Professional Airline Flight Control Association Welcome

1
Professional Airline Flight Control
AssociationWelcome

• Welcome!!

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Overview

• What is PAFCA - its history and how we came
  about
• Who we represent - operational control
  professionals
• Why we exist - autonomous and independent
  representation
• Organizing National Labor Relations Act,
  National Mediation Board

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WHAT is PAFCA????

• PAFCA is an independent, non-profit labor
  organization recognized by the National Mediation
  Board and designed to protect and promote the
  profession of operational control personnel. We
  are not affiliated with AFL-CIO or any other
  governing body of labor organizations.
• Established in 1971 at Delta, the International
  was created in 1999 to allow for PAFCA-DAL to
  expand to other air carriers for representation
  opportunities.

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Organizational Structure

• PAFCA International created through the
  authoring of a Constitution in 1999 to allow for
  Local formation outside of the original body at
  Delta.
• Board of Directors Comprised of the Presidents
  of each of the Locals
• Chairman of the Board current or past President
  of a Local elected by the Board of Directors to
  a 2 year term.
• Secretary/Treasurer of Board is appointed by the
  Chairman for 2 year term.

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Current PlayersBoard of Directors
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Local Executive Boards

• PAFCA-DAL President, Vice President, 2nd Vice
  President, Secretary, Treasurer
• PAFCA-UAL President, Vice President, Secretary,
  Treasurer, immediate Past President
• PAFCA-ASA President, Vice President,
  Secretary/Treasurer

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Constitution of PAFCA

• Constitution is the controlling document for
  operation of PAFCA International.
• Constitutional Conventions are held every two
  years with motions or resolutions to be
  submitted to the Board 4 weeks prior to such
  convention.
• Each local will be represented by 1 delegate per
  50 members at the convention
• Locals by-laws must not conflict with any
  portion of the Constitution

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Objectives

• To act as an effective instrument in providing
  strategic guidance to Local Unions of PAFCA in
  improving the working conditions, wage scales,
  work cycles and schedules, retirement and medical
  benefits, job security and all other benefits
  that should rightfully accrue to all members.
• To promote the best interest and safeguard the
  rights of its members and to cooperate with other
  groups and organizations in an attempt to protect
  the interests of employees.
• To ensure there is no discrimination or disparity
  of effort in the exercise of pursuing the
  professional objectives of this organization.

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Objectives

• To ensure there is no discrimination in any
  matter that may come within the purview of this
  organization as regards to race, color, creed,
  sex or national origin.
• To represent its members before appropriate
  Federal Agencies and undertake additional
  representation and activity as authorized by the
  membership.

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WHO PAFCA represents

• Currently (approximately) 450 Flight
  Superintendents and Flight Dispatchers
• Delta Airlines- 200
• Atlantic Southeast Airlines - 50
• United Airlines 200
• Local designated as PAFCA-(airline code)
• Dues - 2/month/member from each local

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Affiliations of PAFCA

• ADF/IFALDA
• Both UAL/DAL support through payment of members
  dues to both organizations
• ASA optional to members
• Support is both financial and through member
  participation
• PAFCA officers are prohibited from holding office
  in other organizations

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Websites

• www.pafca.org
• Links to National Mediation Board
• All PAFCA Local sites
• ADF/IFALDA/EUFALDA sites

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PAFCA-Locals

• Author By-laws (not to conflict with
  Constitution)
• Membership whos included in the collective
  bargaining group
• Officers election, term of service
• Collective bargaining
• Grievance and arbitration (National Labor
  Relations Act)
• Dues and Assessments

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Agreements

• Scope language defines the job titles and
  duties of those in the Collective Bargaining
  Group - who does what
• Hours of work and holidays bidding process
• Vacations - time and bidding process
• Rates of pay
• Health and retirement benefits
• Conditions of layoff and re-employment

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WHY PAFCA?

• Autonomous operation of each Local with NO
  interference from International
• Locally produced by-laws which allow for
  individual flexibility of priority - within
  Constitution compliance
• Dispatchers representing dispatchers who knows
  better what we find important?
• Local officers access to membership and vice
  versa supports accountability

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WHY PAFCA?

• You live what you negotiate and enforce
  directly impacted by your results
• Dues money collected is structured by the locals
  with the majority of funds remaining in Local
  treasury
• Locals are responsible for their own expenses
  negotiations, shift coverage, legal fees,
  salaries of officers

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Youre in charge!!

