Kevin Carney — District 6 Representative

Read it, Know it

Many of you won’t think that this article pertains to you. You may decide to just glance at it and go to the next one. That’s fine. I understand that you might not think retirement medical coverage concerns you at all. But it does in a couple of ways. Recently a fellow 63 years old agent retired, planning on using the new retiree medical coverage that was added to the contract in 2009. Unfortunately he didn’t thoroughly look at Article 26. Yes he is 63 years old. Yes he had several hundred hours of sick time saved up to convert to medical insurance until he was 65. No he didn’t have fifteen years of service— only 14 years and seven months. And so he did not get medical insurance until age 65—a contractual benefit he would have had if he’d worked for 15 years or more—just five more months. You didn’t know about converting your sick time to medical insurance when you retire? Take a look at Article 26 in the contract. There are several options in that article ranging from retiring at age 55 and getting full medical insurance coverage (until 65 by converting sick time to months of coverage) to retiring at 61½ and paying premiums. And while retirement may be years or even decades away for you, it is still a contractual right that you have, one that you should be aware of in case the company tries to negotiate it away. What does that have to do with you? For one thing, did you know about that contractual benefit? How many other benefits in the contract that you are not aware of? As always, I encourage you to read the contract. It may help you or you may help a fellow member with your contractual knowledge. It is a document that governs our working life here at Southwest Airlines. How often you bid, the ten hour rest rule, jury duty, when you are supposed to have breaks and lunches, how shift trades work, the 12 day rule are all found in Article 6, Section 1 of Article 6 that is. Section 2 of Article 6 deals with relief agents. The contract probably contains things you’ve never heard of unless you’ve taken the time to read it: things that can be beneficial to you and others just by being aware of them. I’m not suggesting memorizing the entire contract. There are no points for that. But rather, know what is in there and what isn’t. That way you can look it up when you need the information. And it will help you make an informed decision when there finally is a tentative agreement. Because at some point, Southwest Airlines will come to their collective senses and begin to earnestly negotiate a contract worthy of the most productive work force in the airline industry. When that happens, if you are already wellversed with the current contract, you will be better prepared to understand how the proposed changes affect you. You will be able to discuss the various changes with other members and employees and to make an informed decision. Finally, I encourage everyone to participate in the station representative elections. The men and women who take on these positions provide an incredible service to the membership. Many if not all sacrifice their own time in this service. So make sure you vote, congratulate those who get elected, and thank those who have served.

If you need to reach Kevin please call him at (214)298-5405 or via e-mail at kevin.carney@twu555.org