National

Mark H. Ayers, president of the AFL-CIO’s Building and Construction Trades Dept. (BCTD), died suddenly early on April 8 in Washington, D.C., a department spokesman has confirmed. No details were released on the cause or circumstances of his death. Ayers, who had been in the role since 2007, was 63 years old. … Read More

The parent of American Airlines on Tuesday sought bankruptcy court approval to throw out labor contracts, a move that puts new pressure on pilots, flight attendants and other unionized workers to quickly agree to concessions.

Chief Executive Tom Horton said in a letter to employees that the “best outcome” remains negotiated settlements, and promised to continue working with unions toward that end.

All contracts will remain in effect while the New York bankruptcy court considers the company’s request. … Read More

American Airlines is warning its unions that it could ask the bankruptcy court to settle contract negotiations if they are not able to do so on their own, Reuters reported.

The airline, whose parent company AMR filed for Chapter 11 protection on Nov. 29, is trying to negotiate deals to reach cost savings targets.

“Time is running out for union leaders to be a collaborative part of the solution,” AMR said in a negotiations update on Friday, according to Reuters.

The airline is negotiating with unions representing flight attendants, ground workers and pilots. But the negotiations have gotten particularly tense with the airline’s pilots’ union. The union last week said American was showing little interest in reaching consensual deals with its employees.

The airline has said it prefers consensual deals, but that it needed to reach agreements within a matter of weeks.

“American continues to negotiate with all of our unions as part of the Chapter 11 reorganization process. We remain hopeful of a consensual agreement,” American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith told Today in the Sky on Tuesday morning.

The carrier has said it needs to cut about 4,600 mechanics and related jobs, about 4,200 fleet service workers, about 2,300 flight attendants, about 1,400 management and support staff and about 400 pilots, Reuters reported.

Source: USA TODAY

General Motors Co said  it will end traditional defined benefit pension plans for its U.S. white-collar employees, seen as consistent with its goal of lowering pension risk for investors.

The move comes the day before GM reports fourth-quarter earnings, which are expected to show the weakest profit since the No. 1 U.S. automaker’s post-bankruptcy IPO in late 2010. … Read More

A National Labor Relations Board case involving a dispute between the owner of a New York City housing complex and union workers at the site has become the latest potential test of whether President Barack Obama’s recess appointments violate the U.S. Constitution.

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More than 700 Teamster pipeline construction workers across the country are preparing to strike after negotiations failed with the Pipe Line Contractors Association (PLCA). The strike started with about 200 Teamsters in Pennsylvania and West Virginia walking off the job. More in other locations are to follow.

The  workers perform the  driving tasks related to hauling and laying pipe at pipeline construction sites. The National Pipe Line Agreement between the Teamsters and the PLCA expired Jan. 31, 2011, but was extended twice, ultimately expiring on Dec. 31, 2011.

The two sides disagree over the PLCA’s desire to move Teamsters into a 401(k) savings plan and ultimately eliminate all traditional defined benefit pensions.

While top National Basketball Players Association officials were trying Thursday to establish a convincing sense of unity heading into this weekend’s resumption of labor negotiations with the league, another group of players was laying the groundwork for the decertification of the union, according to sources briefed on those discussions.

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Now Ford must await membership’s approval of its tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers.

That approval is generally expected, despite pockets of resistance among some of Ford’s 41,000 hourly workers. The tentative agreement was announced on Tuesday.

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Like the deal reached last week with General Motors (GM), the United Auto Workers’ tentative four-year agreement with Ford(F) is focused on creating new jobs in this country.

Ford and the UAW announced Tuesday they reached a tentative agreement that includes 12,000 hourly jobs in U.S. manufacturing facilities by 2015, including jobs moved from Mexico, China and Japan. That is 5,750 more jobs than the 7,000 Ford previously said it would add by the end of 2012.

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Defense contractor Oshkosh Corp and the United Auto Workers union reached tentative agreement on a new five-year contract late Thursday night after resolving issues related to hiring temporary workers, a local UAW official said.

The pact will be voted on Saturday by about 3,000 workers in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Last week, UAW workers overwhelmingly turned down Oshkosh’s first contract offer, largely because of language related to the hiring of temporary workers. … Read More