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ABOUT LOCAL 747
Teamsters Local Union 747 welcomes you to our Local. Our mission is to protect and enhance your careers. We do this through four means: contract negotiations, contract administration, career protection services and public advocacy. This section will introduce you to these four service areas, to our staff and leadership, and it will provide you with some history and background of the Local. This is your Union! Become involved with your Executive Council, get to know your Business Agent, and, most importantly, know that we are only as strong as you make us. Through strength and unity, your goals can be achieved.
HISTORY OF LOCAL 747
Teamsters Local Union 747 was chartered by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in September 1995 for the purpose of providing representation, assistance, and security for cockpit crewmembers employed by sectors of the air transport industry, especially in the areas of air freight, regionals, supplementals, and fractional ownership organizations. The Local was headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana until April 2002 and has since relocated to Houston, Texas. The Local has grown to represent over 4,000 crewmembers at 13 carriers. Our crewmembers are based in more than two dozen cities around the United States. They work for every conceivable type of carrier flying equipment ranging in size from the Beechcraft 1900 to the Boeing 747 and many more in between.
MEMBERSHIP SNAPSHOT
Our members are a diverse group of aviators. Most are Airline Pilots, but many are Professional Flight Engineers. Each group is known as a bargaining unit. There are thirteen such units represented by Local 747:
| Arrow Air | Chautauqua Airlines | | Gulfstream International | Horizon Air | | Miami Air International | Omni Air International | Republic Airlines | Shuttle America | USA 3000 | |
HOW THE MEMBERS ARE ORGANIZED TO PROVIDE REPRESENTATION
The most important part of Local 747 is you, the member. From that starting point a hierarchy is designed to provide you with necessary tools and support.
Executive Councils
Each bargaining unit elects an Executive Council (EXCO) in accordance with 747’s bylaws. The size and structure of each EXCO is designed to suit the needs of the individual bargaining unit. Each EXCO has a chair person who works closely with your Business Agent to assure your needs are met. EXCO members normally serve two (2) year terms. The goal always is to provide fair representation to all constituent parties. All EXCO members are rank and file members who work full time at their jobs as crewmembers while serving as volunteers giving generously of their time and energy representing their members. Each of them has a personal commitment to improving the terms and conditions of employment at the carrier where they work. Executive Councils are Local 747’s advisors, they tell us what they need to serve you and what we need to do to serve you better. It is up to your elected representatives to tell us what you need and it is up to us to make it happen. Executive Councils establish and appoint committees. Common committees include: Grievance, Safety, Professional Standards, Jumpseat, Scheduling and Hotel, just to name a few. All members are encouraged to serve on committees and to be a part of the process. The work is hard and the rewards are strictly personal, but the results are tangible and worth the sacrifice required to achieve them. It is because of this flexible representational structure that you achieve fair representation no matter the size of your bargaining unit, the type of equipment you fly, or the crafts employed.
Local 747
Local 747 is where it all comes together. The Local provides you with representation advice and assistance, administrative support, technical support and legal support. The Local is responsible for collecting dues and paying bills; we set overall policy and most importantly provide you with the career protection services only a large organization can support.
Local 747 is governed by a seven (7) member Executive Board elected directly by the membership. All Executive Board members are dues paying members of the Union. Executive Board elections are held every three (3) years.
The Local is administered by the Executive Administrator/General Counsel and a support staff. The Executive Administrator/General Counsel works under the guidance of the Executive Board. The Executive Administrator/General Counsel is employed full time by the Local and is responsible for administration of the home office and its staff, as well as all financial and legal matters confronting the Local.
Each bargaining unit is assisted by a Business Agent. Business Agents are hired and report to the Executive Administrator. They are members of the Union and pay dues. The Business Agent’s job is, in its simplest terms, to help you achieve your goals. They consult with and advise the Executive Councils and their committees. They tell the Executive Administrator what they need to serve you better and administer Local Union policies and procedures. Business Agents are full time, salaried employees of the Local. They are experienced in the industry. Business Agents have the background necessary to negotiate contracts, represent members in disciplinary hearings, and advise the Executive Councils. They receive additional training in such areas as leadership skills, accident investigation, and labor law. The Business Agents are the member’s first point of contact for all matters relating to the members employment relationship with the Company, including the filing of grievances.
