Section 6 Negotiations

Seven years is a long time when you have not received a raise, yet the cost of living continues to increase year over year.  Seven years is a long time when airline after airline negotiates and ratifies new contracts, yet you’re stuck in a protracted recess, with aging work conditions. Seven years is a long time when you watch US Airways management rake in bonuses and salary increases while refusing to provide economic support to you. Seven years is a long time to be patient and this Flight Attendant group has waited long enough.
 
The National Mediation Board resumed mediated talks between the former America West Flight Attendant Negotiations Team (NT) and US Airways management on June 8-10 in Tempe.. Your NT presented US Airways management with a proposal containing wage increases for West Flight Attendants. 

AFA’s proposal provided:

      (1) financial relief for our workgroup whose wages have not kept up with inflation,
      (2) proposals to close other areas of the Flight Attendant contract, and
      (3) leads the way to concluding single contract efforts.
 
Your NT put pay parity with East flight attendants on the table and the Company rejected it.  You wear the same uniform that our East partners wear. You do the exact same job, with the same service standards, on the same aircraft type as our East partners. So, why shouldn’t you be paid the same wage? 

Management not only refused pay parity with the East Flight Attendants.   They refused to entertain any discussion of increases for West Flight Attendants outside of  single contract talks.  Not a penny for West Flight Attendants who have not seen a wage increase for seven years.  AFA indicated a willingness to consider ideas to grant interim increases to West Flight Attendants while continuing single contract talks.  Those suggestions where rejected by management. 

On June 30, our AFA lawyer was notified by NMB Board member, Zack Jones, that US Airways management had decided not to respond or address any of the concerns we put forth in our face-to-face discussions or written proposal.   This attitude and non-action coupled with the news of the current VLOA and furlough activity reflects a disdain and disrespect for the plight of the West flight attendants and our struggles to survive on the unfair wages currently in effect based on a wage scale established over 10 years ago.

Your MEC has offered several alternative procedures to affect the manpower issues that would serve the flight attendants and US Airways in a positive way, preserving jobs and meeting company goals. All have been totally rejected. 

The National Mediation Board (NMB) has resumed Section 6 negotiations for former America West Flight Attendants.  A federal mediator will resume talks on June 8-10 in Phoenix. The original America West Flight Attendant agreement became amendable in May 2004 and Section 6 negotiations began in February of that year. 

America West Airlines and US Airways merged in September 2005.  With few remaining items open in Section 6 negotiations, AFA filed for mediation for America West Flight Attendants in September 2005. The first mediation session was held in December 2005 and then placed into recess with the assumption that the parties could focus on a merged contract. Negotiations for a single, merged agreement began two months later in February 2006 and, three years later, still have not reached conclusion. 

This delayed process has created frustration for Flight Attendants who have been forced from a negotiated 5- year contract, into a 10-year contract, with no end in sight. There is also tremendous frustration with the disparity in wages between the two Flight Attendant groups in this merger combined with the fact that America West Flight Attendants have not had wage increases in over 6 years or any other contract improvements. Prior to the original Section 6 negotiations being put into recess, the Negotiating Team had progressed a long way toward reaching an amended contract with very few sections remaining open.

In an effort to expedite Section 6 progress, the MEC made the decision to continue forward with the five original members of the Section 6 Negotiating Team (NT). Chairperson, Lewis Brent, along with NT members Lyle Miller, Monica Wilfong, and Gene Lebat will return to the team.  Additionally, former MEC President and current Executive Assistant to the AFA International President, Bill McGlashen, will also be returning as an original member of the team, to participate in these negotiations.  MEC President, Lisa LeCarre will also sit at the table with the Negotiating Team.

Your MEC is hopeful that the NMB will provide the process that allows us some relief during this merger in order to negotiate some improvements in our contract.  Below is a formerly published Q & A, which may provide answers to your questions regarding Section 6 negotiations.  If you have further questions feel free to email us @ awacontract@afa66.org or contact your AFA66 office at (480) 966-1231.

Q. What is the difference between Section 6 negotiations and Joint Contract negotiations? 

 A. Section 6 negotiation is direct talks between a single represented group (such as America West Council 66) and management. Section 6 negotiations are named after the section of the Railway Labor Act that governs the amending of labor contracts. Joint contract negotiations occur in order to merge two or more contracts into one single contract. Joint Contract negotiations follow the general guidelines of the RLA, but are not specifically addressed under the RLA and rely on the Good Faith Bargaining of all parties to reach agreement during mergers. Therefore, timelines, and other procedures addressed in Section 6 negotiations do not apply to merged negotiations.

Q. Is a return to Section 6 negotiations an attempt to stall joint contract negotiations?

A. No. Management has failed to reach an agreement with the Flight Attendants in merged contract talks.  The cost of living has risen dramatically, while West Flight Attendants have not seen an increase in pay or per diem in over 6 years.  Now that the East Flight Attendants are receiving their contractual pay increases, the disparity in pay between the East and West Flight Attendants ranges from 5% to 40%.  Your MEC is exhausting all avenues in order to assure that West Flight Attendants are a priority when it comes to achieving a living wage.

Q. As we resume Section 6 negotiations, will Joint contract negotiations be suspended?  

A. Joe Burns, AFA International Staff Negotiator, had a very short answer to this question, “Joint Contract Negotiations would continue as scheduled.”

Q. You’re saying that Section 6 negotiations and Joint contract negotiations would run concurrently.  How would that work? 

A. We believe that pursuing this two-track strategy achieves the goals of both negotiations without compromising either. The outstanding Section 6 negotiations need to be revisited in order to achieve financial relief for our flight attendants.  The Section 6 request may convince the Company of our serious intent to negotiate financial relief and contract improvements for all flight attendants in merged contract talks.

Q. Could management refuse to run Section 6 negotiations and joint contract talks concurrently?

A. According to AFA International Staff Negotiator, Joe Burns, the process would be fairly simple.  As the Federal Mediator has decided to schedule Section 6 meetings between AFA and management, all parties are obligated to attend those meetings.

Q. Speaking of Joe Burns, are the Flight Attendants at a disadvantage having him represent Council 66 in Section 6 negotiations and while representing the Joint Negotiations Team in Single contract talks? 

A. Joe Burns worked with Council 66 in the previous Section 6 negotiations that were eventually placed in recess by the Federal Mediator in 2005.  Joe’s extensive experience working on Council 66 issues relating to our contract, coupled with his current work with merged contract talks, are a definite benefit for us in the upcoming Section 6 talks with management.

Q. When AFA Council 66 was negotiating under Section 6, we were negotiating with the assistance of a Federal Mediator.  Should we resume Section 6 negotiations, would we still be under Federal Mediation and would we have the same Mediator that placed our previous talks in recess? 

A. We will continue with the process under the guidance of mediation with the original federal mediator.

Q. Would we resume Section 6 negotiations from where we left off or do we start from “scratch”?

A. Section 6 talks would resume from where the process was left off, and not from scratch.
 
Q. What has been the response from the East AFA MEC to Council 66 possibly returning to Section 6 Negotiations?