IAM Transportation Districts 141 and 142 have completed negotiations preparation for the upcoming round of collective bargaining with Hawaiian Airlines.
The training sessions began with Airline Coordinator, Ira Levy, offering an overview of the airline industry, and Winpisinger Center Director, Chris Wagoner, discussing the different facets of the program. Participants then reviewed team dynamics, legal, health care and pension issues, as well as forming strategies for communication and general negotiations committee planning. The topics of contract costing and language drafting were also examined.
“The IAM’s negotiations prep program is the best in the union movement, and I thank all parties for their dedication and expertise,” said General Vice President Sito Pantoja. “The negotiations committees are now fully prepared to obtain the fair contracts that IAM members at Hawaiian Airlines deserve.”
IAM Deputy General Counsel, Carla Siegel, and IAM Senior Research Economist, Peter Greenberg, also discussed the many legal and economic issues relating to the current round of bargaining via teleconference.
On the week of December 16, 2013, the National Mediation Board (NMB) will present its interest based bargaining program to the negotiations committees. The interest based bargaining program is designed to have both parties recognize and address each side’s issues and concerns as opposed to traditional positional bargaining. The program was utilized in the IAM’s most recent round of negotiations with United Airlines, which culminated in three ratified agreements covering approximately for 31,000 IAM members at the carrier.
District 141 represents office and clerical, stockroom, fleet and passenger service employees, and District 142 represents mechanic and related employees at Hawaiian Airlines.
