Bargaining Under the RLA – When, Why and How!

 By: Don Treichler, Director, Teamsters Airline Division

 When

Before an organization can act as the bargaining agent for an employee group, it must be certified by the National Mediation Board (NMB) to do so. This certification can be attained only through a representation election conducted by the NMB. Once certified, an organization is obligated to act on behalf of its members (you) and bargain on your behalf. Once an agreement is ratified, any additional bargaining can occur only once the contract’s amendable date is reached and one or both parties have served a Section 6 Notice to bargain. An exception to that rule is that the parties may bargain voluntarily at any time.

 Why

From your perspective, the purpose of bargaining is to improve your quality of life and the working conditions in your workplace. You do this by your union successfully bargaining over wages, work rules, and benefits, not mention job security. Your union has a fiduciary responsibility to do this on your behalf. Your interests should be the union’s interests.

Today, you are faced with the possible spin off of your base maintenance operation. Can United and AMFA bargain over this issue? Yes, they can do so voluntarily. Is it in your best interests to have United spin off part of its maintenance? No, it is not since it conceivably puts a large number of your fellow workers in harm’s way. What can AMFA possibly achieve that benefits those mechanics that may be spun off to a stand-alone contractor? Does AMFA have to bargain over this issue? No, it does not have to bargain until the amendable date of your agreement. If AMFA chooses to bargain over the spin off, you must ask yourself just why is it doing this? If AMFA chooses to voluntarily bargain, should you get to vote on any tentative agreement that results? Yes, you should be allowed to vote on a TA. Can any organization compel United to bargain on this or other issues? Yes, if the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) is certified in an election, it can compel United to bargain by serving a Section 6 Notice. This is so because the Teamsters are not a party to your current agreement, and therefore, can compel bargaining under the RLA, irrespective of what AMFA may think. Why does AMFA disagree on this issue? AMFA disagrees because it serves its own interests, although not yours. Would the Teamsters compel bargaining if it is certified? Only if you, your shop stewards, and the Teamsters believed doing so would be in your best interests. What are your best interests? It is not in your best interests to spin off pieces of the United maintenance operation. You may, however, believe it is in your best interests to bargain over your job security provisions, pension, wages, work rules, and/or benefits. That is for your mechanic leadership to decide.

 How

To be successful at the bargaining table, you require a representative that has been proven successful in the past. The Teamsters represent mechanic groups of all sizes. As indicated in the past, the Teamsters’ scope (job security), wages, work rules and benefits are better than those bargained by AMFA. While AMFA has bargained concessionary agreements, the Teamsters have negotiated improved agreements. Where AMFA has given up thousands of member jobs, the Teamsters have increased member jobs. The bottom line—is  AMFA like a used car salesman? Can you trust AMFA to do what is right for you? Its record certainly doesn’t show that it can be trusted. If you cannot trust AMFA, then you are better served to vote for the Teamsters and become leaders in The Teamsters Aviation Mechanics Coalition. That serves your interests.