ABX update

[LarryinTN]

I'm a member of APA 1224 but I'm not on the MEC.

Just to avoid confusion...

APA 1224 is a Teamster's Local. As such, we have no MEC. MEC's are used by ALPA, not the IBT. What we have is an executive board (e-board) that functions similarly to an ALPA MEC.

My impression is that an IBT e-board has more autonomy than does an ALPA MEC. Perhaps someone else can expand on that point.

 

[xspud]

Thanks, LJ. I do like to be precise about definitions and I was sloppy using "MEC". I've been ALPA in previous lives and I'm getting old, so it just slipped out. That's why I included the disclaimer in my post!

I also would like to learn the differences between the ALPA & IBT leadership structure.

 

[erichartmann]

Thanks, LJ. I do like to be precise about definitions and I was sloppy using "MEC". I've been ALPA in previous lives and I'm getting old, so it just slipped out. That's why I included the disclaimer in my post!

I also would like to learn the differences between the ALPA & IBT leadership structure.

The IBT is comprised of seperate Local Unions. 1224 is such a local. A local union may represent employees of more than one company, and administer more than one contract.

IBT locals are largely autonoumus units affiliated to the IBT (International Brotherhood of Teamsters) The local pays a "head tax" to the International from the dues it collects from its members. The International in turn provides resources the Local generally cannot afford on its own. These consist of but are not limited to training in various areas, including contract administration, negotiations etc.

An IBT local is run by the Executive Board (E-board). This consists of a President, Vice President, Secretary Treasurer, Recording Secretary, and three Trustees. The duties and responsibilies of the officers are spelled out in the IBT Constitution & Bylaws as well as the Local's Bylaws, which may differ or be more stringent than the IBT C&B but not more lax. ( If you do not have a copy of each they can be obtained from the local; ask). An E-board is elected to serve for a 3 year term in a strictly controlled secret ballot election. They cannot be recalled simply becasue the membership decides they don't like the policies they persue. They can be brought up on charges and removed from office for malfeasence, either individually or as a group. If it occurs as a group, a trustee will be appointed by the IBT to run the local until the problems are resolved and new E-board is elected and the trustee believes they are competent to run the local. The E-board are the only officers of the local.

There are various other official positions within the local which may be either appointed by the E-board or subject to election by the membership. It depends on how the bylaws are written. In the case of 1224 for example, stewards may be either elected or appointed. Generally the E-boards of 1224 have prefered to have elections rather than appoint. That said, they sometimes, in the past, have appointed people to positions if the people expressed an interest and a need was percieved to exist. These positions consist of the aforementioned Stewards, as well as various Committee Chairs and the committe members. If the E-board is doing its job the vaious commitees and the stewards act in a coordinated manner.

Originally the pilots at ABX were under the jurisdiction of Local 957 in Dayton. We were to small a group to be self sustaining as stand alone local. Local 957 was, in Teamster parlance, a general local with about 5000 members. It consisted mostly of truck drivers. Eventuallywe made up about 1/10 of their membership and paid about 1/3rd of the dues they collected. We had no presence on 957's E-board and some difficulity in getting those things we felt we needed. When we had reached a point where we felt we could support our own local, and we applied for a charter from the IBT to establish a new Local Union to represent the flight deck crewmembers at ABX.

 

[erichartmann]

Thanks, LJ. I do like to be precise about definitions and I was sloppy using "MEC". I've been ALPA in previous lives and I'm getting old, so it just slipped out. That's why I included the disclaimer in my post!

I also would like to learn the differences between the ALPA & IBT leadership structure.

The IBT is comprised of seperate Local Unions. 1224 is such a local. A local union may represent employees of more than one company, and administer more than one contract.

