Blue Zebra - TWU Local 514 Strategy

[TWU informer]

My Shop Steward gave his monthly report to the crew today. The Steward Meeting was held on Monday. The TWU Local 514 President is against using the word Strike or Strike Vote so he instead uses the code name Blue Zebra. Local 514 President is demanding that AA Management take action against Lorenzi or he will refuse to be involved in any meetings that both are scheduled to attend.

Oh Yeah Boys, the Blue Zebra strategy and the Union Officer demand of company discipline on another Union Officer is a sure fire strategy to gain the immidiate and tangible compensation requested by Little.

All we need now is the t-shirt with a slogan on it, along with a designated day of the week to wear them and we are fully prepared to take on the Corporate Lawyers and Professional Negotiators hired by the company.

I am more ashamed to be a TWU member/dues payer as each day of 100% pure stupidity and ignorance is exposed.

God help us all, we will need it.

 

[Ken MacTiernan]

My Shop Steward gave his monthly report to the crew today. The Steward Meeting was held on Monday. The TWU Local 514 President is against using the word Strike or Strike Vote so he instead uses the code name Blue Zebra. Local 514 President is demanding that AA Management take action against Lorenzi or he will refuse to be involved in any meetings that both are scheduled to attend.

Oh Yeah Boys, the Blue Zebra strategy and the Union Officer demand of company discipline on another Union Officer is a sure fire strategy to gain the immidiate and tangible compensation requested by Little.

All we need now is the t-shirt with a slogan on it, along with a designated day of the week to wear them and we are fully prepared to take on the Corporate Lawyers and Professional Negotiators hired by the company.

I am more ashamed to be a TWU member/dues payer as each day of 100% pure stupidity and ignorance is exposed.

God help us all, we will need it.

If ANY union person, let alone an elected official, is against using the word strike or strike vote then they are either a COWARD or company tool.

As for 514's president calling for action against lorenzi for his comments I would think that combined with the fear of offending the company with a word the international fears that 514's demand comes not from loacal 514 but from somewhere else.

As slogans go how about, FULL SNAP BACK + COLA.

The twu can take the blue zebra and place it in storage with the rented coffin.

 

[MCI transplant]

If ANY union person, let alone an elected official, is against using the word strike or strike vote then they are either a COWARD or company tool.

As for 514's president calling for action against lorenzi for his comments I would think that combined with the fear of offending the company with a word the international fears that 514's demand comes not from loacal 514 but from somewhere else.

As slogans go how about, FULL SNAP BACK + COLA.

The twu can take the blue zebra and place it in storage with the rented coffin.

<_< -------"Full Snap Back+ Cola!"----- I'll wear that "T" shirt!

 

[TWU-GOTTA-GO]

My Shop Steward gave his monthly report to the crew today. The Steward Meeting was held on Monday. The TWU Local 514 President is against using the word Strike or Strike Vote so he instead uses the code name Blue Zebra. Local 514 President is demanding that AA Management take action against Lorenzi or he will refuse to be involved in any meetings that both are scheduled to attend.

Blue zebra, wow I'm sure that just scares the hell out headquarters. I guess blue zebra would be appropiate from a union that could be called a white elephant. <_<

 

[Ken MacTiernan]

<_< -------"Full Snap Back+ Cola!"----- I'll wear that "T" shirt!

Let me see what the cost of making those shirts would be. If you are serious ask around and see how many shirts you would want. I will show the design before ordering. Suggestions are welcome! PM with any ideas.

 

[Bob Owens]

Let me see what the cost of making those shirts would be. If you are serious ask around and see how many shirts you would want. I will show the design before ordering. Suggestions are welcome! PM with any ideas.

Why not make a motion and have the Locals pay for the shirts?

 

[Bob Owens]

The TWU Local 514 President is against using the word Strike or Strike Vote so he instead uses the code name Blue Zebra. Local 514 President is demanding that AA Management take action against Lorenzi or he will refuse to be involved in any meetings that both are scheduled to attend.

Oh Yeah Boys, the Blue Zebra strategy and the Union Officer demand of company discipline on another Union Officer is a sure fire strategy to gain the immidiate and tangible compensation requested by Little.


God help us all, we will need it.

Well the hope that this guy was any better than those who came before has been dashed.

We now have a union that not only will not strike under any condition(except of course if the company tried to stop payroll deduction for union dues) but now they dont even want to use the WORD!!!!! From now on in Jim Littles TWU its "The 'S'-word".

Then on top of that the same union officer who was offended at the expressed opinion of a fellow union officer goes running to the company demanding that they take action in an incident that strictly involves union business!!!!

