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Local 591 Administrative Executive Board Member Russ Dittmer
April 2022 Activities
Quick synopsis:
Scheduled meetings, teleconferences & calls include:
Weekly Executive Board teleconference, Monthly EAP/MAP Coordinator call, Bi-weekly ASAP/Safety Call, Friday President’s Call, Monthly Executive Board Meeting, Weekly Regional Representative meetings when invited.
Unscheduled meetings & teleconferences:
TWU Internal Organizing training, TWU EAP/MAP Training, DFW MRO Convention, Initial Line Maintenance Process Standards meeting with AA Director
Projects:
Assisting Pres. Schaible with campaigns and legislative efforts & efforts to reorganize the Association, Tracking JCBA questions/answers, Tracking Seniority Protests, Compiling Executive Committee and Full Negotiating Committee interpretation of JCBA language, Grievance tracking and management system updates and improvements, Tracking Art 33.B Presidential grievance evidence, Podcasts prep and recording.
Details:
I want to start by reminding you that at the beginning of April, I transitioned to my new role as your elected Administrative Executive Board Member. In doing so, many of my responsibilities have changed, and many have been handed off to my successor as AMT Executive Board Member Mark Erler. The most obvious change is that I will no longer be directly involved in grievance administration on a day-to-day basis, but I will continue to work to improve the grievance processing and tracking system, and I will continue to support those Representatives tasked with administering and resolving grievances on the day-to-day basis.
April was a fairly busy travel month for me. That travel started in DFW where I spent a great deal of time assisting with grievance and CBA administration challenges, and in my off hours took the opportunity to assist in coordinating the current efforts to internally reorganize the Association. I then flew to MIA last minute to attend the Workbrain (WB) Master Calendar beta-test and rollout. The next week, I was invited to and attended the TWU EAP Training in DFW. The last week of April I again flew to DFW to attend the MRO Convention.
The WB meetings I attended were focused on our on-going efforts to improve some functions within WB. The Master Calendar improvements have been in the works for quite some time, and we spent time with the SE Region Reps beta-testing and reviewing the newly created functions that are now rolling out. These Master Calendar improvements are intended to automate the DAT/Comp Day awarding process in compliance with the JCBAs, effectively removing WFA/management from most of the current process. JCBA Articles 23.N (M&R) and 23.M (MLS) spell out the time-frames for requesting a DAT/Comp Day and how those are to be awarded. Once your station is up and running, instead of paper and/or asking for the date to management, you simply submit an electronic request. At the designated JCBA time-frames, the DAT/Comp Days will be awarded in WB automatically. If there is an issue processing your request, you are still able to contact station management to resolve the issue. One facet I want to remind Members of. When you submit a request for a DAT/Comp to be awarded by Company Seniority, once that Company Seniority based window closes, if you were not awarded the requested DAT/Comp, you would then need to re-submit a new DAT/Comp Day request to be awarded on a first-come-first-serve basis. Please refer to your specific JCBA for the exact timeframes for your workgroup in Article 23.
I also attended the TWU Employee Assistance Program/Member Assistance Program (EAP/MAP) training in DFW. This was an excellent opportunity to gain greater insight into many of the EAP services available to our Members (and their families) who may be struggling with chemical issues, financial issues, mental challenges, and/or stress related issues. Suffice to say, it’s beyond clear that we at Local 591 have some of the best EAP/MAP Representatives in the nation, not just in the airline industry. Their vast experience in finding assistance for our Members and their people-skills are second to none. Please don’t hesitate if you feel you might benefit from speaking with one of our EAP/Benefits Coordinators or Peer-Coordinators. Their names and contact information are listed on our website at:
Last, I took time to take the opportunity to attend the MRO Convention in DFW as well in the context of observing and better understanding a number current and future CBA administrative challenges. The last MRO Convention I attended was in 2018 in MCO. Like in 2018, while we were walking the aisles, it was again stunning just how many vendors are seeking to take our work. Unfortunately, unlike the previous MRO, this time Aviation Week has not yet provided a usable breakdown of the vendors as it has in the past.
In 2018 I spoke about emerging technology of the Maintenance Inspection Drone that back then that was not ready for prime time (Local 591 Week 16 Re-Cap). At the DFW MRO we observed that drone aircraft maintenance inspection technology is moving a breakneck speed to further expedite maintenance inspection capabilities. These new drones, while inside the hangar (FAA regulations restrict this in open-air outside the hangars at this time) no longer even need a pilot, as they are now designed for fully autonomous flight. The vendor proudly asserted that, once airborne, these new drones are capable of inspecting an entire widebody aircraft, from the wings up, in about 45 minutes. He expanded that this would/could include such inspection details as measuring any hail damage for depth and width. Our JCBA Scope language still protects as our work the inspection and certification of the airworthiness of aircraft. We continue to monitor this advancing technology, and plan to work to incorporate additional CBA language protections in upcoming contract negotiations. Suffice to say, I am very grateful for the strong Scope language in our JCBAs, because it is very obvious that there are lot of companies out there who want our work.
In closing, we are already planning the third group of quarterly Membership meetings for 2022 in the five Local 591 Regions. These in-person meetings are your opportunity, away from the workplace, to get up-to-date information, and to discuss your questions, issues, concerns with those you elected to represent you. If you cannot attend, we plan to continue to provide a webinar Zoom based option as well. Watch for the posted meeting notices to register for the Zoom Webinar you might want to attend.
Fraternally
Russ Dittmer
Local 591 Administrative E-Board Member
russ.dittmer@local591.com
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