June 17, 2009Alaska Airlines – Seattle Ramp arbitration update
District 143 representatives met in Seattle yesterday for the continuance of the Seattle Ramp Lockout Arbitration case. As you are aware, District 143 won the arbitration case, however the arbitrators award stipulated that both parties (IAM & Alaska Airlines) negotiate an appropriate remedy for the arbitrators decision and if both parties were unable to reach an amicable resolution then the arbitrator would retain jurisdiction and issue proper resolution.
By way of background, almost a year now both parties have met on several occasions, as well as have had several teleconference meetings in the hopes of reaching an agreement; unfortunately Alaska Airlines has refused to accept any proffer that includes returning members back to the Seattle ramp from the union. “Clearly we are disappointed in the Company’s position; a position that is contrary to their numerous public statements where they claim that their employees are their number one asset; unless you are from Seattle”, stated President Stephen Gordon.
District 143 asked arbitrator LaRocco to exercise his authority and make a ruling for a remedy. Our attorney Dave Campbell made oral arguments to the arbitrator requesting that he rule in favor of the IAM and return the approximately 476 jobs back to the Seattle ramp. Throughout the day several executive board discussions took place, President Gordon met with Company representatives in an attempt to resolve the matter at hand; unfortunately the Company refused to return the work back to the IAM. “We are fully prepared to accept the decision at hand from arbitrator LaRocco since we are at a stalemate with Alaska airlines”, stated PDGC Gordon, “We must have closure to this case; we have waited over four years, and our members have conducted themselves with respect and should expect the same from their Company.”
Oral arguments to the case have concluded and now our fate rest in the hands of the highly regarded arbitrator. Both executive board members will participate in an executive session with the arbitrator in the upcoming weeks, and then we will await Mr. LaRocco’s decision or further direction. Once further information becomes available District 143 will update the membership.
October 23, 2008 Minneapolis meeting on Seattle Ramp arbitration
District 143 is scheduled to meet with Alaska Airlines on November 4-6 in Minneapolis to discuss the remedy to the Seattle Ramp arbitration. This will be our third meeting related to this matter. Both parties continue to remain under a gag order from the arbitrator and therefore cannot disseminate information. We recognize the membership’s desire to have details related to our discussions, however, in the arbitrator's written decision, he was very clear about the details of the decision remaining sealed until both parties come to an agreement, or both parties reach an impasse and return the remedy to the arbitrator for his decision.
October 2, 2008 Alaska Airlines – SEA Ramp arbitration: Discussions progress forward
District 143 President Stephen Gordon, General Chairs Nan Otto, and Jackie Fay, along with our attorney David Campbell, met with Alaska Airlines representatives on September 29, 2008 to continue our discussions regarding the Seattle ramp arbitration. As previously stated, both parties remain under a “gag-order” and the arbitrator’s decision remains “sealed” for the time being.
District 143 can assure the membership that discussions regarding the grievance resolution continue to progress forward in an effort to bring about a proper resolution. “At this time, both parties continue to establish constructive dialogue with each other,” stated President Gordon. “A resolution to an award of this magnitude can be extremely onerous, and therefore I would ask for everyone’s patience.”
Both parties have agreed to meet again in MSP on November 5 and 6 to continue our discussions. District 143 continues to welcome comments/suggestions from our affected members so that their issues can be discussed at the table.
September 9, 2008IAM and ASA meet at end of September on lockout arbitration
The parties have agreed to meet in Seattle on September 29, part of September 30, and October 1. As the Company has various officer events and the Union is holding its Grand Lodge convention the week of September 8, it is not anticipated that any earlier meetings will take place to discuss a possible remedy for the award. If this should change, this website will be updated. Thank you for your patience and support.
August 22, 2008 District 143 meets with ASA
The first meeting between Company officials and District 143 officers took place on Thursday, August 21, 2008 in Minneapolis at the District 143. This was an exploratory meeting between the parties. Talks lasted for over three hours.