Unbelievable!!!!!

To him I say "I agree with every offensive statement he made about you and any of your like minded fellow bootlicking pro-company board members". Your actions only prove that what he said is correct, and I dont care for Matt. Are you going to bring this to the company too?

By the way you would be doing the rest of us a favor if you boycotted all the rest of the contract negotiations, then the Tulsa Roll call vote would no longer be the Internationals trump card to get everything the company wants through.

 

[The Goose]

Well the hope that this guy was any better than those who came before has been dashed.

We now have a union that not only will not strike under any condition(except of course if the company tried to stop payroll deduction for union dues) but now they dont even want to use the WORD!!!!! From now on in Jim Littles TWU its "The 'S'-word".

Then on top of that the same union officer who was offended at the expressed opinion of a fellow union officer goes running to the company demanding that they take action in an incident that strictly involves union business!!!!

Unbelievable!!!!!

To him I say "I agree with every offensive statement he made about you and any of your like minded fellow bootlicking pro-company board members". Your actions only prove that what he said is correct, and I dont care for Matt. Are you going to bring this to the company too?

By the way you would be doing the rest of us a favor if you boycotted all the rest of the contract negotiations, then the Tulsa Roll call vote would no longer be the Internationals trump card to get everything the company wants through.

I've got a better idea - if the company ignores the rather obvious Rule 32 (catch-all clause) violations and does nothing (which I suspect will be the case), wouldn't it be in line to demand all who were terminated due to the selective application of this "rule" be reinstated and made whole?

 

[TWU-GOTTA-GO]

I've got a better idea - if the company ignores the rather obvious Rule 32 (catch-all clause) violations and does nothing (which I suspect will be the case), wouldn't it be in line to demand all who were terminated due to the selctive application of this "rule" be reinstated and made whole?

I guess they better start with this pilot being made whole. <_<

http://www.apapdp.org/cms/staticfiles/pdf/...nt_20060804.pdf

Gotta love this quote:

45. AMERICAN has stated that it can punish employees for violation of Rule
32 for conduct between two married employees at home in their own bedroom.

56. HELD was terminated for the sole reason that he posted a single message
inside a password-protected, union-run, “virtual union hallâ€￾ in which he directed coarse
language toward a specific union official.
57. This termination was effected by AMERICAN under the presumption that
AMERICAN has the obligation to regulate and restrict all employee speech, including
speech of union members critical of union officials made in the union hall.
58. In 1993, APA established a private, APA members-only, passwordprotected,
electronic bulletin board (“Challenge & Response,â€￾ or “C&Râ€￾).

AMERICAN’S sole reason for terminating HELD was that his January 22,
2005 C&R post allegedly referred to “another American Airlines pilot in demeaning and
hateful terms.â€￾5

 

[Ken MacTiernan]

Why not make a motion and have the Locals pay for the shirts?

I would but it would take 2 months to file a motion, post it, vote on it and then make the shirts. I would rather get an order, make them, wear them right away.

 

[Boomer]

Well the hope that this guy was any better than those who came before has been dashed.

We now have a union that not only will not strike under any condition(except of course if the company tried to stop payroll deduction for union dues) but now they dont even want to use the WORD!!!!! From now on in Jim Littles TWU its "The 'S'-word".

Then on top of that the same union officer who was offended at the expressed opinion of a fellow union officer goes running to the company demanding that they take action in an incident that strictly involves union business!!!!

Unbelievable!!!!!

To him I say "I agree with every offensive statement he made about you and any of your like minded fellow bootlicking pro-company board members". Your actions only prove that what he said is correct, and I dont care for Matt. Are you going to bring this to the company too?

By the way you would be doing the rest of us a favor if you boycotted all the rest of the contract negotiations, then the Tulsa Roll call vote would no longer be the Internationals trump card to get everything the company wants through.

Bob,
Never forget that the company MO is to engage in negotiations following initiation with a first prerequisite for "confidentiality" for all items passed across the "virtual table." I say virtual table because the amount of time spent actually negotiating between the TWU Negotiting Committee during both the '01 and '03 sessions was less than 36 hours of face time between the actual constituent parties to the supposed negotiations. Chuck Schalk can speak more on his experience during the '03 sessions, but I stand by those numbers. Virtually everyone that would actuall speak about the actual face time spent during the '01 sessions is now in the International or subject to removal at the Internationals' leisure.

If the membership seeks control, remove the funding for any President that is part of the Negotiations funded by their local who fails to submit a weekly roster, including the daily attendance of all Members, spent face to face with the Company Negotiations team.

