May 21, 2019
Dear Ms. Vaughn,
We are in receipt of your email regarding holidays on American Airlines. Your failure to personally contact any designated Association representative and your demand that we respond within two days is reflective of the disrespect you have shown your employees during this entire negotiations process. We take these matters seriously and you should too. Despite your disregard to the value of our relationship, we will respond.
As you know, the parties have reached a tentative agreement regarding holiday pay for all Association represented employees. Your email indicates a willingness to observe that tentative agreement; therefore, the Association is in full agreement to permanently implement the tentative agreement reached regarding holiday pay for all Association represented employees and for all future holidays.
The Association also agrees there are many significant disparities between the premerger employees that should be resolved. While holiday pay is important, the biggest disparity that exists between employees is health insurance. The negative impact to employees by the company refusing to address reasonable healthcare solutions far outweighs any amount of holiday pay they may receive.
So in addition to implementing the tentative agreement on holidays, we agree to implement the other tentative agreements reached thus far in negotiations. If you are genuine in your appeal to end discrepancies, you will agree.
American Airlines has determined to stop negotiations that would bring resolution to those disparities and that would allow for completion of all open collective bargaining issues. We demand you end your negotiations boycott and agree to resume those negotiations immediately. Your refusal to engage in final negotiations is, in your own words, costing your employees millions of dollars in lost wages and other contract value.
If your proposal is to piece meal implementation of the agreed to items, then let’s get to it – we demand it.
Sincerely,
Alex Garcia
International Vice President
Transport Workers Union of America
Sito Pantoja
General Vice President
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers