What a surprise....another backroom deal between Covenant Aviation and SEIU.

Covenant and SEIU have joined forces once again to stick it to the employees!

Information that we have received, that was dated 9/17/15, disclosed a cozy and convenient arrangement.  SEIU wants to guarantee that they are the union that will represent the workforce, whether Covenant retains the contract or not. So, what does Covenant get in return? How about the political clout of SEIU?

And why has the union asked for -- and been granted by Covenant -- access to the last four digits of our social security numbers? This information is "personally identifiable information." Is this even legal? What gives Covenant the right to make that decision?

We have submitted this information to the appropriate parties for review.

Just why is Covenant Aviation Security LLC so confident?

Upper management has recently stated that "the contract for SFO is ours to lose."  How did they reach that conclusion?  Did they make another backroom deal?

What they refuse to acknowledge is just how tenuous the positions of upper management are.

Should another company assume control of security at SFO, they would inherit an experienced workforce that has done fairly well under the Covenant management team. Upper management would be replaced with a leadership team from the acquiring company.

Just imagine what the workforce could accomplish with a management team that actually cared about their employees! Just imagine what it would be like to work for a company that puts product before profit.

Remember, "it's performance versus potential."  Can and will the workforce improve their attitude and professionalism under new leadership? 

Fear not the future; things have a way of working out!

Don't fall for Union Scare Tactics. TAKE BACK YOUR RIGHT TO CHOOSE!

The (TSA) letter used to frighten screeners says nothing about taking away our pay and benefits (In fact, the author is content with the current contract, but would like to consider the SCA [McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act] being used in future contracts, which guaranties screeners earn the same or better of their TSA counterparts. The only people who would not benefit from the SCA would just be upper management).

Voting YES in the election lets YOU determine whether to contribute your HARD-EARNED money towards SEIU.

Voting YES gives YOU the power to show what you think of SEIU and how you expect them to EARN their dues in the future.

SEIU currently collects over $60,000 per MONTH for their "Protection". They won't just up and leave if you vote for Open Shop. They actually might start doing what they are paid to do.  ;-)

Submitted by a reader.

For your reading pleasure!

Please post the flyer below. Thank You!
Committee of Covenant Screeners for Deauthorization

UD petition for 2014

What is a De-authorization (UD) petition? In 1951 Congress granted us, the workers, the right to hold a secret ballot election to nullify the compulsory unionism clause (Closed Shop-the requirement to join the union and pay dues as a condition of employment). A successful election will give CAS workers the ability to de-authorize the security requirement. (Open Shop-employees cannot be fired for refusal to pay any dues!) CAS workers can use their own best judgment when deciding to financially support SEIU.

If a majority of employees at Covenant vote to remove the authority of SEIU-USWW to collect dues will the Collective Bargaining Agreement become unenforceable?
ABSOLUTELY NOT! The new contract remains in effect; the sole effect of the election is the removal of the security clause (Closed Shop). All other provisions and terms of the contract remain in full force and effect. Unfortunately the Lying Lairs of SEIU will crawl out of the rocks they live under and again attack the UD petition and upcoming vote! They will spend tens of thousands of (Dues) dollars! Why can’t they fight Covenant instead? Remember! It is in SEIU’s (The purple dues machine) best interest to lie and confuse you. They just want your Money!

If you haven’t signed the de-authorization (UD) petition yet, please give it your utmost consideration. Remember we are the only airport in the United States that has to pay to keep this Job! This is insane! Let’s keep our money! (Open Shop)


SEIU: The Union that sold us out!

Where were they...

When we were bidding for our vacation days off, and the company only offered 10 hours per day?  Where were they when CAS had the bidding start at 0200 hours, with no advanced bidding and without being based on seniority?  Where were they when they should have been there, objecting to those conditions on our behalf?  How could they just stand idly by and allow CAS to only permit one person per day to have a day off?

Now, our do-nothing-but-take-our-dues union has the gall to schedule meetings with the workforce to update us on shop steward training, labor/management meeting outcomes, and their new CBA negotiations plan.

