APFA statement on AFL-CIO ruling in PFAA representational election

[justanadd]

APFA Supports NWA Flight Attendants Right to Choose Representation
For Immediate Release

Euless, TX (May 30, 2006) -Responding to the recent ruling of an AFL-CIO subcommittee to limit the Northwest Flight Attendants’ choice of representation, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) issued the following statement:

“First of all, our hearts go out to the Northwest Flight Attendants who are weathering a multi-crisis that can only be called the perfect storm. Not only are they in the gut-wrenching throes of voting for a restructured contract in bankruptcy, they must also make serious decisions regarding their future representation.

On the heels of the contract vote, there will be two concurrent ballotings: the NMB election between their own independent union, PFAA, and CWA-AFA, and a constitutional referendum to affiliate with TWU as unanimously recommended by the entire PFAA leadership.

We, at APFA, take issue with the obvious fact that the AFL-CIO ruling has seemingly ignored the recommendation of the current collective bargaining agent for the Northwest Flight Attendants.

Of utmost concern is that the Northwest Flight Attendants participate in all of the elections, as there is a real risk of being de-certified and being left with no union or labor representation at all during a most critical time in their history. In conformance with the federal labor rules, 50% plus one must vote in the NMB election or the Northwest Flight Attendants will have no union certified.â€￾

[/b]The Leadership of PFAA ignores their membership on a daily basis[/b] The sooner they are kicked out the better! Adding the name TWU will not change anything.

 

[NewHampshire Black Bears]

I can remember(not so long ago) when THB was the "breath of fresh air" needed to #### can John Ward.

Was there a "specific time, or Issue" that took place, when AA finally "got to her" ???????

Also, what/where is John Ward flying these days ??
How "heavy" was the CRAP that he "justifiably" got hit with, when he returned to flying the line ??

NH/BB's

 

[Nor'Easta]

Also, what/where is John Ward flying these days ??

He is IDF (DFW Intl') based. He cut his hair and had a new look.

 

[Bob Owens]

The APFA was formed when the rank and file Flight Attendants at American Airlines voted out their Collective Bargaining agent, the TWU.

So the TWU was not good enough for AA flight attendants but its good enough for NWA flight attendants?

Does THB think that things have gotten better since they left? If so then why doesnt she move to have the APFA dissoved back into the TWU?

You never know, once she looks at the LM-2s and sees what the TWU pays officials she might, like the leaders of the PFAA, who apparently are looking out for their futures should NWA disappear. Hey it worked for Kerrigan-Pan Am, Bakala- Pan Am, Peggy Olstien-Eastern, the entire executive board of Local 504-all ex-Pan Am and many others.These people got into the International, some over 30 years ago, the company where they worked and all their coworkers are long gone but they get to sit back in a small union collecting huge salaries.

While I can agree with her statement that the Flight Attendants should be allowed to choose and that they should vote, I disagree with her support of the PFAA board and their decision to push their members into a union that has nothing to offer the membership. Clearly the leadership of the PFAA has abandonded their membership and has their eyes fixed on those six figure TWU paychecks. Why else would they choose a union that the flight attendants at AA rejected and reject the AFA?

She should be trying to unite her profession. Not trying to get them into a union controlled by someone from AA management.

The APFA short sightedly rebuffed NWA flight attendants a few years ago when they first sought to leave the IBT just as the AFA rejected the AA flight attendants when they decided to rid themselves of the TWU. To me the AFA, being that they are a union for flight attendants, should have been permitted to organize all the flight attendants in the industry and the other unions that represented flight attendants should do what they often tell their members to do, be willing to make sacrifices for the betterment of all.

To me the PFAA boards decision to affiliate with a small union like the TWU that has lead the industry in concessions for two decades could only be attributed to the fact that should the TWU pick up a few thousand more members, those same leaders would be handsomely rewarded, however if they go into the AFA the best they could ever hope for is a position in a much lower paying union.

On another note THBs apparent support of the TWU may come back to haunt her. Lets say that as rumored AA buys NWA, if the TWU was representing the flight attendants at NWA they would use that in order to justify a raid on the APFA. In this case the TWU would have the election even if there was a risk that the AA flight attendants could end up non union. Hell look at all the trouble they gave the IAM at USAIR just a few short years after the IAM bowed out at TWA and gave the TWU 7000 more members! The only reason why the TWU bowed out was because both were in the AFL-CIO, the APFA is not affiliated, no such coutresy would be extended to the APFA, in fact Jim Little told me not to support the APFA when they were doing informational picketing a few years back, he said "Its not our fight", of course I did it anyway.

