EMS Pilots Ratify New Contract
Emergency Medical Service (EMS) helicopter pilots, members of Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 109 and employed by Air Methods Corporation based in Denver, have ratified a new agreement. The 1,000 pilots operate in 45 states and transport nearly 100,000 patients a year. AMC is the nation’s largest provider of air medical emergency transport services and systems.
The agreement–reached after two and a half years of talks that included mediator from the National Mediation Board—was ratified by a wide margin. Says Local 109 President Dan McDade:
I’m pleased with the results and look forward to working cooperatively with the company. This agreement demonstrates an improved cooperative relationship between the company and the union.
AMC recently acquired Omniflight, which employs more than 300 helicopter pilots. Discussions will begin soon on providing those pilots a voice in the AMC bargaining unit.
OPEIU Local 109 is affiliated with the Professional Helicopter Pilots Association (PHPA), a council within OPEIU.
OPEIU Backs Allstate Agents in Suit Challenging Terminations
Insurance giant Allstate is terminating profitable long-standing agents who aren’t meeting arbitrary performance goals according to a lawsuit filed in a New Jersey court by the National Association of Professional Allstate Agents (NAPAA).
In August, NAPAA voted to affiliate with the Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) and OPEIU is supporting the agents’ fight with a pledge to match dollar for dollar contributions from individual, up to $25,000.
NAPAA Executive Director Jim Fish says that after decades of happily taking the profits that its agents generated, and terminating agents only for compliance issues or egregious conduct, Allstate has upped the ante by demanding more and more production from its agents in recent years. Read the rest of this entry »
Allstate Agents Vote to Join OPEIU
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Members of the National Association of Professional Allstate Agents (NAPAA) voted overwhelmingly today to join the AFL-CIO-affiliated Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU).
Ballots were mailed to all 1,200 members of NAPAA and, when they were tallied, more than 94 percent had voted in favor of affiliating with OPEIU. The vote was administered by the American Arbitration Association.
The NAPAA Board of Directors is expected to meet in the near future to formally approve the affiliation. Once the agreement is approved, NAPAA members will become members in OPEIU, the AFL-CIO and all state federations.
New Contract Ends N.Y. BlueCross BlueShield Lockout
The nearly 400 members of Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 212 in Buffalo, N.Y., who were locked out by BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York since April 26, will be going back to work after ratifying a new contract today.
The new contact, reached Friday, includes wage increases over its three-year life and a lump sum payment. It also maintains job security protection provisions the company had originally sought to eliminate. Local union officials said it also retains the employees’ current benefits package and working conditions.
OPEIU President Michael Goodwin says:
We are very pleased that the parties were able to reach an agreement through the process of collective bargaining, demonstrating that mutual agreement trumps unilateral action.
1,600 Interpreters Win First Contract—and More Bargaining News
Washington State interpreters have a first pact with the state, and more news from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 1,400 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.
SETTLEMENTS
AFSCME, State of Washington: 1,600 independent contractor interpreters, who help non-English-speaking Medicaid patients communicate with doctors, have won a first contract with Washington State. The workers are members of the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE/AFSCME).
Toilet Paper Drive Collects 115,000+ Rolls for Sacramento Area Nonprofits
AFL-CIO Community Services Director Will Fischer describes union volunteer efforts to stretch the limited dollars of Sacramento area nonprofit organizations.
Every year local nonprofit agencies spend thousands of dollars on toilet paper for families in need. That’s money they could be spending on much-needed services that benefit the community. Since 2009, the Sacramento Central Labor Council and the local United Way have partnered to create Toilet Paper Drives to help local nonprofit partners offset costs and redirect the money saved into vital programs.
This year the partners collected 77,227 rolls of toilet paper (compared with 50,000 rolls last year) that were matched by a local company, bringing the total to an impressive 115,000 rolls.
Tell BlueCross BlueShield to End N.Y. Lockout
Since April 26, nearly 400 members of Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) Local 212 in Buffalo have been locked out by BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York. You can help in their fight for justice and a fair contract by telling parent company HealthNow CEO Alphonso O’Neil-White to “Do the right thing—stop the lock out.”
New York State AFL-CIO President Denis Hughes urges people who support working families to back the locked OPEIU members and send a message (click here) to O’Neil-White that says:
Your not-for-profit company has long enjoyed attracting business from other union employers because your workers are represented by organized labor. But now that is all in jeopardy because of your shameful attacks on these hard working individuals.
BlueCross BlueShield wants unlimited rights to outsource the workers’ jobs, says Local 212 President Caroline Muszynski.
Our members recognize that the attack on working families and the middle class is in full swing and our management has joined the battle to steamroll over union members to get whatever they want, but our members refuse to accept having our jobs outsourced and dehumanized, so we will stand strong in protest of this lockout.
IAM Ratifies Pact with Army Fleet Support—and More Bargaining News
The Machinists (IAM) approved a new contract with Army Fleet Support, and more news from the “Bargaining Digest Weekly.” The AFL-CIO Collective Bargaining Department delivers daily, bargaining-related news and research resources to more than 1,300 subscribers. Union leaders can register for this service through our website, Bargaining@Work.
SETTLEMENTS
IAM, Army Fleet Support: Members of Machinists (IAM) Local 2003 at Ft. Rucker, Ala., ratified a new three-year contract with Army Fleet Support earlier this month. The 3,800 IAM members are trainers, test pilots and mechanics at the Army’s largest helicopter base.
OPEIU’s Goodwin Calls for ‘Back-to-Basics’ Unionism
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Unions can look to their history to rediscover ways to move forward and grow, says Office and Professional Employees (OPEIU) President Michael Goodwin. In a recent op-ed on Crain’s New York Business.com, he writes:
“Unions are best-known for bargaining contracts, lobbying for legislation and participating in political campaigns. But when they were founded more than a century ago, they served other functions that continue to the present day. From the construction crafts to the maritime industry to the performing arts, unions set standards for skilled work, develop education and training programs to prepare workers to meet those standards, refer skilled workers to employers with job openings and collaborate with employers to promote quality products and services. Unions also pool their members’ purchasing power, often working together with employers to offer benefits such as health care coverage and retirement income that workers can take with them from job to job.”
Red Cross Workers Strike over Stalled Talks, Blood Safety Concerns
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More than 1,000 Red Cross workers in seven cities launched a three-day unfair labor practice strike against the American Red Cross this morning. Contract negotiations between the Red Cross and the workers—members of several unions—have been stalled, in some cases, for more than a year.
One of the key issues, the unions say, is blood drive staffing practices that workers believe are key to protecting donor and blood safety. Workers say the Red Cross is putting donors and workers at risk by understaffing blood drives, replacing nurses with unlicensed supervisors, forcing employees to work unrealistic schedules and turning blood collection into an assembly line/fast-food process.
