Airline Division, Local 357 President Issue a Joint Message to RAH Pilots

The Airline Division and the President of Local 357 have issued the following joint message to the RAH pilots.

This is a joint communication update from your Negotiating Committee and the IBT Airline Division.

On March 21, the NMB brought the parties together in a mediated collective bargaining session.  Present at this session were your Negotiating Committee, counsel to the Committee, representatives of the IBT, and the Carrier’s negotiating team. The session began with the NC presenting proposals on all open articles, and there was dialogue regarding the meaning and intent behind the proposals.  The Company presented a proposal it labeled as it’s “Last, Best, Final offer.”  This latest proposal from the Company had no change in economics from the previously announced increase to its original signing bonus.  It also contained no change in work rules from the prior offer.  The proposal includes a reduced contract length from 5 years down to 4, with a 12 month earlier opener which puts the NC in negotiations for the next contract in 36 months.

The NC did not accept the Company’s proposal.  The meeting ended without agreement and the NMB Senior Mediator assigned to the case stated that there would be no further mediation sessions scheduled.  Based upon this circumstance, the Local’s leadership and Negotiating Committee will be meeting with the Airline Division and IBT  leadership next Wednesday, March 27, to plan our next steps.

The Local leadership and the Airline Division speak with one voice in achieving this pilot group’s demand for a fair contract.  We will continue our close coordination and support going forward.

___/s/   ____                                                                         ___/s/_______

David Bourne, Director                                                           Craig Moffat, President
IBT Airline Division                                                                 IBT Local 357

Atlas Air, Polar Air Cargo Dispatchers Sign First Contract

Tuesday brought yet another historic first for the Airline Division as the flight dispatchers of Atlas Air and Polar Air Cargo; members of Local 210, signed their first collective bargaining agreement.

Flight dispatchers are FAA licensed and are responsible for the planning, monitoring and progress of aircraft while in flight and, along with the pilot in command, are legally responsible for the safety of a flight.

“This is a proud day for our flight dispatchers,” said Local 210 President George Miranda. “The focus and dedication of not only our negotiators, but more importantly our members, has led to this agreement. I want to offer my compliments to Cynthia DeFiguredo who did an outstanding job, and the negotiating committee; Dennis Gerber, Bernie Mackey and Yaqub Malik on job well done.  It should also be said that had we not had people like Atlas VP of Flight Operations Jeff Carlson and others on the Atlas management team who believed that this was a good thing for their employees and the company, we would not be here today,” he went on to say. The five year agreement includes improvements in wages, benefits and work rules that will also enhance productivity and job security.

In a statement released by Atlas Air Worldwide, John Dietrich, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer said, “We are very pleased to have finalized our new collective bargaining agreement with our highly experienced dispatchers. We achieved all of our objectives in this process, including preserving productive work rules and flexibility, while maintaining competitive compensation and favorable benefits for our dispatchers. We achieved long-term labor stability with our valued employees, enabling us to provide continued value to our customers and shareholders.”

Mr. Dietrich added: “Negotiations with Atlas and Polar dispatchers and their representatives from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which began in 2009, were constructive and professional, with genuine interest by both parties to reach agreement. We applaud the union leadership and its efforts.”

“We could not have accomplished this task without the steady hand of George Miranda at Local 210 and Airline Division Director David Bourne,” said Steward Dennis Gerber. “Their commitment, along with assistance of Assistant Division Director Steven Nagrotsky, International Representative Paul Alves and Cynthia DeFirguredo from Local 210 was pivotal for us. I want to especially thank them for their knowledge and assistance throughout which was just outstanding.”

After signing the agreement for the Airline Division, Division Director David Bourne said, “In today’s economic climate, we have clearly shown with this agreement that when management and labor work together and focus on the common good for the company and employees, great things can be accomplished. I congratulate Atlas Air management, Local 210 and the flight dispatchers of Atlas Air and Polar Air Cargo on this agreement. As a former Atlas Air pilot, I can attest firsthand to the expertise of these dispatchers and the work they do to provide pilots with the information they need to operate around the world. This is a great day for Atlas Air, the dispatchers and the Teamsters,” he concluded.

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