Final Bargaining Session Set For Late October

Teamsters Local 1108 has given a green light to a strike authorization vote among its members who are the pilots employed by Flight Options LLC, the Cleveland-based provider of luxury business jet fractional ownership and charter programs. The Teamsters and Flight Options management have been in negotiations since June 2006 over a first contract for pilots.

The parties met in Washington, D.C. at the offices of the National Mediation Board (NMB) last week in an attempt to reach a complete agreement on remaining compensation, benefit and work rule provisions. No agreement was reached and the federal mediator assigned to the case has scheduled a final bargaining session October 26-31.

Under the Railway Labor Act, the NMB, the federal agency charged with administering that federal labor law, may declare that its mediation efforts failed to produce an agreement resulting in a proffer of voluntary binding arbitration as a last resort. If either management or the labor organization rejects the arbitration proffer, a 30-day cooling offer period is imposed, after which time the labor organization is free to strike the carrier absent intervention by the president of the United States.

"The International Brotherhood of Teamsters stands behind the Flight Options pilots 100 percent," said Capt. David Bourne, Teamsters Airline Division Director. "These negotiations have been going on for over three years. It's time our members get the contract they deserve."

Strike authorization ballots were sent to the union's membership Monday. Ballots will be counted at Local 1108's Richmond Heights, Ohio, offices on October 19.

"Local 1108 is ready to make a fair agreement with Flight Options management," said Capt. Mat Slinghoff, Local 1108 President. "A fair agreement requires industry standard scope protections, benefit security and compensation increases pilots need."

FMI: www.ibt1108.org, www.flightoptions.com