Labor Union Blog

Some 440 pilots at Spirit Airlines, members of Air Line Pilots, are on strike, and more news from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 1,200 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.

WORK STOPPAGES
ALPA, Spirit Airlines: Some 440 pilots at Spirit Airlines went on strike Saturday after the Air Line Pilots (ALPA) rejected the airline’s last offer. The pilots are picketing a number of airports across the country, including Fort Lauderdale, Detroit and Atlantic City, to demand a fair contract.

NNU-PASNAP, Temple University Hospital: The Pennsylvania Bureau of Unemployment Compensation ruled April’s work stoppage at Temple University Hospital was a lockout, which means the hospital will have to pay unemployment compensation for the 28 days when 1,500 nurses and allied staff were locked out. A lockout was triggered when Temple changed the terms of employment by terminating tuition reimbursement benefits for the members of Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP-NNU).

IAM, Boeing Co.: Machinists (IAM) District 751 has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) alleging Boeing Co. selected a South Carolina location for its second Dreamliner plant in retaliation for a 2008 strike by IAM members in Washington State. IAM points to statements by Boeing executives linking their location choice to avoidance of work stoppages.

Ironworkers, Northwest Indiana Contractors Association: Ironworkers in Northwest Indiana will soon be returning to work, after reaching a one-year tentative agreement with the Northwest Indiana Contractors Association over the weekend. More than 400 workers had been on strike since June 1.

NEGOTIATIONS
IAM, Boeing Co.: Members of IAM District 837 rejected a contract proposal from Boeing in St. Louis and authorized a walkout. The earliest workers would go on strike would be June 23.

IBEW, City of Vallejo: In California, it appears that a ballot measure removing binding arbitration from the city of Vallejo’s charter will pass by a very slim margin. This could put an immediate end to the ongoing arbitration with the Electrical Workers (IBEW), which saw its contract terminated after the city filed for bankruptcy.

TWU, Muni: Operators at San Francisco’s transit agency, Muni, rejected an agreement that would have changed overtime rules and health care coverage of dependents. Members of Transport Workers (TWU) Local 250-A had rejected a previous cost-saving agreement in February.

AFSCME, State of Michigan: Members of the Michigan State Employees Association/AFSCME ratified a one-year contract extension with the Office of the State Employer (OSE). The deal covering 4,300 state workers must now be approved by the Civil Service Commission.

 UFCW, Kroger Company: United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 876 has reached a tentative agreement with Kroger Co. in Michigan. If ratified, the contract will cover 12,000 grocery workers.

SETTLEMENTS
USW, Gamesa: United Steelworkers (USW) members in Pennsylvania ratified a new four-year contract with Gamesa, a Spanish-owned wind turbine manufacturer. The contract provides increases in wages and benefits for some 350 workers.

IAM, Spokane Triumph Composite Systems: Members of IAM District 751 ratified a new three-year contract with Spokane Triumph Composite Systems. In exchange for agreeing to no raises, workers will be guaranteed 40 hours per week and no transfers to other plants.

USW, ArcelorMittal: About 300 members of USW Local 7898 approved a new contract they hope will lead to the reopening of an ArcelorMittal mill in South Carolina that was shuttered a year ago. The pact includes a pay cut but guarantees if the mill reopens, it will stay open until at least September 2012.

USW, Yokohama Tire Corp.: Nearly 700 USW Local 1023 members ratified a new four-year contract with Yokohama Tire Corp. in Salem, Va. While the pact increases workers’ contributions to health care, it maintains a defined-benefit pension plan and guarantees the plant will remain open through the life of the contract.

Disclaimer: This information is being provided for your information only.  As it is compiled from published news reports, not from individual unions, we cannot vouch for either its completeness or accuracy; readers who desire further information should directly contact the union involved.