Airline Division Week in Review -- Labor Day Edition

As Hurricane Dorian Approaches, IBT Teams Prepare to Assist

Just as with the devastation of Hurricane Maria brought the resources of the IBT to help our neighbors in Puerto Rico and the mainland, the approach of Hurricane Dorian has activated the Disaster Relief team in preparation for assisting with the impact of the storm.

In a message to the members of Local 769; President Josh Zivalich said the following:

“Teamsters Local 769 would like to ask all of our members and their families to be prepared for Hurricane Dorian. Make a plan for your families and be sure to have the necessary supplies on hand if you will be staying through the storm. Track the progress of the storm and listen to advisories from your local authorities. If you are in an evacuation or flood zone, follow designated evacuation routes and get to a safe place.”

Joint Council 75, Principal Officer Jim Schulring has requested I.B.T. Disaster Relief coordinator Roy Gillespie to spearhead the Disaster Recovery efforts. TLU 769 Business Agent David Renshaw will be assisting and helping to coordinate assets.

Discussing the potentials for the storms impact; Renshaw said, “we have the team members and assets ready to begin assessments as soon as the storm passes, with the ability to respond to needs in the Southeastern U.S. and if requested, we can do assessments and help coordinate relief in the Bahamas as well. The impact of this storm will be catastrophic in the Northern Bahamas, and unknown as yet here in Florida as well as along the Eastern Seaboard.”

Teamsters Local 769, along with the IBT Human Rights and Diversity Commission, has prepared the following Resource for Preparedness and Relief from Natural Disasters. You can open and print a copy from the link below.

https://teamsterslocal769.org/2019/08/30/prepare-for-hurricane-dorian/

TAMC Message to Members on Labor Day

In a message to their membership, the TAMC Board of Directors; Chris Moore, Bob Fisher and the Honorable John Goglia issued the following:

“Monday September 2nd is Labor Day and a day to celebrate all the hard-working men and women that are the backbone of our great country. Regardless of whether you belong to a Labor Union if you fix aircraft you are Labor. You come to work every day knowing that you hold people’s lives in your hands, and further, that mediocrity is not an option. You work in high stress situations and many times in extreme weather conditions, never forgetting your commitment to safety.

So, on Labor Day take a moment to reflect and Celebrate Labor.”

Thanks for all that you do!

Airline Industry News

Governmental and Regulatory

A coalition of 28 environmental and public-health groups is protesting FAA’s push to provide regulatory relief for the civil supersonic aircraft industry. In an Aug. 28 letter to FAA administrator Steve Dickson, the groups wrote that “supersonic aircraft would fuel the global climate crisis and threaten Americans with lasting damages from extreme air and noise pollution.”

The leading US developers of supersonic aircraft called on the Department of Transportation (DOT) Aug. 27 to modify its proposed rule on supersonic flight authorizations, arguing the proposal’s wording amounts to an effective prohibition on all supersonic flight.

FAA’s plan for how pilots will evaluate changes to the Boeing 737 MAX and new training materials signals a shift from a focus primarily on the carriers it regulates to one that accounts for variations in pilot experience around the world. The agency is finalizing a plan to bring in as many as 30 pilots from a variety of carriers to conduct MAX simulator sessions in the coming weeks.

Airlines, Industry and Labor

The real estate arm of US-based Aviation Facilities Company Management (AFCO) secured upwards of $36 million in financing for a new air cargo facility under construction at Baltimore International Airport (BWI

AFCO said the funds will finance the construction of a 200,000-square-foot air cargo facility and a 450,000-square-foot aircraft parking apron. Completion of these projects is expected by October 2019, the company said in a release.

Labor Day 2019

As we celebrate Labor Day 2019; let us all reflect on the sacrifices of the men and women who have come before us and through their individual and collective sacrifice; toil, tears…and in some cases, blood…forged a history of unity and strength that is organized labor.

Tomorrow, as we celebrate Labor Day let us each remember them and their sacrifice. Let us each resolve to tell the story and remind others; especially our youth, of the sacrifices that have given them so much. Let us resolve to always be the voices that lift and spread the word; that organized labor built America and that we will always be UNION STRONG and TEAMSTER PROUD.

In honor of our members and all American working men and women, the offices of the Airline Division will be CLOSED on Monday, September 2nd. We will reopen for regular business on Wednesday, September 3rd. We wish each of you and your families a very Happy Labor Day.