Did the filing of a motion to start the proceedings to have them removed as our union have anything to do with this?  You betcha!

Well, SEIU, it is too late! Nothing that you could say at these meetings will stop what has to be done.  SEIU, your time has come.

So, who should be awarded the contract at SFO?

Should it be the company that submits the lowest bid?  Should it be a company that is well known?  Just what should this decision be based upon?

How about this?  How about awarding this contract to a company that will not put "profit before product "!  How about awarding this contract to a company that has a proven track record and a thorough understanding of what security is all about?

How about awarding this contract to a company that will respect and appreciate the contributions of the workforce?

How about a company that can motivate and inspire the workforce with their leadership skills and professional example?

We want a company that will respect and listen to our concerns and respond to them in a positive way.

CAS found out the hard way that threats and intimidation will not work.  The working relationship that CAS has with the workforce is deplorable.  CAS has had over ten years to get it right, and they have failed to do so.

CAS should not be allowed to have an opportunity to once again put profit before product.  They should not be allowed to further damage the remnants of the morale and team spirit that once existed at SFO.

Could it be that the TSA is the best option for SFO?

As you were bidding for your new work schedule....

did you feel the love? 

Most of us were not able to get the shifts and terminals that we wanted to work at -- blame our stellar management team and our do-nothing-but-take-our-dues union, SEIU!

Yes, the same management team that wants us to deliver "world class customer service" in order to help them keep this contract.  The same management team that took away our parking allowance, shoe allowance, laundry service, reduced our vacation accural rate, increased our out-of-pocket medical costs, and makes it near impossible to get any time off.  Yes, the same management team that doesn't give a moment's thought to the issues that are important to us and to our families.  The same management team that hopes that we all have "short" memories. 

Isn't it ironic that they now need us!  Isn't it ironic that they want us to feel "team" spirit?  Where was that team spirit when they decided to take all these things away from us?

Management's overwhelming concern is how to "generate" a profit at any cost!  Don't be duped into believing that we are now "one" team.  Don't be duped into believing that we will be better off if CAS keeps this contract. 

The actions of management speak louder than words!  To management, we are just a vehicle to earn them more profit than they already have.

May their end be in sight!

The Interested Contract Bidders Walk-Throughs Have Started!

Did you happen to see the tour that was given last Friday?  We were told not to speak to them and to not answer any questions.  (Any questions that they may have had should have been answered by reading the blog-site.)

BTW, our union of concessions, SEIU, was part of the tour group.  Were they trying to the plant seeds for their retention? Were they trying to show that they are still representing us to the best of their limited ability?


Do we not have a signup sheet to have SEIU  removed?  How is that coming along?  It is way past the time for a change.  Stand up and be counted! 

Take the first step towards a better tomorrow, remove SEIU. 

In case you are wondering what our life would be like without SEIU, go to the NLRB.Gov website and click on " employee rights."

Uniform Allowance? Huh?

The TSA workforce has a uniform allowance that has just been raised to 446 dollars a year.

What uniform allowance do we get?  We can't even get them to buy us the shoes which are part of our uniform.



Greed at its finest! Just lies, lies, and more lies from our management and our union.


Under the labor agreement, TSA employees will see their uniform allowances nearly double to $446 per year.
http://republicans.transportation.house.gov/News/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=1749

More Lies And Insults!

Just what has changed since last year?  Is it the greed factor?  Most certainly!

The stellar management team of CAS would have us believe that their LBFO is fair.  Fair to whom?   Definitely not to us!  

This company waits until October 27th to roll back the vacation accrual rate for the entire workforce.  That date just happens to coincide with the 10 year anniversary date of the first graduating class.  Isn't it wonderful to be so appreciated?  This is a totally classless act.

If CAS wants to compare what they are offering the workforce they should compare their package to what the TSA offers their employees.  Don't compare a package that was negotiated by SEIU with the City and County of San Francisco for the hotel workers.  Let's compare apples to apples.

