TWU LOCAL 576 STATION MEETING
                                                                   10/07/09
ATTENDEES: 
Gary Hill, President
Barry Arbelius, 1st Vice President
Matt Smith, Treasurer
Pam Dillehay, Recording Secretary
Keith Carpenter, Board Member at Large
David Ortiz, Board Member at Large
Not Present -  Andre

I. GENERAL DISCUSSION:

•  
• Emails
• International wants email addresses on membership.   Gary feels emails should be given to Presidents by each local.  Requested email addresses from membership.
• Negotiations Update
• October 21st and 22nd company, International  lead negotiator and mediator will meet to discuss next step of negotiations.    
• Joan Stevens will be the new negotiator for the company.
• American Income Life
• Deborah Gorman’s insurance presentation to the officers was discussed.    Insurance option voted on by membership.  Favor: 5  Opposed:  7.  Mike Rinaldi stated a lot of credit unions offer insurance packets like this also.
• Resolutions from International Convention
• Booklet of resolutions was discussed.  Booklet will be kept ion QC office.
• ASAP
• Procedures are consistently broken.  Robert Short discussed happenings.  Memorandum Of Understanding, MOU, is lost.   Some statements in new proposed MOU being reviewed by Washington.  Robert emphasized, outside of ASAP and NASA mechanics do not have any recourse when they break procedures.  New FAA guy does not like ASAP, he just thinks ASAP is a free get out of jail card.  PEN procedure is not being utilized.  Courtesy checks are being done at line without a courtesy check card.   Gary stated this is going to change.  Issue was discussed with the company at Round Table.  When ASAP reports are filed what is written on paper is not legible.  Human Factors is one of the things researched when ASAP is filed.  Statements need to be very detailed on why the incident happened.  Question was asked what is a mechanic supposed to do when a supervisor gives a directive to do a job that is wrong, not legal.  Robert said tell the supervisor what they are asking the mechanic to do is not in the GPM.  Barry stated to ask the supervisor if a Fed walks in is the supervisor going to give the fed the information they ask for that is not available?  Gary suggested making another write up for the issue so it has to be signed off.  Gary also said to get QC involved.  Question was asked if the RII list was the minimum required.  Answer is yes.  Barry asked what happens if the mechanic stands firm on not complying with an illegal directive and gets sent home, what happens?  Robert said they are researching that issue.  Also stated the issue can be fought as long as the mechanic has done what is right.   Supervisors brow-beating mechanics is also being focused on.   Robert stated the decade old system is what the union officers need to fight.  Procedures need to be evaluated.  Robert stated if it’s not in writing he can get it in writing.  FAA looking at the 30 day file will disclose how the PEN procedure is not being used and should be to prevent mistakes.  
• Shawn Love
• Interactions with Shawn Love have been very controversial.  Shawn has stated things like he doesn’t care if a mechanic is a good mechanic or not, if he’s a smart ass he’s going to fire him.  Shawn wants mechanics to be controversial so he can fire them.  Shawn has told Gary that if he had his way he would get rid of every mechanic at DFW and start over.  This attitude Shawn has is the reason the union will not support him, in anything. 
• One of the issues Shawn has created is the union not being involved in shift bid, or schedule.  One of the things Stacey tried to do with shift bid was making mechanics be taxi/run qualified to be able to bid day shift. 
• Any input we have given management they want and do the opposite. 
• Gary stated because the unions opinion was not part of the schedule or shift bid, then the union will not support the shift bid.  After Ernie, Stacey and Shawn Love were told this they all tried to get Gary to help them so membership would not file grievances.   (Shift bid was taken down.)
• Stacey asked if the 10 mechanics coming from SJU would be able to participate in the shift bid.  Stacey asked if she could place them where she wanted.  Gary told her no, she would have to post 10 more slots for bid when the SJU mechanics got here.  Stacey said that was too much trouble and took the bid down.   As a result, Stacey and Ernie came back and asked Gary and Barry for help with the shift bid.  Barry stated most likely the schedule will be a set 4/3.  Also will try to get rid of the phase crew, 2nd shift to come in at 12:30 (and work the phase), to have 3rd shift come in earlier and get off earlier.  Smaller shops, (battery and tire), to go back to rotating shifts. 
