updated
06/27/2008 9:15 AM
June 27, 2008
On June 17, 2008, a letter of understanding regarding the Home Agent program was agreed to and signed by both parties. This letter of understanding formally ends the test program and establishes the Home Agent program for the duration of the current agreement and status quo period.
June 20, 2008
District 143 is pleased to announce that on June 17, 2008 an agreement was reached regarding the continuance of the Home Agent program for Alaska Airlines reservationists through the duration of the collective bargaining agreement.
“This agreement only solidifies our continued commitment to the membership,” stated President/Directing General Chair Stephen Gordon. “This agreement also highlights a partnership between labor and management; a partnership that will allow Alaska Airlines to remain at the forefront of pioneering the Home Agent program.”
District 143 intends to release the full details of the Home Agent program once properly drafted. District 143 would like to thank everyone for their patience throughout this entire process.
Home Agent Meeting Set
May 27, 2008
District 143 President Stephen Gordon, General Chairs Jackie Fay and Nan Otto will meet with Alaska Airlines management in Seattle on June 17, 2008 in an attempt to bring permanency to the current Home Agent Test Program.
“District 143 recognizes the importance of the home agent for Alaska Airlines and more importantly for our membership; therefore, I am hopeful that both parties can reach an agreement that not only proves beneficial for the Company, but for our entire membership,” stated PDGC Gordon. “We look forward to engaging in balanced discussions that would ultimately provide for the needs of the airline and the will of our membership.”
Home Agent Test Program
May 15, 2008
As previously reported, District 143 has agreed to allow the Company to continue the Home Agent Test Program while discussions continue between District 143 and Alaska Airlines management. These discussions will ultimately determine the future of such program.
No dates to resume discussions have been agreed upon as of this writing. General Chairs Jackie Fay and Nan Otto will establish tentative dates with the Company based on everyone’s availability. We thank you for your patience regarding this matter.
PDGC Gordon Addresses Home Agent Test Program With Members
April 30, 2008
Click here to view this correspondence.
Home Agent Test Program to End
April 25, 2008
District 143 regrets to inform the Alaska Airlines Home Agent test program participants that District 143 has received a counter proposal from Vice President Steve Jarvis that clearly falls short of our initial request in order for us to continue the Home Agent test program and therefore has sent Mr. Jarvis a letter terminating the test program.
“It is unfortunate that Alaska Airlines management insists on exclusively controlling the terms and conditions of a Home Agent program while excluding the IAM and our concerns; therefore, we have been left no other choice other than to cancel the test program all together,” stated President Directing General Chair Stephen Gordon. “The main issue that we were unable to agree upon was the establishment of full-time grievance committee representatives who would provide representation beyond the walls of the reservation centers. We have a federal obligation to offer duty of fair representation to all members and without the establishment of grievance committees, we cannot properly represent individuals outside the office, or at minimum be told by local management when we can be off the phone in order to conduct Union business.”
This decision does not come easily; however, we are not willing to jeopardize the responsibilities of our stewards, our District, or our organization. Mr. Jarvis states, “The Company has taken your request for Shop Committees seriously and we have investigated the cost of adding Shop Committees in each reservation office. Based on current time off the phones this would equate to an incremental increase of several full-time employees for representation purposes. In the current financial environment this isn’t feasible for us.” Contrarily, Mr. Jarvis also states in his letter, “The Company will offset the cost of the phone line utilized for the Home Agents function by providing a $25 monthly subsidy to each Home Agent.”
District 143 has requested in writing that all participants of the Home Agent test program be brought back into their applicable reservation office within the next thirty (30) days. “The Company’s unwillingness to negotiate a fair and equitable agreement has caused us to arrive at this decision; therefore, we have been left with no alternative other than to exercise the agreed-upon provision to terminate our participation in this test program,” stated President Gordon.
Home Agent Program
March 14, 2008
District 143 is waiting for a face-to-face meeting in the next month or so to finalize the home agent program letter of agreement.
Home Agent Update
District 143 continues to negotiate bringing permanency to the home agent test program with management; unfortunately this process continues to be met with resistance by Alaska management. District 143 met with Alaska Airlines management on January 3, 2008 to discuss the future of this test program.
While the meeting was productive in nature, management has yet to agree to specific terms and conditions proposed by the Union in order for us to agree to a permanent program. “Alaska management has dissected the cost of various proposals submitted on behalf of the Union, yet has failed to recognize the attributed savings that such program provides to them,” stated President Gordon. “If we are unable to come to an agreement with Alaska Airlines in the near future, District 143 is fully prepared to cancel the program all together. District 143 will not allow for our needs to be ignored while supplementing the Company’s,” added PDGC Gordon. “It is imperative that we share in this partnership or we will not continue this program.”
