mechanics may be free to strike by Sept 17th

[jettek]

We realized that when we voted no. Joe Tobieri is a spokesman. Scotty Ford was in the room when the repercussions were explained to me. I voted in full knowledge of my decisions.
This vote was to give a free hand to the company to separate unskilled groups and get this airline finally in a position to make money.

 

[jettek]

Chip,
This seems to be the very problem with the other groups' understanding of the vote. These mechs voted to literally eliminate their own jobs in order to relieve ourselves of work r
rules the I.A.M. insists on maintaining even in bankruptcy!
We need only take a shallow look around to see where this industry is going. We can not subsidize unskilled workers any longer.
I personally watched a toothless ramp agent argue with The C.E.O. about a wage that is 25% above a starting mechanic.
Are they subjected to drug and alcohol testing and criminal liability as the licensed groups are?
I think not.
88% of the U.S. is without a union. Think about it.

 

[jettek]

[blockquote]
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On 9/7/2002 6:38:57 PM DB Cooper wrote:

The IAM is in a desperate fight to stave off extinction at U/UA. If the members at U were not adequately advised of the facts prior to the vote, the IAM was at fault. That is there function as a union, to inform the membership of ALL aspects of an agreement prior to a ratification vote. After the agreement was rejected, VP Roach claimed the IAM would defend your contract. Nonsense, the IAM has not aggressively defended an airline mechanics CBA at any major airline in over 20 years. The IAM has repeatedly agreed to concessions at EAL, TWA, UAL and USAirways. Last week, the IAM halted a ratification vote that was in progress at Boeing, citing a mandate from federal mediators to return to the bargaining table. Federal mediators claimed they had no binding authority to halt the vote and order the parties to resume negotiating.Mechanics at U/UA are determined to rid themselves of the IAM and their self serving agenda. Good Luck to all at USAirways.
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[/blockquote]
Here Here
We were in full knowledge of our vote. This is a bout protectionism by the I.A.M. on behalf of groups we did not want in our union in the first place.
We recognized we were heading down the same road as the extinct mega-carriers and will make every attempt to remedy the situation.
Just think the more we give the more you get! LOL nervously

 

[jettek]

[blockquote]
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On 9/7/2002 939 PM pitguy wrote:

Well get ready. Everyone I talk to at work says they are voting no again and others that voted yes are voting no too. So unless the union rigs the election (Which just might happen) it looks like the deal is going down again. Gee maybe then we can vote on it a 3rd time. Some folks just don't get it. No fair deal equals no yes vote. The line is drawn in the sand. Cry all you want it matters none to us.
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[/blockquote]
How many times is Scotty Ford going to tell me I don't get it before he finally gets it!
This is preservation of a skilled group by self sacrifice. Dave Siegel,please recognize that you need a skilled group to maintain this airline and take this oppurtunity to downsize the unskilled groups that we are forced to subsidize by the I.A.M.

 

[jettek]

This is an attempt to persuade an uninformed group to vote to save the unskilled clerks and utility personnel.
It is time for a change.
Vote with the conscience and memory of how long it took you to become certified to work on aircraft and finally get this airline job.

 

[jettek]

[blockquote]
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On 9/7/2002 6:38:57 PM DB Cooper wrote:

The IAM is in a desperate fight to stave off extinction at U/UA. If the members at U were not adequately advised of the facts prior to the vote, the IAM was at fault. That is there function as a union, to inform the membership of ALL aspects of an agreement prior to a ratification vote. After the agreement was rejected, VP Roach claimed the IAM would defend your contract. Nonsense, the IAM has not aggressively defended an airline mechanics CBA at any major airline in over 20 years. The IAM has repeatedly agreed to concessions at EAL, TWA, UAL and USAirways. Last week, the IAM halted a ratification vote that was in progress at Boeing, citing a mandate from federal mediators to return to the bargaining table. Federal mediators claimed they had no binding authority to halt the vote and order the parties to resume negotiating.Mechanics at U/UA are determined to rid themselves of the IAM and their self serving agenda. Good Luck to all at USAirways.
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[/blockquote]

 

[jettek]

[blockquote]
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On 9/7/2002 9:41:48 PM No Limit wrote:

That is how Eastern was but out of business the IAM going out on stike as the company was in bankruptcy. You would think people would learn!










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[/blockquote]
We can't strike people. Get educated on this thing. We are voting to give the company and not the union say on who gets the pay levels they deserve and who gets their overlapped work farmed out or picked up by other groups. We need look only to the creeping up of low frills and their ops.

 

[jettek]

We can not strike.
We voted a crap shoot to allow the airline to decide who their essential personnel would be.
Five minutes before arrival F/A's pick up the cabin.
Five minutes later if they attempt this they are mentioned in a grievance procedure.

 

[jettek]

[blockquote]
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On 9/7/2002 11:07:56 PM G4G5 wrote:

Chip,
"In today's economy with thousands of AMT's furloughed, we may be surprised at how many furloughed mainline and Express mechanics want to work at US."

What may surprise you even more is how many NEVER come back. I spent years getting my A&P. What I am realizing is that it is a skilled profession and in demand outside the commercial aviation market.

