Afa: March On Washington!

[SKY HIGH]

APFA to join AFA for White House vigil

The Association of Flight Attendants has gotten everyone's attention with its plan for nationwide strikes if any single airline abrogates an AFA contract, as both United Airlines and US Airways propose to do.


Another union, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents attendants at American Airlines, notified its members over the weekend that anyone who is free to do so is asked to fly to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Dec. 14, to join other flight attendants for a solidarity march and candlelight vigil at Lafayette Park across from the White House.

"We will be standing together to show our support for both the United and US Airways flight attendants who are currently struggling to protect and preserve their contracts," said APFA President Tommie Hutto-Blake. "The United and US Airways flight attendants need our help!"

US Airways and United Airlines are both in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and a bankruptcy judge has the legal power to set aside union contracts.

The next legal step in the drama will come on Thursday of this week when US Airways will appear in bankruptcy court in Alexandria, Va., to ask the court to impose wage and benefit cuts to save it $1 billion a year. However, the judge is not expected to rule until January, while the judge in the United Airlines bankruptcy is not expected to rule until February.

The Association of Flight Attendants, which represents attendants at Hawaiian Airlines, Aloha Airlines and ATA Airlines, has indicated that it will deploy job actions across the nation without necessarily making any prior announcement.

 

[PITbull]

I'm not sure...but I think we are all suppose to be there.

I have to check and get back to you all..

Great idea, I don't think we thought of it...but Hell...

We're going..

Please call the PIT office to sign up...and also the MEC office

 

[Jennyann]

YES!!!!!!! We all must go! Please keep all of us posted on this!!!

 

[Jennyann]

Bob....Please try and be reasonable......This is not about upsetting the "general public", but we must fight for our livelihood !!! Enough is enough!
We continue to give and give and give......Well GIVE us a break already!!!
We all care about our customers A LOT!!!!
I'm confident they'll understand our position here!!!!!

 

[daybeforecommuter]

Jenny...surely you jest...the people who live in the white house do not care about you...They have already abandoned you. I believe they would rather see you desperate and willing to JOIN UP than anything. Go march....Ive been to Washington and marched...in the end it did no good. Chin up, things are gonna get better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Jennyann]

Jenny...surely you jest...the people who live in the white house do not care about you...They have already abandoned you. I believe they would rather see you desperate and willing to JOIN UP than anything. Go march....Ive been to Washington and marched...in the end it did no good. Chin up, things are gonna get better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[post="204576"][/post]​

I'm not "desperate" at all. Conviction is the right word here. And since I live right down the road from the"ranch".....I'd watch your assumptions if I were you.

 

[daybeforecommuter]

Well, Jenny, why dont you MARCH right up there now...knock on the gate or door or secret service agent and tell them what a fool you have been debating with on the INTERNETS....I'm sure they'll be glad to hear from a home town gal like yourself....and ask them about the OIL thing while you're at it. Like you said, "I'm sure they'll understand our point of view!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ask his dad about the bin Laden family....ask his brother about the election in 00. They'll give you the truth. and tend to your needs as a happy yet disenfranchised worker....Go March, hon....and keep on trekkin. Money....true, big time money is a powerful and scary thing....You having to work for it is not in the Bush vocabulary. GO. MARCH.

 

[firstamendment]

Well, Jenny, why dont you MARCH right up there now...knock on the gate or door or secret service agent and tell them what a fool you have been debating with on the INTERNETS....I'm sure they'll be glad to hear from a home town gal like yourself....and ask them about the OIL thing while you're at it. Like you said, "I'm sure they'll understand our point of view!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ask his dad about the bin Laden family....ask his brother about the election in 00. They'll give you the truth. and tend to your needs as a happy yet disenfranchised worker....Go March, hon....and keep on trekkin. Money....true, big time money is a powerful and scary thing....You having to work for it is not in the Bush vocabulary. GO. MARCH.

[post="204581"][/post]​

Hey Jen
I think he might have a point there.I marched in DC and all I got out of it was a boyfriend with a really bad drug problem.

 

[TheLazarusman]

Hey Jen
I think he might have a point there.I marched in DC and all I got out of it was a boyfriend with a really bad drug problem.

[post="204592"][/post]​

It must be something in the water. I marched on DC also; and all it got me was my best friend, a fellow USAirways coworker no less, sleeping with my first wife when I wasn't there. She eventually left me for him. Marching on DC doesn't do any good. You get a little bit of press; but mostly they just sit in the ivory tower and point, whisper, and laugh.