Has the dollar value of the contract for SFO been decreased?  Positively not!

Has the size of the workforce increased?  Positively not!

So what is the root cause for the drastic changes to our benefits package?  Greed, greed and more greed.

A word of advice: Continuing with your lies and insults would be a big mistake.

Vote No on the LBFO from CAS

Let's address these topics in the order in which they were presented.

The relationship between CAS and the workforce:  The relationship has always been "Us against Them."  Covenant has never shown an ounce of concern about the issues that we have as individuals and as heads of households.  Who does Mike Boles think he is kidding?  If our relationship with CAS is better than those of other companies with CAS, we pity the other companies.

Mike Boles has the gall to state that the combined wage and benefits package far exceeds the TSA minimums.  Our benefits package is way below what our TSA workforce counterparts receive.  We have facts and figures to back up our statement.

If CAS were to lose this contract, the only losers would be CAS!  The workforce would still be here, minus the overpaid excess baggage of upper management.  We don't foresee another private contractor getting this contract.  SFO is the sixth largest airport in the country, and SFO would fit nicely into the TSA empire.  After all, we are TSA trained and certified and have worked closely with the local TSA managers at SFO.  Sounds like a perfect fit to us!

Why would the TSA expose themselves to the same low morale and unmotivated workforce that are inevitable with a private contractor?  As for the issue of our seniority not being recognized, we will  fight that battle also.  It is well worth the risk.


Wages:  It is true that there is a wage freeze for the TSA workforce, and that they have not received a raise in two years.  Even so, it would take us over 8 years at 2.1% to catch up to what they are making now. 

One final thought to leave you with:

The Department of Justice has determined that Covenant is in violation of USERRA.  This issue relates to the current and former members of the military who are part of the workforce.  Covenant has been discriminating against them when it comes to promotions and back pay.  When CAS talks about "Team SFO", they very conveniently have left out our veterans.

http://www.dol.gov/compliance/guide/userra.htm

Summary:  We are not "one" team, and we never have been!

These Are Your Rights...

according the the National Labor Relations Board.  With or without a union we do have rights under the National Relations Labor Act.

Don't feel that we need a union to make our wants and needs known to the company.


http://www.nlrb.gov/rights-we-protect/employee-rights

An Interesting Article About Union Dollars

This may come as an eye opener to some!

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/hot-dogs-slick-ads-unions-spent-4-4-151032009.html

The "Plank" Owners' Reward!

On October 27th of this year, CAS will be reaching a 10 year milestone
at SFO.  Those employees who have been here since 2002 are considered
to be senior employees and, as such, "Plank" owners. Under the terms
of the original Collective Bargaining Agreement -- which CAS never
thought they would reach -- once the Plank owners reached 10 years of
service, there would be an automatic increase in the PTO rate of
accrual.

Incumbent employees are already receiving the higher rate of accrued
PTO, which, from the information that they have provided to us, is
9.65 hours of PTO every pay period.  This translates into 250.9 hours
of PTO/sick time per year.

In a recent proposal made by the company, CAS wanted to change the
maximum allowance to 21 days of PTO plus 4 days of sick time per year,
for a grand total of 200 hours.

Somehow, CAS feels that the Plank owners should give back 50 hours of
the PTO that they have been waiting 10 years to receive.

Isn't it wonderful to be so appreciated?  Let us not forget: " it's
profit before product", and CAS is only in this for the money.

Once again CAS is targeting Plank owners.  Is there anyone out there
that cannot see this?  In the recent past we have seen multiple
Plank-owner firings, which CAS alleges were justified.

What say you?

And The Answer Is 20% !

The Question?  Just how much is the difference in pay that we receive compared to our TSA counterparts?

We have received and verified, from numerous sources, certain information that has come our way.  Raise your hand if you think that we are making more than our counterparts.

Keep in mind that we are working for a "For Profit Company" that puts profit before providing a top notch security product.  Keep in mind that we are working for a company that has mastered the art of sticking it to their employees.

