AMFAMAN said:
That's right union representation twu style..."that can do that brother". I guess you are correct.
You are probally also correct about being in denial. I thought almost 20 years ago that I was getting into a unionized profession. These days I'm surrounded by shop stewards and officers ratting members out and continously pumping me full of compAAny BS. :blink:
[post="278857"][/post]
From the "Lexicon of Labor"
company union- Sometimes called an "employee representation plan", it is a union in name only because it's fostered, financed and dominated by management to discourage a bona fide union from being organized. In effect the company negotiates with itself.
OK lets see how the TWU stacks up.
"fostered" by management, Well we saw how the company added the names of dead workers, retired workers and people who never worked for AA to prevent the vote. WE also see how the company and the TWU openly embrace each other in Tulsa where the President of the Local calls top manager "Brother".
"financed" by management. The company agreed to pay $3.1 million/year to the TWU so they could make having 24,000 members spread out between 20 locals economically feasible. By making the only part of the system where democratic accountability is in place, the only part where members have a say, small and weak, it makes the International more powerful.
"Dominated", Its no longer a secret that for several years before taking office in the TWU that Jim Little was AA management, as was his father in law.
So the TWU does meet the criteria of a company union.
During the Concessions of 2003 the negotiators spent all their time, on company property, negotiating between themselves. Jim Little dictated what they could or could not do.
THe TWU at AA is an organizition that is "fostered" by AA in that AA helps to prevent raids. They want to keep their union in place.
The TWU at AA is financed by the company. Without the $3.1 million most of the smaller Locals would not be viable. Presidents of small locals would no longer be able to be off the clock and still recieve a 40 hour paycheck. Facing the prospect of having to work alongside their members these Presidenbts, like Jack Madish, will do whatever Little tells them to do.
The TWU at AA is "dominated" by management. Not only is the head of the ATD who has complete control over our contract and can and has modified it at will, management but its been a long standing trend that former officers in the TWU who do not make it to the ultimate gravy train-The International, usually get taken in and given position in management.
The facts bear out that the TWU at AA is a union in name only. They are fostered by management, financed by management, and dominated by management. They have consistantly provided AA a labor cost advantage over its major competitors for at least 20 years. As a result the TWU has been rewarded by a quadrupling of its number of dues paying "members" from AMR. AA's company union is perhaps the best deal going since they have a company union where like retiree health care, medical benifits etc they have the employees themselves bearing most of the cost.