These are not pilots, in most cases they do not care about seniority. I have run into countless fellow graduates who say to me, leaving this best business is the best thing I ever did(he left engine overhaul for an elevator repair man, I have another who left line maint for commericial air conditioning, I could go on):
No weekends
No swing or grave yard shift
No working out doors in the winter
No hoidays
No bidding for vacation
Yada Yada.

It's alot different on that side of the fence. Pilots are not going to make the same salary anywhere else. A&P's can make equivalent wages on the outside and in most cases improve quality of life. You don't just look at what other airlines are paying, you are competing with the outside market place and this is something that most CEO's, including Dave, seem to forget. These guys will only cut so far and then say, "screw it, I can make the same money doing XXXX". Why put up with this business, especially today when you can buy a positive space ticket for the price of Non reving.

Dave needs to go back to the table or start thinking about finding his cuts someplace else or he better start getting his resume up to date. His problem is just like yours, to think that he will be able to find enough qualified Techs to run an airline is a bit absurd. So what if Delta/U/UAL is not hiring, Otis elevator is, and the bennies are better working for a division of United Technologies.

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[/blockquote]
This vote is not about keeping everyone. We will lose people and work. We will only maintain the pay levels we enjoy if we allow the company to farm out or transfer work to other groups and downsize the unskilled ranks within our union. We knew the road to which we were heading when the I.A.M. allowed the ramp in our union against our protests.

 

[nutzo]

[blockquote]
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On 9/8/2002 7:41:32 PM Lakeguy67 wrote:

Southwest does not do a Q, they do a D and it is vendored out, they now are doing some c-checks in house
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[/blockquote]
Not true friend. Let me break it down for you on the checks we do. We do our own 1/2 D and 1/4 D checks. We farm out our full D only. We of course also do our C,B and on down to overnight checks. We farm out our CFM overhaul. We have hangars and have our own shops in various cities and do all the normal shop work in house as well. Our AMTs work very hard both in the hangar and on the line. Also for the AMT asking about hiring, we are still hiring and have never stopped. We just had a guy start the other day at my station....on swing shift. Go to www.southwest.com and click careers and you will find info, hope this helps.

 

[t-man]

I heard a rumor that Southwest is gonna start doing their own Q-Checks because the vendors can't keep up to the work load.
Is this true or just another rumor.
I hope it is because that meens they will be hiring.

 

[t-man]

Thanks for the info everyone,
It's nice to know that there could a job for me if U folds.

 

[Lakeguy67]

Jettek, you need to get of your high horse and face reality. Airbus offers cradle to grave maintenance, there are MRO's all over the world that can accomplish overhaul of airplanes. Timco in GSO just got their certification for the A320 family. A A&P can be replaced just as easy as anyone else. And you are not counting the numerous a&p's all ready on layoff and the ones who will still stay employed at U for what ever the company sets their working conditions at. Also any a&p at any of the stations where we dont have mtc does your job when it is not minor mtc you file a grievance just like anyone else.

Southwest has more airplanes then we do, they have 1,200 mechanics, we are going to 279 A/C and we have 4,300 mechanics, do the math yourself, you are easily replaced just like anyone else. And as the tech at NWA where there DC10's get overhauled, I can tell you Singapore. Ask them why there ATL engine shop shut down and now they lease engines from UA's parked planes?

The only advice I have to offer you is if you live in a gl*** house you should not throw stones. Taking this offer is better then giving the company your job back on a silver platter for them to pick and choose what work they will do and what employees they will keep. It is easier to live to fight another day than to commit economic suicide.

 

[jettek]

[blockquote]
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On 9/8/2002 7:23:41 PM Lakeguy67 wrote:

Jettek, you need to get of your high horse and face reality. Airbus offers cradle to grave maintenance, there are MRO's all over the world that can accomplish overhaul of airplanes. Timco in GSO just got their certification for the A320 family. A A&P can be replaced just as easy as anyone else. And you are not counting the numerous a&p's all ready on layoff and the ones who will still stay employed at U for what ever the company sets their working conditions at. Also any a&p at any of the stations where we dont have mtc does your job when it is not minor mtc you file a grievance just like anyone else.

Southwest has more airplanes then we do, they have 1,200 mechanics, we are going to 279 A/C and we have 4,300 mechanics, do the math yourself, you are easily replaced just like anyone else. And as the tech at NWA where there DC10's get overhauled, I can tell you Singapore. Ask them why there ATL engine shop shut down and now they lease engines from UA's parked planes?

The only advice I have to offer you is if you live in a gl*** house you should not throw stones. Taking this offer is better then giving the company your job back on a silver platter for them to pick and choose what work they will do and what employees they will keep. It is easier to live to fight another day than to commit economic suicide.
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[/blockquote]
Lakeguy,
You couldn't have summed it up better. We did not vote for better job protection we voted for not subsidizing unskilled groups. thes guys voted knowing full well that they were eliminating their own jobs. Those of us that came from the other airlines remember some about fastest growing,up and coming and other addages. Does this sound vaguely familiar in these times. We maintained more with far less. It's a matter of senority as to what your perspective is.

 

[Lakeguy67]

Southwest does not do a Q, they do a D and it is vendored out, they now are doing some c-checks in house