Well, Jenny, why dont you MARCH right up there now...knock on the gate or door or secret service agent and tell them what a fool you have been debating with on the INTERNETS....I'm sure they'll be glad to hear from a home town gal like yourself....and ask them about the OIL thing while you're at it. Like you said, "I'm sure they'll understand our point of view!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ask his dad about the bin Laden family....ask his brother about the election in 00. They'll give you the truth. and tend to your needs as a happy yet disenfranchised worker....Go March, hon....and keep on trekkin. Money....true, big time money is a powerful and scary thing....You having to work for it is not in the Bush vocabulary. GO. MARCH.

[post="204581"][/post]​

You're still having a hard time getting rid of your Ketchup Man and Tomato Boy for President posters and banners; aren't you? Call Michael Moore and go have a beer; you can cry in it together.
People talk about solidarity among union members; regardless of what airline we work for. How about solidarity for the nation. The dog and pony show is over. It was over November 3rd in the wee hours of the morning. Your candidate was gracious in his defeat; why can't you be? It's time to stop bashing Dubya Bush; at least until this term of office is over. Then you can trash him all you want and I'll probably do some trashing too. But for now, how about a little national solidarity. How about getting behind the man; and let's all work together to get the changes made that need to be made to make our country and our economy strong again. Until then, let your war 'hero' ride off in to the sunset. You play nicey nicey with George Dubya and I'll start allowing Heinz products in my house again. Deal?

 

[local 12 proud]

hey Lazaursman, at least you got one GOOD thing accomplished by marching in DC! you got rid of a cheating spouse and your probably much better for it

 

[aislehopper]

To quote Pat Friend in her Address to the CWA Convention Upon Being Sworn in as the First afa Vice President of CWA and Executive Board Member

"Together we can turn back corporate attacks on our contracts. Together we can defeat attacks on our pensions and health care benefits, and, together, we can remove George Bush from the White House. "

With rhetoric like this, I doubt that the afa-CWA is going to have much of an "in" with the Bush administration.

ah

 

[firstamendment]

hey Lazaursman, at least you got one GOOD thing accomplished by marching in DC! you got rid of a cheating spouse and your probably much better for it

[post="204604"][/post]​

True, All I got was indebt and the reality that I was much more codependant than I thought...not to mention the therapy bills.

 

[TheLazarusman]

hey Lazaursman, at least you got one GOOD thing accomplished by marching in DC! you got rid of a cheating spouse and your probably much better for it

[post="204604"][/post]​

Yeah, I had to declare bankrupcy after she left me with my "half" of the bills; but all in all I think I got the better end of the deal. She ended up leaving my supposed "best friend" about three years later; so I didn't take it personal. LOL....
I met somebody else, that didn't work either; but I got a beautiful son out of the deal.

Yeah, whenever I make trips to Crystal City weird things happen in my life.

Hey, anybody want to march on DC?
ROFL..

 

[SKY HIGH]

I'm generally supportive of these types of things but I'm confused as to what the objective is other than to generate publicity for your position.

Sky High states: Let's not forgot how AFA took the smoking ban issue to Capital Hill in 1988? That "publicity" lobbied in front of Congress resulted in SMOKE FREE flights. AFA has a LONG HISTORY of taking their issues before Capital Hill. Why not this one?

 

[PHL]

I guess all the other people in this country who earn under $15/hour should join the march too. I mean, why would anyone give special attention to flight attendants when there are many professions/jobs out there paying the same or lower than what the proposed wage cuts would bring? Flight attendants have an important job, no doubt. But, so does that burger flipper at McDonalds and the stock clerk at Wal-Mart. At the end of the day we're all just cogs in someones big machine.

People increase their income by working in a job that's got two important attributes:

1.) skilled - does it require specialized skills that are not easily acquired? A doctor requires many years of medical school and residency and a specialized knowledge of the human body. This is not something that can be learned in a 6 week training course.

2.) demand - Is there a low number of people out there who could do your job if you got hit by a bus tomorrow? Demand and pay are directly proportional. If there are 50 people who could step in when you get hit by that bus, then the answer is low demand (i.e. low pay). If there weren't a lot of people out there who could or would take your job, then the demand is higher and therefore airlines would pay more to reain you. Unfortunately, to many people outside the industry, there is still perception that being a flight attendant could be an exciting job. So, the applications will continue to flood HR depts of every airline - whether or not you march.

Marching on Washington will certainly get you a 2 minute news clip on the major media outlets, but it will be forgotten by the next morning.

And when the airline liquidates because of a workforce walkout, people will remember USAirways for about 2 days before they re-allign their travelling with another carrier. There are many, many airline liquidation stories that all have a similar ending. All the grandstanding by labor groups won't make USAirways' any different.