LOCAL LODGE 2003 NEGOTIATES BRIDGE AGREEMENT WITH NEW COMPANY- ARMY FLEET SUPPORT 

On October 29, 2003 Local Lodge 2003 of District Lodge 75 concluded meetings with Army Fleet Support (AFS) for a "Bridge Agreement" at Ft. Rucker, Alabama. AFS is a joint cooperative venture that includes L3 Comm, Vertex, U.S. Helicopter and Paragon, Inc. as the employers. Due to the involvement of several employers, Aerospace Coordinators Dick Schneider, Frank Santos and John Crowdis participated in this transition agreement. The Collective Bargaining Agreement at that location is currently with DynCorp but will transition to AFS on December 1, 2003 due to a change of contractors. Local lodge 2003 was only one year into a very successful CBA negotiated with DynCorp in May of 2002.

The Bridge Agreement with AFS accepted all terms and conditions of the current CBA and will be effective December 1, 2003 with few exceptions.  

The parties agreed that only those employees presently in a probationary period will carry over their remaining probationary time to the new employer and that no other current employees will be subjected to a new probation period. 

The parties further agreed that only those employees currently in the alcohol and drug abuse program will carry over their time to the random testing requirements with the new employer. 

The new employer also agreed to mirror the current medical vision, STD, and Life insurance rates, benefits and coverage.  

Additionally we were able to get AFS to enter the IAM Dental Plan, the IAM 401k Plan and to continue our Machinists Custom Choices programs with EBS. The new employer has also expressed interest to continue our HPWO program.