Grievance Committee

Mediation and Grievance Settlement Conference

In February, a mediation session was held before Federal Mediator Terry Brown in an attempt to resolve several outstanding contractual as well as discipline-related grievances.

Mediation is an Alternate Dispute Resolution process and is considered the third step of the grievance procedure wherein our AFA-CWA Attorney Mark Bigelow, MEC Officers Gary Richardson and Mary Cost and our MEC Grievance Chairperson Linda Campagna, present grievances before the company and a National Mediation Board representative.

US Airways Labor Relations department personnel, a company attorney, along with members of Inflight and Crew Resources management present their side of the case and the mediator facilitates the discussion and works with the parties in an attempt to resolve the outstanding issues.  

AFA-CWA presented six cases- 2 discipline and four contractual grievances. The two cases involving flight attendant discipline were resolved.

The four contractual matters were:

Grievance 24-66-02-11-07

This dispute centers around Section 13.B.4 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and whether the company is in violation of the Agreement by denying Reserve/Relief flight attendants the ability to move days off that fall within their core vacation to the days immediately following the vacation when that vacation transitions from month to month. The parties did not reach a settlement over the issue and AFA will submit this case to the System Board of Adjustment sitting with a neutral member (Arbitrator) for a final decision.

Grievance 24-66-02-22-07 

This dispute centers over an Inflight management administrative decision that changed the format of discipline documentation issued to flight attendants which included a grievance representative signatory line to the discipline document.  AFA believes that this change is a violation of past practice. The issue is currently pending resolution.

Grievance 24-66-02-32-07   

This dispute is centered on Holiday Sick Letters and company issued discipline where Inflight Supervisors reached back further than the customary twelve months and captured sick calls that fell within an arbitrary set amount of days surrounding a holiday. AFA is currently waiting on a possible settlement of this issue from the company. Should the company’s response be unacceptable or not forthcoming, AFA will submit this case to the System Board of Adjustment sitting with a neutral member (Arbitrator) for a final determination.

Grievance 24-66-02-34-07  

This dispute centered around the company’s violation of  Section 15 Sick Leave and Section 7 Reroute when the company did not guarantee the pay of a flight attendant for their original trip credit when they returned to their trip after a sick call and then was subsequently rerouted.  The parties did not reach a settlement over the issue and AFA will submit this case to the System Board of Adjustment sitting with a neutral member (Arbitrator) for a final decision.

On April 29 a Grievance Settlement Conference is scheduled where AFA-CWA will bring forward several other grievances that have not been resolved in the lower stages of the grievance process. While a Grievance Settlement Conference is similar in nature to Mediation, the difference is that there is no Federal Mediator present. The parties present their arguments as to the merits of their case and then through a series of interchanges the parties attempt to resolve the issue. Grievances not resolved at a Grievance Settlement Conference may be submitted to the System Board for final determination.

On Friday, February 8, 2008 a Mediation session is scheduled and several outstanding grievances will be presented before Federal Mediator Terri Brown. Mediation sessions are a relatively recent addition to the grievance process and along with the Grievance Settlement Conferences is considered the third step of the grievance process. Mediation is an Alternate Dispute Resolution process that utilizes the services of a mediator to guide the parties to a possible settlement of their disputes. A mediator does not have the ability to issue a binding decision but does render an opinion that day on the strengths and weaknesses of the cases presented. Grievances not settled during mediation have the ability to be submitted to the System Board of Adjustment sitting with a neutral member (Arbitrator) for a final and binding decision. 
 

The following cases will be presented:
 

24-66-01-10-07- Discipline

24-66-02-11-07- Reserve Vacation

24-66-02-22-07 Discipline

24-66-02-32-07 Holiday Sick Letter

24-66-02-34-07 Discipline Documentation Letter

24-66-02-48-07 Discipline

Linda Campagna, Chairperson

Grievance Committee
 

Per the General Section of our Agreement (Section 30, D., 9.) " When a Flight Attendant is required by an Inflight Supervisor to attend a meeting that could result in discipline, she/he shall be advised of the nature of the meeting and of the right to have a Union Representative of his/her choice present as a witness. Unless the parties agree otherwise, no such meeting conducted under the provisions of this paragraph shall be postponed beyond thirty-six (36) hours to accommodate a Flight Attendant’s request to have a Union representative present.