Among the topics discussed -- the arbitration award and how each side interpreted the arbitrator's decision. A very generic, broad discussion was held on possible scenerios to reinstate the IAM to the Seattle ramp location. The talks were open and frank. Both sides are mindful of the task in front of them.
Those present for the Company were Dennis Hammel, Glen Johnson and Herman Wacker. The Union was represented by PDGC Steve Gordon, and General Chairs Fay and Otto. Present via telephonic conference were the Union and Company attorneys.
No proposals were exchanged. No agreement was reached.
The parties are scheduling future meeting dates. The next tenative date is September 29, 2008. The parties agreed to communicate to each other frequently prior to this date, keep a dialogue going, and meet on dates that become open prior to September 29.
We thank you for your patience and support. Each email, phone call or letter is being viewed, discussed and kept on file for reference. Continue to read this web site for any updates we may be able to add.
August 15, 2008 Lockout update
The May 13, 2005 Alaska lockout of 478 RSSA members arbitration case has been decided. THE UNION HAS PREVAILED. The parties agreed at the onset of the case that once the decision was rendered, the Company and Union would then develop the remedy. The arbitrator is still, however, monitoring the proceedings. The first meeting dates will be the week of August 18 followed by a week in September. Please keep reviewing our website for updates on the progress of these meetings. Thank you for your patience, comments, and continued support. CONGRATULATIONS IAM MEMBERS!
August 7, 2008 Federal arbitrator rules Alaska Airlines violated union contract when it outsourced 500 union-represented baggage handling jobs to Menzies Aviation
A federal arbitrator ruled that Alaska Airlines violated its collective bargaining agreement with IAM District 143 when it laid off 500 baggage handlers and other ramp workers in May 2005.
“This ruling is a huge victory for the IAM, Air Transport District 143, and all the hard-working airline employees we represent. The ruling sends a message to the airlines that they must respect their workers and their Union contracts,” said President Stephen Gordon.
The ruling comes more than three years after Alaska Airlines subcontracted its entire ground handling operation to Menzies Aviation. IAM-represented ramp employees who showed up to work on May 13, 2005 had their security badges deactivated by Alaska and were told they no longer had jobs.
Since outsourcing the work to Menzies, Alaska Airlines has endured negative press reports involving lost and mishandled bags, flight delays, safety problems, and increased customer complaints.
The federal arbitrator who decided the case considered the parties’ contract language, which permitted Alaska Airlines to subcontract the ground handling work only if it was cheaper than keeping the work in-house.
The federal arbitrator directed Alaska Airlines and District 143 to work together to determine the appropriate remedy for the contract breach, but will take the matter up again if Alaska Airlines and District 143 are unable to agree on a solution.
“Only because of our strong Union and the opportunity of a grievance resolution process could we prevail in protecting jobs; without such a process, all is for nothing,” stated President Stephen Gordon.
The award for the May 13, 2005 RSSA lockout grievance has NOT been issued to date. The final written briefs were given to the arbitrator on December 11, 2007. Both the Company and Union are interested and anxious for this decision to be rendered. The arbitrator received over 100 exhibits which contained detailed financial data and various spread sheets. The arbitrator reviews all such data as well as the extensive testimony in his case study. District 143 will announce the outcome once it is received. This delay is not unusual.
August 31, 2007 Lockout arbitration hearing concludes
On August 24, 2007 the IAM and Alaska Airlines completed the RSSA lockout case before an arbitrator and the Union and Company board members. The parties agreed that upon receipt of the transcript from the hearing (approximately two weeks), a closing brief will be submitted to the arbitrator for his review. Generally, when a tentative draft award is ready, the arbitrator will call for an executive session with the board members wherein the arbitrator will discuss his tentative decision with this panel. After this session, a final award will be issued and the board members can demand another executive session to discuss and debate his decision. It is not unreasonable for a decision of this magnitude to be delayed until the end of this year.