Jim Little is for all intensive purposes not only the President of the TWU but he is also one of the most effective managers that American Airlines has. His signature, without membership ratification, of the most massive concessions package in history, saved AA more money than any other executive at the company. His interest in NWA likely stems from inside information as to AA intentions towards NWA.

 

[TWU informer]

As if anyone on the industry even cares what APFA has to say on the matter, or better yet, does the statement make an ounce of difference?

The APFA pulls out of "working together" with AA, the TWU still licks the boot, and now here comes the APFA defending the bootlicking TWU. What a two faced farce.

 

[FA Mikey]

The APFA was formed when the rank and file Flight Attendants at American Airlines voted out their Collective Bargaining agent, the TWU.

So the TWU was not good enough for AA flight attendants but its good enough for NWA flight attendants?

Thatsnot what the statement says.

While I can agree with her statement that the Flight Attendants should be allowed to choose and that they should vote, I disagree with her support of the PFAA board and their decision to push their members into a union that has nothing to offer the membership. Clearly the leadership of the PFAA has abandonded their membership and has their eyes fixed on those six figure TWU paychecks. Why else would they choose a union that the flight attendants at AA rejected and reject the AFA?

Because AFA is not any better than the worthless union you are all trying to dump. AFA has not delivered or stood up for any group. They made great headlines in trying to boycott a hollywood flick and nearly sent themselves in to recievership trying to again and again organize DAL.

The APFA short sightedly rebuffed NWA flight attendants a few years ago when they first sought to leave the IBT just as the AFA rejected the AA flight attendants when they decided to rid themselves of the TWU.

Never heard anyone speak of AA FA's trying to get with AFA. Where did you hear that, sounds interesteing especially as to who was involved.

To me the AFA, being that they are a union for flight attendants, should have been permitted to organize all the flight attendants in the industry and the other unions that represented flight attendants should do what they often tell their members to do, be willing to make sacrifices for the betterment of all.

We dont all march to the same drummer. Most of our members do not now nor have they ever wanted to be part of a money sucking international.

On another note THBs apparent support of the TWU may come back to haunt her.

Her support of the current union and the opportunity of all NWA crew members."On the heels of the contract vote, there will be two concurrent ballotings: the NMB election between their own independent union, PFAA, and CWA-AFA, and a constitutional referendum to affiliate with TWU as unanimously recommended by the entire PFAA leadership.

We, at APFA, take issue with the obvious fact that the AFL-CIO ruling has seemingly ignored the recommendation of the current collective bargaining agent for the Northwest Flight Attendants.

Of utmost concern is that the Northwest Flight Attendants participate in all of the elections to be able to vote on all representaion"

Lets say that as rumored AA buys NWA, if the TWU was representing the flight attendants at NWA they would use that in order to justify a raid on the APFA. In this case the TWU would have the election even if there was a risk that the AA flight attendants could end up non union. Hell look at all the trouble they gave the IAM at USAIR just a few short years after the IAM bowed out at TWA and gave the TWU 7000 more members! The only reason why the TWU bowed out was because both were in the AFL-CIO, the APFA is not affiliated, no such coutresy would be extended to the APFA, in fact Jim Little told me not to support the APFA when they were doing informational picketing a few years back, he said "Its not our fight", of course I did it anyway.

Jim Little is for all intensive purposes not only the President of the TWU but he is also one of the most effective managers that American Airlines has. His signature, without membership ratification, of the most massive concessions package in history, saved AA more money than any other executive at the company. His interest in NWA likely stems from inside information as to AA intentions towards NWA.

APFA is strong enough to stand on its own, against the TWU, AFA or what ever other money sucking international is looking to add to its rolls. There is little chance of AA-NWA and even in the million to one shot. The APFA members out number the NWA group 2to1.

 

[Bob Owens]

Never heard anyone speak of AA FA's trying to get with AFA. Where did you hear that, sounds interesteing especially as to who was involved.

Years back one of the founding members of the APFA met with mechanics who were exploring their options as far as what to do about representation, I believe it may have been in 1997. She relayed to the members that one of the mistakes that they made was not trying to get affiliated with the AFL-CIO. She also said that they were told they could not go from the TWU into the AFA because of AFL-CIO affiliation.

APFA is strong enough to stand on its own, against the TWU, AFA or what ever other money sucking international is looking to add to its rolls. There is little chance of AA-NWA and even in the million to one shot. The APFA members out number the NWA group 2to1.