• We’ve been told when B18 is finished Shawn Love will go back to CMH.
• Shawn Love has been tasked by Dave Campbell and Peter Bowler to do what he is doing at DFW.  When Stacey and Gary agree to an issue, Stacey changes her mind (it seems) after she talks to Shawn.
• Grievances
• Shawn Love is under the impression that because the union signs the call log for OT, it makes the union responsible for grievances.  As a result of this discussion, Gary has told all the reps and officers not to sign call logs for OT anymore.   Shawn Love says the company does not have to pay bypass, so if you file a grievance for it his answer is to come in on your day off to get paid for the grievance.  When a grievance is filed and the statement is put on the grievance “I wish to be made whole in every way,” is what guarantees the grievant gets paid.
• Dispute was resolved in Round Table that supervisors will sign grievances.   Boxes are going to be made for the grievances to be put in after supervisor signs them.   Time limit is the issue.
• Deal A Meal / Gate Manning
• Barry made a presentation to management to go back to deal a meal to improve line maintenance.
• Walk Around
• Notes from Round Table were discussed.  Shawn Love has been telling mechanics to do an undocumented walk around.    Decision was made from Round Table meeting that walk around would be an individual work card.  DQC did not like the conversation
• Investigations
• Gary capped on discussion during Round Table about investigations taking too long.
• GPM and Work Cards
• Management wants mechanics to follow work cards and the GPM at their convenience.  (They put a lot of focus on issues like what type of shoes are being worn.
• Chain of Command
• Question was asked if supervisor can consistently ask mechanics for updates and bypass the Crew Chief.  Supervisors change what Crew Chiefs have given mechanics to do.  Gary stated we will talk to Stacey about this issue.   Barry stated for mechanic to tell the supervisor let’s go to the office and I’ll tell you what’s going on, because I don’t want you distracting my work.  First, before you go talk to the supervisor you have to do a turnover.  New rule is if a mechanic walks away from their work on a plane they have to do a turnover.  Or, mechanic can tell supervisor to talk to his Crew Chief.
• CS Policy
• Score Program, (like the ramp has), is the CS policy we will have.   Mtx management has already started inputting mechanics in the program.  Stores need to start implementation.  Carmen was at Round Table and stated she was going to get with Stacey and Ernie to find out how to implement.  Management stated as soon as shift bid is complete the Score Program will be up and running.
• New Program
• Was stated by management during Round Table that after the first of the year there will be a new program that will replace the Score Program.  New program is supposed to be for keeping track of everything, including vacations.
• Grievances at Presidents Council
• Next Presidents Council is November 4th.   Gary will present  our  record number of grievances when he goes to Presidents Council.
• TDY
• Rich Haddock letter that states all overtime will be extinguished when there is another station here TDY.   Overtime has to be called.  Employees cannot just show up to work overtime.  Rumor is there were a few mechanics who just showed up for OT, without being called.  Company is going to try to use timecard fraud against them . (Company needs the Rich Haddock letter for the 16 hour rule.)   We have previous grievances where overtime has been paid, based on the Rich Haddock letter.  Before mechanics here on TDY get overtime,  mechanics signed up are to be offered the overtime.
• Field Work Policy
• Numerous grievances on field work.  Even officers have some differences in opinion on how the policy should be.   Policy needs to be re-evaluated.  Items 2 and eligibility needs to be revised.  Gary knows when the policy is opened up to the company there will be many items they want to change.  Signing up for specific shifts needs to be added.   Should be added, “after your normal shift hours you are no longer eligible”.   Argument is if mechanic is on overtime then they are not working their normal shift.   Suggested to put first eligible is who is on their normal shift and secondary eligible is who is on overtime.
• Needs to be a buffer for when a road trip leaves.  Suggested if flight leaves after your normal shift then choice goes to secondary. 
• When management chooses to pull names for a road trip is their discretion.  
• Access to Previous Cases
• If a past reference is needed, an email needs to be sent to Gary requesting the information.  Eventually, this information will be provided on our website.  Once a settlement letter is signed and accepted, the grievance can no longer be used as evidence. 
• Shop Stewards
• Copies of shop steward guidelines was handed out.  (Fact sheets Keith had)