District 143 thanks the membership for its patience and support for the past two years — from the June 2005 federal court date to the August 24, 2007 completion of the arbitration. Many members have helped in the Union's presentation. The evidence, information and suggestions from the membership helped to develop a solid base for the Union's theory of the case. A special thank you to our attorney, David Campbell, and his staff, as well as our financial advisor, Tom Roth. Union witnesses Bea Knott, Jackie Fay and Nan Otto brought the IAM members' experience with the vendor and the negotiation process to life in their testimony. Michael "Geno" Genovese, the grievant, as well as Roger Clark, Jason McAdoo and Mark Walker attended some, if not all of the hearings. PDGC Gordon, GC Bernson and Grand Lodge Representative Tim Klima also lended their support.
One frequently asked question is "can the parties settle this before the arbitrator makes his ruling?" The answer is yes. A settlement can be reached at any time before the award is issued.
Please check our website frequently for the most current information on this matter. Don't allow rumors to upset, concern or distract you.
January 2007Update of January 2007 hearings
The arbitration for the May 13, 2005 lockout of 475+ Seattle Ramp and Stores agents began in January 2007. After an unsuccessful attempt to secure justice for these IAM members in the court system, the parties were directed by a judge to settle the dispute via arbitration. The battle for documents continued. The various costs for a vendor were not provided during contract negotiations, and they were not provided for many months prior to the arbitration. Various members have asked what has happened during these January 2007 arbitration hearings. Prior to these hearings, the Company and Union participants agreed that the Company's costs, invoices, and Menzies costs would be kept confidential, as well as the testimony about such costs. If the information was not kept confidential, the party revealing the information would be held in contempt and the Union's case would be thrown out. Because of this agreement, the Union will comment on the following:
- Opening remarks were given by the Union only
- Union proceeded with its financial expert, Tom Roth, as first witness
- Union called SEA CSA Bea Knott to testify about the condition of the Seattle location after the May 13 lockout
The parties then recessed as the Company had no cross-examination. The Union and Company have agreed to set dates for the next few months, with the last four days in June as a target to complete the case.
During negotiations, Alaska Airlines had wanted the IAM to agree to a proposal that would include pay cuts of up to 35%, increased insurance premiums, managers allowed to do our work, and still live with the threat of the Company’s farming out our work after four years. This was the Company’s last and final offer to the membership. To bring out the Company’s proposal might sound like a simple thing to do – it is the right of the membership – that was the easy part. The hard decision was do the negotiators recommend a yes, no, or stay neutral on the ratification vote. A very difficult decision to make, especially when you know that if you recommend a no vote it could expedite the farming out of the ramp vote. Our negotiators made it clear to recommend a no vote. However hard it might have been to arrive at that decision, we believe it was the right one. The Company’s proposal was union busting at its best. The membership agreed by voting down the proposal by an 87% margin. Our Seattle ramp members paid the ultimate price when ASA locked them out of their jobs at 2:30 a.m. on May 13 and replaced them with a foreign ground servicing company.
The IAM filed a request for an Emergency Motion for Preliminary Injunction against Alaska Airlines to stop the outsourcing of these 475+ jobs, contending that the lockout is a direct violation of the Railway Labor Act wherein both parties are required to maintain the “status quo,” meaning that neither the Company nor the Union may make changes to pay, benefits or working conditions. Federal Court Judge Ricardo Martinez ruled against the IAM on June 2, ruling that our argument was a minor one and should be heard by an arbitrator, not a federal court.
This wrongful lockout shook all IAM members across the Alaska Airlines system and showed just how callous a company can be to long-time dedicated employees. Alaska Airlines not only hurt its employees, but also its customers in their quest in chasing a cheap fix to their financial woes. In the long run, Alaska Airlines’ poor decision-making and stubborn stance alienated the most dedicated group of employees any airline could hope to employ. Alaska Airlines ignored the safety of both passengers and employees by farming out our work to inadequately trained people.