Local 512

October 18, 2025

My fellow 512 family,

As many of you are aware, American Airlines continues to experience significant operational disruptions at Chicago O’Hare. Recently, the company lost several gates to United Airlines, a decision that remains tied up in ongoing legal disputes.

United Airlines continues to expand its presence at O’Hare, shifting market power away from American Airlines. In the company’s infinite wisdom, American has chosen to respond to United’s aggressive growth with a pea shooter, increasing regional flying in Chicago. At the same time, United has its mainline domestic and international operations. This short-sighted strategy not only weakens America’s overall position at O’Hare but also places additional strain on the ground operation and our members who make it run.

This strain is leading to changes on the L-side, where regional flying gate requirements have been adjusted as American expands its taxi-in and taxi-out lines from one to two. Regional operations will also take over both the K4 and H5 ready rooms, forcing mainline crews to relocate from these areas and further complicating the already crowded workspace outside the gates. These changes are creating additional confusion and unnecessary tension among our workforce. 

In addition to these challenges, we continue to observe a significant lack of communication among the tower, customer care, and customer operations teams. This ongoing breakdown in coordination continues to create chaos in day-to-day operations, adding unnecessary stress for our members, who are doing everything possible to keep flights moving safely and efficiently. 

Due to these changes, your union has formally requested that the company scrap the current winter bid and restart a new one that accurately reflects the operational changes being discussed and implemented. It is unacceptable for management to move forward with outdated or incomplete information that directly impacts our members’ work schedules, assignments, and safety. Regardless of how the airlines reorganize, our commitment to defending Chicago jobs and maintaining O’Hare as a strong, unionized hub remains firm.

In other news, AA benefit enrollment will commence on November 3^rd and continue through November 19^th. There will be a benefits fair on November 4^th from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm in the ORD terminal. The company will release information on October 22, 2025. 

Customer Ops recently issued a memo that will be distributed to all frontline members this weekend. This same memo will also be added to the Learning Hub as a “Read and sign” acknowledgment for all operations personnel. 

The memo outlines new guidelines aimed at addressing ongoing equipment challenges while maintaining operational efficiency. We all understand that equipment and tractors remain extremely scarce on the ramp, and this continues to be a serious concern for our members. 

We want to remind everyone not to engage in disputes or altercations over equipment. It is the company’s responsibility to ensure that the necessary tools and vehicles are available for you to safely and effectively perform your duties. It is not worth risking your job over equipment shortages that management must resolve. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch with your stewards or the field office.

Sincerely and fraternally,

Juan Elvira

President – TWU Local 512

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