TSA, Are You Watching?

Checkpoint lines are getting longer and so are the waiting times.  Checked baggage screening is also slowing down.  The workforce is absolutely fed up with CAS management and this is a way to display our displeasure.  At what point will you step in?

We, as a workforce stand united!  We don't need SEIU to speak for us. (And, we still feel that the cozy relationship that SEIU has with CAS is still in place.)

Here is the main reason that we believe this to be true.

For some time we have been insisting that this do nothing but take our dues union show that they are working for us.  We have been demanding that they not walk away from the bargaining table without getting "shift differential."  They know that we would and will be very critical of their lack of effort. 

Now, if CAS does convince the TSA to give them more money all these changes to our benefit packages will not take place.  If they do CAS will be out of compliance and will lose this contract.  Just picture how SEIU will take full credit for saving the status quo.  They no doubt will tell us that we should be happy and satisfied.  They will no doubt tell us that we "need" them and to please show our support by becoming full dues paying members once again. 

Just how dumb do they think we are?  They have done nothing since they have been here and it is now time to pay the piper!  SEIU--Take a hike!

Much has been written lately about....

the under reporting of security breaches by the TSA.  So, does what happened at Terminal 2 the other day fall into that category?  Just how much did CAS tell the local TSA?

CAS knows all too well that one of the ways it can lose this contract is by not being able to perform its responsibilities up to the TSA standards.  Just how much can they sweep under the rug?

Does anyone need anymore proof that...

a for profit company should not be running security operations at SFO? 

We have heard from both the checkpoint and baggage communities that CAS upper management has submitted a plan to reduce several of the benefits that are currently in place .

Isn't it nice to be so appreciated?  Isn't it nice to work for a company that puts making a "profit" their main focus?  Once again they have proven that, "they are just in it for the money."

Does anyone in upper management believe in our "mission"?  Have they ever believed in our mission?

CAS is overlooking how they are able to keep this contract for almost 10 years.  Is it their stellar management style?  Was it all their suggestions on how to improve security throughout the TSA?  Was it all the secret backroom meetings?  Just what was it?

Could it possibly have been the dedication and professionalism of the workforce?

What say you?

What are the real reasons?

Just why did both Gerry L. Berry of Winter Springs, Florida and Mindy Pengel step down on the same day?  There must be more to it.

Why did they leave well paying positions in the first place?  Does Gerry's golf game mean that much to him?  All this takes on added weight when the president of CAS steps down.

Now the question remains to be asked, " Will the man from Texas be next?"

Don't let him go before he pays his tab!

Keep An Eye on the Drive-Thru!

If I were a truthy TV newsman I would always keep things simple.  People understand McDonald's and Burger King.  These can be useful examples that are short and simple for illustrative purposes.

But what if the example is too clumsy?  What if in the current reality we really should be talking about Federal Burger vs. Subsidy Burger?  And what if everywhere Subsidy Burger went, people started thinking about filling their tummies at others' expense?

In February 2008, Missoula Airport wanted an answer to their most important question:

Part of the reason Missoula is entertaining the idea is because of an additional $90,000 expenditure that resulted from the airport's $4.3 million remodeling project, completed last April.
To alleviate congestion at the security screening area, an exit lane was placed farther from the checkpoint and needed a security guard. Staffing that post 16 hours a day tacked on an additional $90,000 expense for the airport.
If a private company took over the Missoula airport's security, the company would pick up that expense, said airport director Cris Jensen. But no one Tuesday could promise that would happen.
from Missoula airport officials put private security plan on hold, by Chelsi Moy
Read more: http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/article_de0ef19f-268f-5e7b-9ae8-bc9003b541f1.html#ixzz1sdJTfOb3

So what was the plan?  Get a large enough subsidy to turn around and subsidize others?  Did they think no one was watching the drive thru window?

It's just plain wrong to blame Pistole or the AFGE for holding up a hold up!