IBT locals are largely autonoumus units affiliated to the IBT (International Brotherhood of Teamsters) The local pays a "head tax" to the International from the dues it collects from its members. The International in turn provides resources the Local generally cannot afford on its own. These consist of but are not limited to training in various areas, including contract administration, negotiations etc. The "head tax" is a small portion of the total dues collected. The majority of the dues remain with the local for disbursement as the local sees fit. It is important that a local have enough income from dues to support the local's operations; i.e. legal representation etc. The Internationl generally does not get involved with "local" issues unless there are wider implications.

An IBT local is run by the Executive Board (E-board). This consists of a President, Vice President, Secretary Treasurer, Recording Secretary, and three Trustees. The duties and responsibilies of the officers are spelled out in the IBT Constitution & Bylaws as well as the Local's Bylaws, which may differ or be more stringent than the IBT C&B but not more lax. ( If you do not have a copy of each they can be obtained from the local; ask). An E-board is elected to serve for a 3 year term in a strictly controlled secret ballot election. They cannot be recalled simply becasue the membership decides they don't like the policies they persue. They can be brought up on charges and removed from office for malfeasence, either individually or as a group. If it occurs as a group, a trustee will be appointed by the IBT to run the local until the problems are resolved and new E-board is elected and the trustee believes they are competent to run the local. The E-board are the only officers of the local.

There are various other official positions within the local which may be either appointed by the E-board or subject to election by the membership. It depends on how the bylaws are written. In the case of 1224 for example, stewards may be either elected or appointed. Generally the E-boards of 1224 have prefered to have elections rather than appoint. That said, they sometimes, in the past, have appointed people to positions if the people expressed an interest and a need was percieved to exist. These positions consist of the aforementioned Stewards, as well as various Committee Chairs and the committe members. If the E-board is doing its job the vaious commitees and the stewards act in a coordinated manner.

Originally the pilots at ABX were under the jurisdiction of Local 957 in Dayton. We were to small a group to be self sustaining as stand alone local. Local 957 was, in Teamster parlance, a general local with about 5000 members. It consisted mostly of truck drivers. Eventuallywe made up about 1/10 of their membership and paid about 1/3rd of the dues they collected. We had no presence on 957's E-board and some difficulity in getting those things we felt we needed. When we had reached a point where we felt we could support our own local, and we applied for a charter from the IBT to establish a new Local Union to represent the flight deck crewmembers at ABX.

 

[LarryinTN]

The IBT is comprised of ...

Z? Is that you?

 

[penguin22]

News

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/061213/20061213005922.html?.v=1

"ABXA today announced that Randy D. Rademacher, an experienced airline executive with a strong financial background, has been elected to its Board of Directors.
Rademacher, 50, is a former president of Comair Holdings, the parent company of Comair from 1999 until 2005"



also interesting to note all the insiders buying stock at market prices last few weeks:
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/it?s=ABXA

 

[penguin22]

also interesting to note all the insiders buying stock at market prices last few weeks:
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/it?s=ABXA

LOL !
except Manisbusan maybe should find a new broker! LOL!


17-Nov-06MANIBUSAN DENNIS A
6 shares DirectPurchase at $1000 per share.

LOL, got to be a typo...

 

[erichartmann]

Z? Is that you?

Nope. And even if I were Z the answer would still be nope. If I wanted to broadcast my name I'd use it instead of a screen name.

 

[Bitter]

Any positive news at Abx? Or is it still doom and gloom?

 

[erichartmann]

Any positive news at Abx? Or is it still doom and gloom?

I guess that depends on your perspective (seniority). From my POV it's more wait and see vs doom and gloom.

I think DPWN/DHL plans to wind up with one carrier operating domestically in the U.S. and perhaps to and from as well. They don't have complete control though, and I think there are a number of contingency plans out there. It's worth noting that both Astar and ABX are in contract negotiations with their pilots. The outcome of those negotiations (costs, work stoppage/disruption, etc) will IMHO have a major impact.

ABX looks like a company that is trying to position itself for the future. It's hard to say what Astar is doing because they are privately held and don't have the public reporting requirements ABX has.

These are not good times in the aviation business if you are wedded to job security.