I think it too far a stretch to actually demand the full language for all T/A'ed articles as they are supposedly "TA'ed" with the provision that any changes result in a revote of the Membership: after all, Jim Little argued, and a Federal Judge agreed, that we don't own the contract.

We do, however, own the purse strings: unless the International signals their direct complicity by funding all costs for Negotiations TeAAm Members.

 

[skydrol]

Blue Zebra????what the hell is a blue zebra? First off the twu atd and strike only works on a shirt. The company lawyers are fully aware of article 33 so why are the local presidents unaware of this article? Do they not know this language exists? Basically we can pound our chests take a vote but the international gave up the right to strike in 1983ish if someone knows for sure when article 33 was invented let me know. So we can take a vote wear our shirts and get some stickers but cannot STRIKE UNTIL THE NATIONAL MEDIATION BOARD SAYS SO....What is the result? if the national mediation board gives us the go than that means it is in the companies best interest!!!!!!! Replacement workers etc so tell the twu when they talk strike to stick it up their ass we will stay working and doing what we do the best until we get a contract. Strike what a joke, i do not know about the rest of you but everytime a contract comes up and they take this so called solidarity bullshit vote it insults my intelligence. Why oh why are these clowns still our representives??? They are like a flea on a dogs ass do nothing but drain the host and get a free ride............

 

[Bob Owens]

Blue Zebra????what the hell is a blue zebra?

I guess with the TWU you vote for the Blue Zebra right before they have you vote on the Yellow Dog.

 

[swdriver]

All union employees at AA needs to take a 40% pay cut and give up their passes. That way, AA can buy news airplanes that will be more fuel effiecent, and will be able to turn a profit.

 

[Bob Owens]

Bob,
Never forget that the company MO is to engage in negotiations following initiation with a first prerequisite for "confidentiality" for all items passed across the "virtual table." I say virtual table because the amount of time spent actually negotiating between the TWU Negotiting Committee during both the '01 and '03 sessions was less than 36 hours of face time between the actual constituent parties to the supposed negotiations. Chuck Schalk can speak more on his experience during the '03 sessions, but I stand by those numbers. Virtually everyone that would actuall speak about the actual face time spent during the '01 sessions is now in the International or subject to removal at the Internationals' leisure.

If the membership seeks control, remove the funding for any President that is part of the Negotiations funded by their local who fails to submit a weekly roster, including the daily attendance of all Members, spent face to face with the Company Negotiations team.

I think it too far a stretch to actually demand the full language for all T/A'ed articles as they are supposedly "TA'ed" with the provision that any changes result in a revote of the Membership: after all, Jim Little argued, and a Federal Judge agreed, that we don't own the contract.

We do, however, own the purse strings: unless the International signals their direct complicity by funding all costs for Negotiations TeAAm Members.

Yes I remember the "secrecy" policy of the TWU. Who benifits from keeping all this secret? The Company. Thats why the TWU does it. They take the Neg Com and drag them away from their families for an extended period of time so they can wear them down-in secret and get them to accept and endorse an inferior agreement.

We as a board told Gless, then President of 562 that if he did not share information as to what was going on then the local would not authorize him to go and would not pay his expenses. If Gless "chose to follow the directives of the International and not the wishes of his members then let the International pay him" was the thought behind it.

If you recall during the 2001 negs they spent two weeks on bulletin boards. In negotiations prior and this one the members would never have known this. Obviously those in control of the process wanted to drag things out and limit the amount of time availaible to real issues. They did not want it to get out what they were really offering because they knew there was a good chance that a dissapointing offer would be reflected in the operations. At that time we saw UALs "Summer of Hell" and various other disruptions attributed to unhappy workers. Unfortunately none of the E-boards out there now have any balls and appear content to just ride along. Wholiano is by far the worst President I've seen from New York in my 21 years. We hear nothing from him. He does without question anything the International tells him to do and refusees to do anything that would annoy or challenge management. Halfway through his term and he has written maybe ten letters to the members at best. We made Gless e-mail us info we could pass on at least once a week. Other Locals used to see what New York and LAX were doing, New York being the more vocally militant force between the two, now our only hope is LAX and that local remains weakened due to a lot of complicated lingering issues from the TWA merger and the massive layoffs it saw.

Things are not looking good and we have no clear leadership nor the immediate means of getting any. Maybe we should consider merging with LAX so at least JR would have a bigger budget and more members. Better to have one less face at negotiations than one that just sits there and fails to support. The money we are paying 562 is doing nothing as far as getting us a better contract.