Hope from the new NMB????

[suupah]

From the ALPA Fast Read....

ALPA Executive Board Hears from NMB Members
During the Tuesday afternoon plenary session, ALPA’s Executive Board welcomed members of the National Mediation Board (NMB), the independent U.S. agency that coordinates labor relations for the airline and railroad industries. ALPA president Capt. John Prater introduced the three members, while ALPA First Vice-President Capt. Paul Rice reminded the MEC chairmen and other meeting attendees that the negotiation and enforcement of ALPA contracts is a top priority identified in the Association’s strategic plan.
“First of all, we come in peace,” humorously commented NMB member Linda Puchala, who spoke about collective bargaining “on the macro level.” The former flight attendant union president and senior mediator talked about her participation as part of the Obama Administration’s NMB transition team, along with former ALPA Representation Director Seth Rosen, which reviewed union and industry frustration with the working of the NMB and its administration of the RLA under the Bush White House.
NMB member Harry Hoglander, a former ALPA executive vice-president and TWA MEC chairman, urged pilots to work hard to resolve issues before bringing cases to the NMB.
“It’s impossible for the Board to move cases efficiently if you enter mediation with 256 unsettled items. Don’t come with a parcel full of stuff that as professionals you should do.”
NMB chairwoman Elizabeth Dougherty briefed ALPA’s Executive Board on the challenges confronting the NMB’s mediation efforts, noting that there are currently 78 open mediation cases. She pointed out that the NMB addresses labor concerns for more than 100 airlines as well as 670 railroads in the U.S. Both Dougherty and Hoglander encouraged pilots, when seeking assistance, to limit the number of open issues for mediation, to expedite the process. She also welcomed the opportunity to hear from pilot leadership at carriers in mediation or even before.
Following a brief question-and-answer session with the NMB members, ALPA’s Executive Board went into closed session to discuss collective bargaining and contract enforcement work progress under ALPA’s Strategic Plan; merits and limitations of the Railway Labor Act; additional steps the Union could take to advance negotiations and contract enforcement; and to hear related briefings including a legal update and a report from the Flight-Time/Duty-Time period Aviation Rulemaking Committee.

 

[WayBack]

Hope? HAHAHA! Ok, Obama sheeple.
This new NMB is a joke. This was the NMB that was going to released the PCL to strike 3-4 months ago.

 

[CX880]

Hope? HAHAHA! Ok, Obama sheeple.
This new NMB is a joke. This was the NMB that was going to released the PCL to strike 3-4 months ago.

But they agreed to a TA?

 

[CX880]

The real test of this NDB will be for when Trans States asks for self help. There is no more F'ed airline that TSA. If they don't get released then there's no hope.

 

[Smarta$$]

OK, so the NMB wants us not to come to them with 256 open items? Great, how do you get that number down without any leverage and airline criminals (mismanagement) that only stall and won't agree to anything. I must be missing something.

 

[SpauldingSmails]

Oh boy! More fuel for the hope tank! Good, the results tank is just about empty.

 

[machaf]

A ten year old contract isn't any issue. negotiating for 5 years thats normal. Its the race to the bottom people. US= who can do it cheaper while management gets fat bonuses. Gotta love it

 

[PCL_128]

OK, so the NMB wants us not to come to them with 256 open items? Great, how do you get that number down without any leverage and airline criminals (mismanagement) that only stall and won't agree to anything. I must be missing something.

They're not telling you that you can't come with 256 open items, they're just telling you that it will delay the process if you do. If you come to them with 50 open items, then you have a good chance of getting released in 12-18 months. If you come with 250 open items, then expect 24-36 months.

 

[Smarta$$]

I don't care if you have 1 item or 374 open. If management won't negotiate in good faith and won't make good progress, there IS an impasse. It is a stall tactic plain and simple. We need a release to get them to take us serious. Other wise, we they will stall on every one of the 256 open items. That is the point. The process is supposed to identify and intervene when one party or the other is negotiating in bad faith.

Do you really want to make any excuses for the abuses we have endured?

 

[PCL_128]

I don't care if you have 1 item or 374 open. If management won't negotiate in good faith and won't make good progress, there IS an impasse. It is a stall tactic plain and simple. We need a release to get them to take us serious. Other wise, we they will stall on every one of the 256 open items. That is the point. The process is supposed to identify and intervene when one party or the other is negotiating in bad faith.

The Board has ways to get management to negotiate in good faith if necessary, such as scheduling meetings every day of the week in a remote location until progress is made. The Bush NMB did not utilize this tool, because they had no desire to push airlines to bargain. The new NMB is indicating that these sorts of things will start to happen. In addition, we've already seen our first Obama NMB release (AmeriJet), and we'll likely see several more in the next 12 months.

Do you really want to make any excuses for the abuses we have endured?

I'm just telling you what sorts of cases will move most quickly at the NMB level. If you have a management team that is completely intransigent and won't bargain even over the smallest of issues, then the new NMB will see that, and they will take the necessary steps to move the process along. The key is to make sure that you are always bargaining in good faith so the managers clearly look like the bad guys. If you do that, then you'll curry favor, regardless of how many open items are still on the table.