Local 512

March 7, 2026

My fellow 512 family,

I’d like to take a moment to thank our Vice President, Mike Szwed, for stepping up and handling last week’s weekly update while I was attending the Future Leaders Organizing Committee meeting in Los Angeles with Local 502.

Mike’s leadership and willingness to step in when needed are exactly what keep Local 512 moving forward. He’s an invaluable part of this local, and I appreciate the work he continues to do for our members.

I want to share an update on an issue affecting flight operations at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The FAA is currently dealing with a shortage of air traffic controllers in the Chicago area. Because of this, the FAA is considering limiting the number of flights arriving and departing from O’Hare to ensure operations remain safe.

As you know, O’Hare is one of the busiest airports in the country and a major hub for American Airlines and United Airlines. Any changes to flight schedules could impact how the airlines operate and plan their daily schedules.

Illinois leaders are getting involved to address the issue. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth are asking the FAA to add more air traffic controllers to the Chicago area so O’Hare can continue handling the number of flights it currently operates.

For now, this situation is still being discussed, and no final decisions have been made. We will continue to monitor this closely and keep you informed of any changes that could affect operations or staffing.

This week, we met with tower management to discuss the push-and-pull program and the possibility of restarting it for spring and summer operations.

Management believes that bringing this program back will help increase aircraft movement in and out of our terminal and improve overall traffic flow. During the meeting, we discussed procedures, including when the operation should and should not be performed, as well as safety considerations for the crews involved.

These discussions are ongoing as both sides work through the details to ensure everything is properly in place before the program moves forward. Once we receive more finalized information, we will make sure to pass that along to the membership so everyone understands how this will operate through the spring and summer. There will also be training scheduled to refresh crews on push-and-pull procedures. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your local officers or the field office.

We want to raise a few issues we discussed in previous weekly updates regarding crew staffing at the gates.

As a reminder, the base crew structure is 3 plus 1, and the language is in the ROM. Recently, we have been seeing some pushback from lower-level managers who, when short-staffed or dealing with issues, are trying to keep operations going with two-person crews. That is not acceptable, and we continue to address this with the company.

Upper-level management has stated that this should not be happening, but we are still seeing it occur, and in some cases, on a daily basis. This needs to stop.

We understand that there are late calls and situations where a gate may temporarily be down a person. In those cases, management may need to replace that crew member quickly with an ABR support person. There should be no long-term shortage for the gate crew. If the Crew Chief does not receive a response from their CSM regarding a replacement, please report it to us immediately.

What’s important is that we stand together when these issues arise, especially when crews are being pushed to work with only two people.

Many of you remember that post-COVID we operated with four-person crews, and in many ways that structure helped provide better control at the gate, especially with heavier flights and a larger schedule. Gate manning was the norm and should be re-implemented, as dynamic manning has been troublesome and out of control. 

We understand that the company is trying to save money, but it should not be on the backs of its front-line workforce. It should provide the tools and manpower to deliver the excellent service our passengers have been accustomed to in the past. 

Sincerely and fraternally,

Juan Elvira

President – TWU Local 512

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