• Each local is empowered to control their own
  destiny.
• Executive Board members are dispatchers first,
  then union executives.
• The priority and focus lies within the Local
  organization and not with the International -
  results in a bottom up flow in our structure.

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Organizing- How its done!

• 10 or more persons employed in operational
  control positions
• Apply to International for Local Charter with
  reasons for association with PAFCA
• Application then goes to the Board of Directors
  for consideration
• Upon approval, a Local Union charter will be
  issued (subject to NMB processes)

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National Mediation Board

• PAFCA recognized as collective bargaining agent
  under the Railway Labor Act
• Evidence of representation dispute must be
  submitted by President/Chairman of organization
• Accomplished through authorization cards
  submitted by PAFCA challenging existing or
  requesting new representation

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Steps

• Authorization cards are delivered to PAFCA
• Is there sufficient interest to call for a
  representation dispute election? (35 non, 50
  represented-NMB)
• Submit the cards to NMB along with application
  for representation dispute
• NMB then establishes a list of eligible voters
• Information supplied by the employer as to names
  and addresses of those eligible in the collective
  bargaining group

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Voting

• If NMB finds sufficient interest, election held
• Ballots mailed to your home or election held
  through phone balloting
• Ballots will contain PAFCA, current
  representative (if applicable), no
  representative, and other
• Simple majority of eligible voters to determine
  outcome

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Survey Says..

• Election ballots are counted at the NMB office in
  Washington, DC
• Majority of votes determines outcome
• PAFCA guidelines in review
• 50 of eligible if unrepresented
• 75 of eligible if currently represented

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Successes

• All Locals of PAFCA have attained Collective
  Bargaining Agreements that successfully meet the
  needs of the membership
• PAFCA-United has minimized furlough damage by
  twice negotiating an out of seniority process
  resulting in a reduced impact of involuntary
  furlough outside the box thinking
• PAFCA-United has negotiated two consensual
  agreements while under bankruptcy without the
  1113 motions being heard in court (minimizing
  cost and unsure outcome).

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UAL continued

• Minimized pay loss by protecting pay schedule
• Maintained hours of work at 1880
• Reduced but maintained pay overrides of
  instructors, shift pay, special skills
• Established Line Check Dispatcher positions for
  PAFCA represented members with override (
  originally 3, now 7 positions)

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Working with others..

• All United pensions to PBGC (outside of executive
  contracts, IAM)
• Defined contribution plan going forward at 6
  (bought up from 4 offered by Co)
• Participated with other unions on UAL property in
  areas of common interest
• Health benefits, limiting retirement damage
  through consensual versus full 1114 motions

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What else?

• PAFCA-Delta faced the same battle through a
  bankruptcy and successfully achieved a similar
  result.
• Minimized damage to membership through creative
  use of negotiation
• Pension frozen but defined contribution/ 401K
  matching plan to supplement going forward.

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Atlantic Southeast

• No bankruptcy sold prior to Delta Chapter 11
• No attempts to merge certificates with Skywest to
  date
• Resolved grievances including a wrongful
  termination successfully
• All PAFCA locals utilize grievance, mediation
  arbitration processes as detailed in NLRA

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Getting Started/Making a Change

• Determine the level of interest in self
  representation amongst your group 50-75?
• Select a Lead or Steering Committee
• Determine your goals and strategies to meet them
  how can representation improve
• Communicate your ideas through discussion,
  message boards or by any other means which allow
  you to share and strategize ideas
• Review your current agreement, compare contrast
  to other dispatch groups CBA to formulate
  proposals (compilations are available)
• Follow the steps for organizing as detailed
  earlier

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Review Thanks for your time!

• PAFCA independent labor representative
• Bottom up flow Locals operate autonomously with
  little or no interference from International body
• International Board of Directors meet quarterly
  to share information and develop strategy for
  problem solving at the Local level
• Finances majority of dues collected remain at
  the local level for use as members determine to
  be appropriate

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Local Power

• Dispatchers representing dispatch interests
• Live enforce what you negotiate youre still
  there when negotiations are complete
• Prioritize and resolve issues through local
  knowledge with problem solving and communication
  skills
• Leaders work amongst their peers resulting in
  accessibility and accountability

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Relationship to Company

• Important to establish working relationship
• Positive synergy leads to successful problem
  solving and to minimize conflict
• Management earn Associations trust
• Association earn Managements respect
• Executive Board works for the goals of the
  dispatchers while the dispatchers work for the
  goals of the company