposes on the unions. Mr. Arpey needs to realize that the problem of mismanagement is not the fault of the front line employees – but of the upper echelon.
T.C. Gillespie, President, Tarrant County CLC, AFL-CIO
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United Way Day of Action
National Day of Action
June 21st
Volunteers across the country are participating
in activities that benefit our community on the National Day
of Action. June 21st is the longest day of the year. Volunteering
demonstrates what it means to LIVE UNITED.
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United Way identifies project.
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Projects will be outdoor activities, primarily
in the morning and can take place a a few days before or
after June 21st.
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United Way identifies organizations with volunteers.
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Organization select a project from a list
and assign a team captain
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Project host assigns on-site supervisor
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Day of project - volunteers arrive and tea
captain reports to on-site supervisor.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 10, 2010
CONTACT: Jenifer McCormick
202-628-9262
Greater Fairness Comes to Airline and Rail Union Elections
WASHINGTON, DC – Transportation unions applaud the announcement today by the National Mediation Board (NMB) that it has amended union election procedures in the airline and rail industry to make them fairer and more consistent with democratic norms.
“In too many instances, airline and rail workers were denied the ability to bargain collectively because of arcane election rules that were more onerous than those used in the elections of Governors or members of Congress,” said Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD).
The new rules replace old procedures that required a majority of workers to vote just to validate a union election. Any worker that didn’t participate in an election was tallied as a “no” vote – a procedure found nowhere else in American democracy. The old rules also encouraged a climate of voter suppression, because companies could prevent unions from forming by encouraging workers to simply sit out the election.
“Workers should be able to vote for a union in a system that isn’t rigged to arbitrarily assign meaning to votes that weren’t cast,” Wytkind said. “With the change announced today, union elections in the airline and rail industries stand a real chance of reflecting the true will of the employees that vote.”
The proposed rule change received widespread support, with 39 Senators, 179 Democratic House Members and 13 Republican House Members having written letters of support. In addition, the Center for American Progress, American Rights at Work, national, state and local unions, and numerous political scientists and labor professors offered their support.
“Until today, veto by silence was the rule of the day. With this change, only workers who cast a vote will be counted,” Wytkind said. “The Transportation Trades Department commends the NMB for this important reform, which ensures greater fairness in union elections for airline and rail workers across the country.”
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The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, represents 32 member unions in the aviation, rail, transit, trucking, highway, longshore, maritime and related industries. For more information, visit www.ttd.org
888 16th Street NW, Suite 650, Washington, DC, 20006
Labor unions fight for working people against those who are motivated by greed and power. The issues are: jobs, health care, pensions, safety, and creating a culture for public employees and private sector employees for decent pay and other benefits.
The battle takes place in Congress and the Texas legislature. But the players are chosen in the November election. If you want to join this epic struggle on the side of the good guys, sign up now at www.texaslabor2010.org.
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