Since my words seem to be of no substance or value to you, maybe you can see thru the eyes of someone who was at NW, Danny Campbell. It seems that NWA flight attendants were able to succeed in stopping Rich:
Danny Campbell (Detroit, MI) wrote2 hours ago
...From the very first DAY a contract is signed in our industry, the preparation and strategy for the next negotiations (even if that takes place 5 - 10 years down the road) begins....
Now, take for example, my statement that Richard Anderson was DIRECTLY INVOLVED in the negotiations of the mechanics contract - and the plans laid to outsource their jobs. First, it should not be a stretch for you to believe this statement - because guess what? HE WAS OUR CEO DURING THESE NEGOTIATIONS. Richard was appointed CEO in early 2001 and presided over the strategy that resulted in an agreement being reached with the AMFA represented mechanics in mid 2001. Do you care to dispute that? Do you care to dispute that the agreement reached loosened their job protection language and eventually resulted in 1/2 of their jobs being eliminated? Or, is it your position that poor Richard had no idea what was agreed to in those negotiations WHEN HE WAS CEO and he had NO PLANS to outsource their jobs (while fighting at the bargaining table to reduce their job protections)? I mean, is that your position?
Now, let's take our own FA contract negotiations, shall we? Our last contract was signed in June 2000 - with a duration of 5 years (set to expire 5/31/2005) . Richard Anderson (again) came on as our CEO in early 2001 (when I was President of our union, mind you). In 2002 (just one year after being CEO), Richard attempted to get us to 'open' our contract for re-negotiation. We declined. He attempted again in 2003, 2004 and shortly before he left the Company to go to United Health. Now, during the notices he issued to the union of the parts of the contract he wanted to open for negotiation, he included Section 1 (Scope). Well, guess what? Scope is the section of the contract that protects our jobs from outsourcing. Now why would he want to open that section of our contract, if he didn't have the same plan to outsource our jobs (that he had just accomplished with the mechanics)? Since you seem to understand this process better than I do, perhaps you can explain what his attempts were? It was not until late 2005 when the union agreed to begin negotiations did we FINALLY see what their full strategy was. It was to outsource 75% of ALL international flights to low-cost, non-union, non-American workers....which amounts to about 40% of the entire workforce. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand what the 'intents' were of Anderson, Steenland and others....or perhaps it does? Strategic decisions about what to target in negotiations are made YEARS in advance - they don't come up overnight (like your insinuation that Steenland just thought of this one day and it appeared in a proposal). Anyone who understands the process knows that isn't what happens. Likewise, the same thing happens on OUR side of the table in negotiations. Almost immediately upon a contract being put in place, we begin to target those areas we want improved upon. So, you see, the process does not involve 'radical last minute' strategies. NWA had spent years costing out their proposal and knew LONG BEFORE they came to the bargaining table how much it would costs to replace us with foreign workers in Asia, India and other locations.
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