The Local has a computer run voice mail system designed to provide all members with easy communications. All EXCO’s are allotted voice mail boxes. These can be used to operate hot lines, enhance communications between members and their committees, and conduct surveys. All employees of the Local can be reached by e-mail. While our website address is www.local747.org, our previous site had the domain name “ibt747.org.” All e-mail addresses currently still have the old domain suffix and are the Officer’s and employee’s first initial, last name @ ibt747.org. All Officers and employees can be reached by toll free telephone numbers and all have access to the Local’s computer resources while on the road. For a list of current officers and staff, please visit the Local’s website at www.local747.org.
The International
The International is a shorthand way of referring to the organization that supports all six hundred (600) Teamsters Local Unions. The official name is the International Brotherhood of Teamsters which is often shortened to just IBT. Head quartered in Washington, D.C., just across the street from the Capitol, the IBT is the largest Union in the country representing over 1.4 million members nationwide and in Canada. The Director of the IBT Airline Division, along with the directors of 13 other divisions, reports to the IBT General President. The International sets many of the policies we operate under. They assure that our accounting and membership information systems meet IBT and federal requirements. They provide legal, research, organizing and audit support to Local Unions. They coordinate national activities and provide financial support when necessary. The officers of the International are elected every five (5) years. For more information about the International, please visit www.teamsters.org.
Airline Division
It is through the Airline Division Director and the IBT that your voice is heard in Washington. The Airline Division of the Teamsters represents approximately 40,000 members employed in every craft and class in the industry. This includes flight deck crewmembers, flight attendants, mechanics, passenger service agents, stock clerks, and ARINC radio operators to name a few. The Local Union is an independent entity. The International stands ready to provide administrative, representational and legal support to the Local Union.
The IBT Airline Division staff actively participates in FAA Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committees. The Airline Division is keenly aware of the circumstances our members encounter in their work lives, circumstances that may not be encountered by the traditional major carrier crewmembers. The Airline Division is actively pursuing initiatives in many areas. These include cargo bin safety, cargo aircraft TCAS, and flight time and rest requirement rulemaking activities. No other organization has more strongly supported rulemaking activities designed to bring safety to the supplemental passenger and cargo industries.
GOVERNANCE VIA DEMOCRACY
Some governance issues were touched on earlier. The underlying precept of the IBT governance is democracy. At each level of the organization, you the member have a direct vote in determining your leadership. Unlike other major airline and non-airline unions, members vote directly for all leaders by secret ballot. Just as importantly, members have the right to vote on their collective bargaining agreement and on any changes to the terms and conditions of employment. Local 747 is governed by a set of bylaws voted on and approved by the members of Local 747. The International is governed by a Constitution voted on and approved by directly elected representatives of the membership. Quite simply, there is not a more democratic Union in the United States today.
CAREER PROTECTION
Career Protection—it is not as simple as it sounds. These two words cover a wide range of activities designed to protect, enhance and strengthen your careers. These can be broken down into four (4) general areas:
1. Contract Negotiations
2. Contract Administration
3. Career Protection Services
4. Public Advocacy
The following sections will briefly describe our efforts to meet your needs in these four (4) critical areas.
Contract Negotiations
Negotiating a collective bargaining agreement is often as much an art as it is a science. It requires knowledge of the members needs and desires, industry standards, labor law, contract law, financial analysis, and leadership skills. The emphasis always is on the member’s needs and desires. Local 747 General Counsel and Business Agents bring this knowledge and skill to the negotiating table. They are professionals. Local 747 deals across the table on an almost daily basis with attorneys employed by the management side. We are aware of their strengths and weaknesses and our counsel has dealt with most of the well known management lawyers in the country. It is this breadth and depth of experience that gives you the edge in negotiations. It is up to you, the crewmembers, to unite your group and keep them motivated and strong. Your EXCO must take the lead in this. Without unity there is no strength. Members are backed up with the support of the Local. The International provides research, financial analysis, communications and other support services to help you negotiate the contract the membership wants. Terms and Conditions of employment are what the members decide they should be. The EXCO and your Negotiating Committee know the wants and needs. With unity, strength, and the support of Local 747, member’s goals can be achieved.