District 143 will continue to negotiate a permanent program with Alaska Airlines management; however we will not continue in our efforts for much longer unless the Company takes our proposals seriously. We will keep you informed as to the ongoing discussions and our decision.
Home Agent Program Meeting
District 143 President/Directing General Chair Stephen Gordon, along with General Chairs Nan Otto and Jackie Fay, met with Alaska Airlines management on January 3, 2008 to discuss and review the Home Agent program. The meeting was approximately three hours in duration and went extremely well by our account. President Gordon stated, “The nature of our meeting with Alaska Airlines representatives today was to bring permanency to a program that has exceeded everyone’s expectations.”
District 143 brought forward a list of items that we would like to see incorporated into the Home Agent program and we are currently awaiting a response from the Company. We hope to have a response by the end of next week. District 143 appreciates the patience of the affected membership. Once we receive our response from the Company we will communicate the results to the membership.
Home Agent Discussions First Week in January To Seek Permanency To Program
District 143 President/Directing General Chair Stephen Gordon, General Chair Jackie Fay, and General Chair Nan Otto are set to meet with Alaska Airlines representatives to discuss the Home Agent concept in the first week of January.
“We have had nearly a complete year to evaluate the Home Agent test program; and by all indications things have worked well not only for the company but also for our membership as well. It seems like only yesterday that the Boise Reservation Office became the first of our three-phase test,” stated President Gordon. “Now both parties will enter into discussions in the hopes to seek some sort of permanency to this program.”
District 143 will continue to update the membership throughout our discussions.
Meeting with ASA Productive and Positive
On June 21, 2007 District 143 General Chairs Jackie Fay and Nan Otto, along with President/Directing General Chair Stephen Gordon, met with Alaska Airlines management at the District 143 offices in Minneapolis to discuss the Home Agent Program at length. Alaska Airlines management representation included Lane Kemper, Reservation Sales Director; Bob Hartnett, Labor Manager; and Amy Gerfen, Reservations Administration Manager.
The Home Agent meeting was extremely productive and positive. Both parties discussed at length the positive impact that the Home Agent Program has had to Alaska Airlines, as well as the impact to our members. Discussions regarding the percentage of participants for the Home Agent Program by office location, the fifty (50) mile radius, the applicable equipment used for the Home Agent Program, as well as performance issues, took place amongst the participants. “This meeting was to assess the tangible results of the Home Agent Program thus far in its test period, not only from Alaska Airlines’ perspective, but from our membership as well,” stated President/Directing General Chair Stephen Gordon.
At this time, we will closely monitor the continued progress of the Home Agent Program at the participating Reservation offices. District 143 has received numerous emails regarding the allowance of a greater percentage of participants in this program; however, it is imperative that the membership understand that there will not be an increase to the agreed upon percentage at this time, the reason being that Alaska Airlines has not reached the agreed upon twenty (20%) percent at the participating offices to date due to the fact that currently there is not enough equipment.
The Home Agent Program test will continue so that Alaska Airlines and District 143 can evaluate the success of this program during the busy summer travel and holiday travel season. President Gordon stated, “We certainly recognize the will of our membership at Alaska Airlines and appreciate their vested interest in this program. Our members continue to be the pioneers for the Home Agent Program in the aviation industry and our organization.”
District 143 would like to thank Alaska Airlines management for taking time out of their schedules to come to the District 143 office to participate in this positive meeting. Additionally, we would like to thank the membership for their vested interest in this program. We thank you for your patience and continued support.
Update: March 2, 2007
The Home Agent Program has worked well in the Boise station. There was only one technological computer interface glitch. The second test phase of the program will begin in Seattle on March 5.
Home Agent Test Program Begins Test Period in Boise
A letter of understanding was signed between IAM District 143 and Alaska Airlines the week of January 8, 2007 to address the home agent worker concept, which was proposed by Alaska Airlines. This program allows the reservations agent to work from home, which the Company has stated will remove the limitations to hiring imposed by the size of each call center facility, enhance recruiting, and improve work/life balance and employee morale. The letter addresses the criteria for selection, policies and regulations, and contractual benefits. The duration of the test program between the three reservations locations will be staggered and will last at least three months from the start date or until the next shift realignment, whichever comes later. The Company and Union will meet and review the results of the test program. Should the parties desire to continue, they will meet and confer to consider such agreement. The Union must agree to such a future permanent program.
As a result of this proposal by Alaska Airlines, the International established a committee comprised of members from all air transport district lodges to review and evaluate this concept. The committee did not take a position for or against the home agent concept. Their goal was to develop and recommend guidelines for negotiators to utilize in future negotiations. In conjunction with this committee's research, a home agent survey was taken. The committee established the proposed guidelines to protect the interest of any and all members who could be affected by this program. These recommendations have been forwarded to the Grand Lodge Legal Department for review. After their review, the recommendations will be forwarded to each district's president for his utilization.
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