Dear Brothers and Sisters:
The news that the concessions, that can be best described as 'Gross Overkill,' were accepted by a very narrow margin. No doubt devastating to at least the 96% of M&E and XX% of Stores members of our Local, who, despite the risks that were emphasized emphatically by our International and their experts, voted to take on the fight and vote NO. For many, this will be the last straw and seeking employment outside of AA will be a better option than to continue to work for an employer that demands the 'Best' but pays the 'Least.' For those who plan to remain, the question is: what’s next?
I realize that many of you are signing cards for either the IBT or AMFA to replace the TWU. We have seen many drives in the past. As an Officer and your representative to the TWU, my job is to try and make this organization serve your interests. That is what I plan to do. I can say that I’m not alone. Leaders of the five (5) cornerstone cities and AFW have been discussing changes we feel are necessary for this organization to best serve its members in the future.
I recognize what we have is a deeply flawed organization. The results speak for themselves. Despite my efforts, as it currently stands, I have not been able to make this organization serve our interests. Being paid much less than our non-union peers in the industry is not in our best interests. But, I also recognize, within this organization as a whole, there are several successful TWU Locals that serve their members well. We see TWU Local 556 at Southwest getting their members an industry-leading contract. Here in New York we have Local 100, who a few short years ago resisted the “concessions for jobs” threat and maintained wages, even though the MTA laid off many workers because TWU Local 100 refused to give away things they bargained for. Those who were laid off eventually were all called back. Those are just a few examples where TWU members are very well served. There are others. We need to try and model the AATD for M&R along the same line as the successful SWA Local 556 and Local 100 models.
The key difference between those successful models and what we currently have at AA is that the contracts belong to the Locals. All the members of the contract are in one autonomous Local. Everyone with authority is accountable to the members of the Local. There is a single leader elected by the members who administers the contract. While consolidation into one Local is just one of the options discussed, this would likely mean the end of Local 562. Considering what we currently have is (without a doubt) broken, it’s something we must be open to. Some form of consolidation is necessary. Right now our contract is split up over a dozen different Locals. The majority of Line Maintenance is in the Five Cornerstone Locals of 561, 562, 563, 564 and 565. With the current structure, even with Local 567 with us, we are still a minority on the negotiating committee. Under the current structure, we could have more Fleet Service Presidents voting than Mechanic Presidents on the content of a proposed mechanic contract.
To our Stores members, I’m not ignoring you. It’s just that as long as Maintenance is screwed, up you will continue to suffer as well. If we fix Maintenance, we will have fixed Stores as well. What I’m asking of you is to support our efforts to bring change to the AA/TWU M&R (including Stores) structure by appealing directly to International President Jim Little and the IEC (International Executive Council). Encourage them to be open to meeting with the leaders you put in place and to not fall into the trap of considering criticism to be an attack. When you pay union dues and earn considerably less than industry average, something is wrong. They can either meet with us to fix what’s wrong or risk losing us entirely. I believe we all realize, including Jim Little and the IEC, changes are necessary. Hopefully, they will realize that loyalty is no substitute for competency, and make changes accordingly. Even if it impacts those who are loyal supporters of the status quo. Even if you’ve given up on the TWU and have decided to try and get another organization in place, I ask, ‘what do you have to lose,' by trying to bring about change from within?
Fraternally,
Bob Owens
President Local 562
The last line is the tell,more change from within bull. So Bob, what was the payoff?
The news that the concessions, that can be best described as 'Gross Overkill,' were accepted by a very narrow margin. No doubt devastating to at least the 96% of M&E and XX% of Stores members of our Local, who, despite the risks that were emphasized emphatically by our International and their experts, voted to take on the fight and vote NO. For many, this will be the last straw and seeking employment outside of AA will be a better option than to continue to work for an employer that demands the 'Best' but pays the 'Least.' For those who plan to remain, the question is: what’s next?
I realize that many of you are signing cards for either the IBT or AMFA to replace the TWU. We have seen many drives in the past. As an Officer and your representative to the TWU, my job is to try and make this organization serve your interests. That is what I plan to do. I can say that I’m not alone. Leaders of the five (5) cornerstone cities and AFW have been discussing changes we feel are necessary for this organization to best serve its members in the future.
I recognize what we have is a deeply flawed organization. The results speak for themselves. Despite my efforts, as it currently stands, I have not been able to make this organization serve our interests. Being paid much less than our non-union peers in the industry is not in our best interests. But, I also recognize, within this organization as a whole, there are several successful TWU Locals that serve their members well. We see TWU Local 556 at Southwest getting their members an industry-leading contract. Here in New York we have Local 100, who a few short years ago resisted the “concessions for jobs” threat and maintained wages, even though the MTA laid off many workers because TWU Local 100 refused to give away things they bargained for. Those who were laid off eventually were all called back. Those are just a few examples where TWU members are very well served. There are others. We need to try and model the AATD for M&R along the same line as the successful SWA Local 556 and Local 100 models.
The key difference between those successful models and what we currently have at AA is that the contracts belong to the Locals. All the members of the contract are in one autonomous Local. Everyone with authority is accountable to the members of the Local. There is a single leader elected by the members who administers the contract. While consolidation into one Local is just one of the options discussed, this would likely mean the end of Local 562. Considering what we currently have is (without a doubt) broken, it’s something we must be open to. Some form of consolidation is necessary. Right now our contract is split up over a dozen different Locals. The majority of Line Maintenance is in the Five Cornerstone Locals of 561, 562, 563, 564 and 565. With the current structure, even with Local 567 with us, we are still a minority on the negotiating committee. Under the current structure, we could have more Fleet Service Presidents voting than Mechanic Presidents on the content of a proposed mechanic contract.
To our Stores members, I’m not ignoring you. It’s just that as long as Maintenance is screwed, up you will continue to suffer as well. If we fix Maintenance, we will have fixed Stores as well. What I’m asking of you is to support our efforts to bring change to the AA/TWU M&R (including Stores) structure by appealing directly to International President Jim Little and the IEC (International Executive Council). Encourage them to be open to meeting with the leaders you put in place and to not fall into the trap of considering criticism to be an attack. When you pay union dues and earn considerably less than industry average, something is wrong. They can either meet with us to fix what’s wrong or risk losing us entirely. I believe we all realize, including Jim Little and the IEC, changes are necessary. Hopefully, they will realize that loyalty is no substitute for competency, and make changes accordingly. Even if it impacts those who are loyal supporters of the status quo. Even if you’ve given up on the TWU and have decided to try and get another organization in place, I ask, ‘what do you have to lose,' by trying to bring about change from within?
Fraternally,
Bob Owens
President Local 562
The last line is the tell,more change from within bull. So Bob, what was the payoff?