Contract Administration
Local 747 administers contracts with your assistance. The Business Agent provides guidance, expertise, and timely responses to administrative needs. The Business Agent works full time answering contract interpretation questions, pursuing grievances and defending against company disciplinary actions. The General Counsel also advises the Business Agents and EXCO Chairman in Contract Administration when necessary.
Grievances
Each contract is a complex document. How these provisions are administered requires the input of the members. It is for this reason that you form Crewmember committees. A grievance committee is essential. Many grievances and their resolution, require judgment calls. Business Agents will provide members with expert advice, grievance procedures manuals, and access to legal counsel when it is necessary. Many other committees support the grievance committee. Grievance committee members may require the support of the scheduling, hotel or safety committees in determining the best way to resolve a grievance. Without these committees, grievance resolutions may reflect only the views of a few of the members, and not the membership at large.
Crewmember Discipline
The average Business Agent attends to one or more disciplinary issues each week. By employing full time Business Agents, Local 747 is effective in minimizing the damage to your career that an inadvertent mistake can lead to. The Business Agent does not work for the company and is therefore not constrained in any way by the employer/employee relationship. The Business Agent usually has a more complete knowledge of prior discipline cases, their facts and circumstances, and can use this knowledge to the advantage of the Crewmember.
Supporting the Business Agents is the Local’s General Counsel. He is an attorney with many years of experience in aviation and with the Railway Labor Act.
Timely Knowledgeable Response
The airline industry is a dynamic ever-changing industry. Some bargaining units suffer high turnover and others suffer many corporate strategy and personnel changes. As the years pass by, the Local and its staff personnel provides the one focal point of stability in the relationship between labor and management. The Local staff personnel brings to the relationship the knowledge and experience that crewmembers often do not have. They know what happens at other carriers and how problems are solved elsewhere. They often know the history of the company better than the company does. This is important because many hours are spent between contract negotiations trying to craft solutions to both new and old problems. The Local’s staff personnel can be relied upon to provide you with the edge in changing times.
Career Protection Services
Career Protection Services are distinct in that they are directed towards non-contract issues. The two most important non-workplace issues affecting crewmembers are FAA enforcement and medical certification. Local 747 has contracted to provide you with free access to the finest services available in these two areas. Discipline and Discharge potentially have a negative impact on your future career. Under the Pilot Record Improvement Act, a carrier must forward any negative records from the last five years to a future employer. This may be career ending. The Local’s assistance is your means of ensuring that only appropriate material is included in your record.
FAA Enforcement
Local 747 has internal legal assistance. In order to access this assistance, contact the General Counsel at Local 747. He will advise and represent you in each step of the enforcement proceeding. This service is available to all members in good standing.
FAA Medical Certification
Local 747 provides referral for aero-medical problems that can be accessed by contacting your Business Agent or the Local. The Local has retained an aero-medical specialist on call to assist our members in retaining or regaining your medical certificate. He is available to all members in good standing.
Aircraft Accidents & Incidents
The unfortunate fact is that several times a year Local 747 members are involved in accidents and incidents. To prepare for this, Local 747 members and Business Agents undergo training that qualifies them to assist the NTSB in their investigation. This includes both NTSB procedures and OSHA required training in blood borne pathogen protection.
Public Advocacy
Local 747 members represent a diverse set of interests and problems that have heretofore not been addressed, or have been inadequately addressed, by other unions representing flight deck crewmembers. Through the IBT, we provide you with a public voice you previously did not have.
CONCLUSION
The above is a brief introduction to IBT Local 747. Thank you for spending your valuable time learning about your union. This truly is your union. You can make it anything you want it to be just by getting involved.
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