Tim,
IMO I think that RD is leading the membership. He is empowering the NC to do what is right by us. Obviously we disagree on this point so no need for further debate. And I have no doubt that YOU would give your money back to the membership. You would do it just to prove a point. And when your running mates do not you will say "but I did, isn't that enough?" I was asking what happens when the others on your ticket do not? What are you going to tell potential running mates. "Hey I want you to give up $100,000 over a 4 year period for the membership. Oh and by the way, for that $2,000 a month that I want you to give back, you are home maybe 5 days a month, and never get a day off. Sound good?" How are you going to hold them accountable? Like I said, you can't just fire them because they just said yes to get the job. And what recourse does the membership have? I truley think that these are political promises and nothing more. You can't force someone to give up that kind of money. Heck, that would pay off most peoples houses in 4 years. You and your ticket are no better suited, and IMO, less so, to take the reins, and take over negotiations. You and I both know we are bound by the RLA on negotiations, and what we can and cannot do. With that said, how is solidarity a bargaining chip. Fleet Service is as solid as it has ever been since we orginized, and since we merged, do you disagree with that? Either way, best of luck.
PJ,
building solidarity is actually how you do negotiate. The IAM's way is to send a half dozen guys into a room with a table, without getting the membership involved. Cripes, they don't even communicate, let alone getting the masses involved. In fact, I think most would agree that the masses don't even know what is going on unless they ask their manager. PJ, if nobody thinks that the masses are worth communicating with then how can anything good follow? At any rate, In representation, there are two elements, i.,e, negotiations and grievance handlings. I'd scrap how the IAM thinks on both of those for fleet service/PCE. It hasn't worked to produce any solid IAM contracts as far as I can remember, with any fleet service anywhere, and it won't work to produce any future IAM contracts for the industry fleet service craft. Let me explain.
1. Grievance handling: I may be one of the more educated guys with a masters education but I don't have a law degree and I'm not going to 'be the man' and I don't want any of our agc's to 'be the man' and actually handle an arbitration hearing, as opposed to a professional attorney, ie., someone with a law degree. AGC's will continue to do the legwork, research grievances and help prepare the grievances, but I reject the idea that AGC's are better suited handling an arbitration when someone's job is on the line, as opposed to an attorney. The company will have attorneys, and so should our membership. It makes no sense to continue having folks who mostly do not even have college educations arbitrating someone's job. Other unions have attorneys handle the arbitration.
2. Negotiations: I don't believe any AGC's really understand contract language as well as they should. Doesn't mean they are stupid, just means that most don't have even a college degree. We have to acknowledge that and make sure they and the membership have the necessary resources. As I said, I have a masters education and I understand language but not nearly as good as someone who has a law degree. In negotiations, there should be a professional. Bottom line. THe membership pays good money and there should be a professional. Being an educated man, I realize that our members are better off with an in house professional being at the side of the negotiations team or arbitration hearing, and that our membership needs that better allocation of resources. Guess what? IAM 141 spent 6 figures making phone calls to outside attorneys who billed us "Off the charts" so it's not like this would be an additional cost. Kindly review the LM2 reports. "Experienced" In house labor attorneys usually run a buck twenty or as much as a buck fifty. We need to find that money by dumping salary levels and reuducing the unnecessary spending of having two district offices and a huge building that is half empty. There are tons and tons of thousands of dollars that are being pissed away because nobody wants to streamline since it isn't their money.
But, the core of representation is the ability of a leader to build solidarity. Negotiations are not fought at a table, but away from the table. The table is just an image. The company comes to the table and they already realize they will kick your butt because they saw that your own Prez didn't even bother showing up. Sends a terrible image that the US AIRWAYS membership isn't worth more than a New Direction meeting. They also know that nobody has done anything to involve the masses. RD hasn't built any solidarity whatsoever at your company or any other company. THe guy is even afraid to informational picket or even make written stands on such fundamental issues as retro pay. Cripes, I'd like to see him actually buy a pair of jeans and wear some jeans sometimes. He's clueless and hasn't worked on the ramp in like 30 years.
While I was on your dime, I build solidarity and have a proven record of it. In organizing, it is the same principle, building solidarity and getting the masses to unite. But, unlike RD, I realize that one man can't do it without building a team and standing on the shoulders of that team. Empowering the masses is the trick but you have to mix in vision and leadership.
Back in 08, I told RD that I would take over and direct the organizing arm of 141 and would support him directing the representation arm. I couldn't do both and I felt that we had to improve the IAM's image from without and had to bring folks into the IAM. I am proud of what I did on your dime as we filled a basketball arena by convincing over 17,000 eligible voters to go with a union that everyone said was dead. During the time of my directorship, as I brought in 17,000, other IAM campaigns, that I was not associated with, lost 20,000 more IAM members. Even under new NMB rules, the IAM still managed to botch 20,000+ more members over the past 12 months. I told them on the Delta campaign and even on the Continental stew campaign that their organizing plan was fatally flawed but they just didn't listen. Now, on the United PCE campaign, I told them that their organizing plan is fatally flawed but they just don't listen. I texted them I would work for free and don't even need the time off and would coach them on what to do. They never responded. So, moving forward, I am not comfortable with losing more IAM members and the direction the district is headed in is a collision course as nobody is at the wheel. It may not matter who is the president if there is no district with more organizing losses. It's isn't that your agc is terrible, but your agc isn't the leader. If your AGC had different leadership then perhaps things would be different. The problem is that all of the US AIRWAYS AGC's are scared of RD and have pledge unyielding support to him, because he has the power to change their assignments.
I think you guys are in a great position with a company that is actually kicking every airline's butt right now. The US AIRWAYS fleet serviceperson is number 1 in the industry on the best baggage handling, beating every legacy carrier and clobbering southwest. Cripes, the airline itself is clobbering southwest as Southwest retreated out of PHL and tries to enter the ATL market, and guess what, US AIRWAYS is following them to ATL to kick more southwest airline butt. That's great but you guys need to be compensated and respected like southwest does their baggage handlers. But to accomplish that, we must take over the union leadership reigns and we need to smash down the normal and customary way of representing folks and up our game by making better use of the memberships money, and having a better commitment to the us airways members.
regards,
Tim Nelson
cell: 224-234-5414