Oh really? How many members do you have out on the street, including TWA? They all count. So would the laid off NWA attendants. Lets say that most of them dont vote, which is very likely, and around the same percentage that votes in your election of officers votes, it could be very close. Lets say enough people dont vote either way, well Little just did AA management another favor by having the Flight Attendants at AA become non-union, do you think he would care? He would love to see a non-affilited union fail. Like I told you before he told us not to support you guys when you were doing informational picketing, but we did anyway. He said "Its not our fight" and "they are not affiliated"(with the AFL-CIO). The AFL-CIO would not step in like they did at USAIR because you guys are not affiliated, as far as they are concerned you are non-union already. So Little would have nothing to lose by pushing for a representational vote, in 2 out of 3 possible outcomes (1- TWU wins, 2-the flight attendants become non-union and 3-the APFA wins) he wins.

 

[FA Mikey]

Assuming AA took every NWA employee and every exTW FA voted against APFA. We still have a larger voting block.

I am happy not to be aprt of the AFL-CIO. I can live and if need be die with out there support. Any action is and will be our own. We must be able to stand on our own.

 

[eolesen]

While I'm not in APFA, didn't the AFL-CIO step up to the plate to assist APFA despite their being a non-affiliated union? I'm sure there are a few people around here who think they're simply evil for not standing up more for the NWA mechanics, yet if they were willing to assist APFA, affiliation doesn't matter when it is for a cause aligned with their overall goals.

 

[Hackman]

While I'm not in APFA, didn't the AFL-CIO step up to the plate to assist APFA despite their being a non-affiliated union? I'm sure there are a few people around here who think they're simply evil for not standing up more for the NWA mechanics, yet if they were willing to assist APFA, affiliation doesn't matter when it is for a cause aligned with their overall goals.

No your not in any union, your in management. Why do you care who the useless afl-cio backs? If anyone is on the evil side, its your friends in management running the airlines into the ground. While they are constantly blaming "labor costs", they stuff their pockets with millions in pay, bonuses, untouchable retirement plans, and stock options. :down:

 

[eolesen]

No your not in any union, your in management. Why do you care who the useless afl-cio backs? If anyone is on the evil side, its your friends in management running the airlines into the ground. While they are constantly blaming "labor costs", they stuff their pockets with millions in pay, bonuses, untouchable retirement plans, and stock options. :down:

How 'bout staying on the topic, instead of turning to personal attacks that really serve no purpose?

Then again, that does seem to be preferred way of diverting attention away from topics which cast AMFA in a poor light, instead of addressing the tougher question of why the AFL-CIO left AMFA to twist in the wind.

 

[MiAAmi]

How 'bout staying on the topic, instead of turning to personal attacks that really serve no purpose?

Then again, that does seem to be preferred way of diverting attention away from topics which cast AMFA in a poor light, instead of addressing the tougher question of why the AFL-CIO left AMFA to twist in the wind.

Sorry if this is off topic but, do you think management deserves millions in bonuses while the company is still losing money? American agrees to pay Miami/Dade millions to take over the expansion of MIA because American mis-managed the project. I'm sure they are not worried about the bonuses because they can always come back to labor to cover the costs.

 

[Hackman]

How 'bout staying on the topic, instead of turning to personal attacks that really serve no purpose?

Then again, that does seem to be preferred way of diverting attention away from topics which cast AMFA in a poor light, instead of addressing the tougher question of why the AFL-CIO left AMFA to twist in the wind.

Sensitive aren't we? It was not really meant as a personal attack, but how about staying out of union affairs? You have enough to worry about at Centerport, or where ever you drink your coffee and fume about hated union workers.

The afl-cio has been letting its member unions "twist in the wind" for years, the best case in point was the PATCO ATC strike back in 1981. This is why they are losing member unions still today, like the IBT.

AMFA is not a member union. Even if it was, the afl-cio most likely wouldn't have lifted a worthless finger, which is the way big money wants it. AMFA had the balls to stand up against greedy management bullies, and so far no one else has. By the looks of Scab Air's recent losses, Chapter 7 might be just around the corner.

I hope AA finds a way to make money soon, or those 70 million in management bonuses might only be 30 million next year. :down:

 

[eolesen]

Sensitive aren't we? It was not really meant as a personal attack, but how about staying out of union affairs? You have enough to worry about at Centerport, or where ever you drink your coffee and fume about hated union workers.

If it's not my business as a non-member, why is it your business as a wrench turner what happens with the flight attendants?

Why not fix your own representation problems before you start telling other unions how to deal with their representation issues?

 

[Richard]

OK, Let's get this one back on topic right now.

No more personal attacks or diatribes against other posters, please.
If you have a problem with another poster, take it to PM or notify a moderator.

Thank you.