Iam Responds To Amfa Letter

eolesen

Veteran
Jul 23, 2003
15,982
9,424
August 9, 2005

O. V. Delle-Femine
National Director
Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association
67 Water Street
Suite 208A
Laconia, NH 03246

O. V. Delle-Femine:
I am in receipt of your letter dated July 27, 2005, in which you requested that the IAM encourage our members to stand with AMFA. You have acknowledged in your letter that there are philosophical differences between our organizations and memberships.

I am surprised by your request in that since 1962 AMFA has preached that a Mechanic does not need the assistance of “unskilled†workers such as myself or many of the people I represent. When you urged the nearly 10,000 Northwest Mechanics (at the time) to join your craft organization in 1998 you declared their strength lies in their skill, not in the numbers of the Machinists Union. You must still believe this to be true because as recently as in a July 26, 2005 news article your Assistant National Director Steve MacFarlane said, “Strength in numbers doesn't necessarily mean strength.â€

However, now when your organization has the first opportunity in its history to
demonstrate this “strength in skill†dogma you preach, you turn to an organization that you have criticized and tried to belittle for more than 40 years, the IAM, for help. It is about time that AMFA recognizes that it cannot win a major labor dispute standing in isolation.

We could recite a litany of issues that have happened since AMFA’s inception that would only distract us from making appropriate decisions as they relate to the situation with Northwest Airlines.

However, we are concerned and currently investigating the many reports of harassment and intimidation by AMFA members against IAM members. These complaints include, but are not limited to, attacks on our female members in Building B in Minneapolis, property damage, and general harassment in the workplace such as the incidents that have happened in Detroit.

In addition, AMFA, as an institution, has proposed, and is actively advocating, that
Northwest Airlines demand $150,000,000.00 more in concessions than the $107,000,000.00 that Northwest has requested from our membership. AMFA negotiators are proud of this proposal and have been actively promoting it to your
membership.

After more than 40 years, your philosophy continues to be that people working in
classifications other than the licensed Mechanic should work for less pay so that the licensed Mechanic could be paid more. That philosophy is once again confirmed by AMFA, the institution, by proposing that the so-called unskilled be made to sacrifice more for the benefit of the licensed AMFA member.

Until your July 27th letter, it has been AMFA’s philosophy that the IAM, as an institution, has prevented the Mechanic classification from receiving the wages and benefits that they deserve because we, the IAM, were negotiating too much money for the so-called unskilled classifications, such as Stock Clerk, Equipment Service, Customer Service, Reservations, Clerical, etc. We, therefore, have refrained from any activity that could be construed as interfering with the internal affairs of the AMFA organization, as opposed to your organization’s history of attempting to raid our organization every time we are involved in difficult negotiations.

We have, and I reiterate, refrained from any interference in your internal affairs.
However, in stark contrast, you will remember that in your last round of negotiations,
AMFA, the Association, negotiated with Northwest Airlines to rob IAM members of work and ultimately jobs.

If your letter of July 27, 2005, was an attempt to “heal the wounds†that have been
inflicted upon the IAM, our members, and the personal attacks that have been levied against IAM leadership, then we must inform you that mere words will not start the healing process. It is AMFA, the institution’s, deeds that will tell if you are truly serious about healing the wounds.

Therefore, we demand:

1) AMFA conduct an investigation into the allegations of intimidation
of our members, especially our female members, and upon conclusion
of such investigation take whatever action is necessary under your
Constitution and Bylaws to hold those responsible accountable.

2) AMFA, as an institution, publicly apologize to IAM members who have
been harmed by the AMFA rhetoric.

3) AMFA, as an institution, and its negotiators denounce publicly, and withdraw
in writing from the negotiation table, its proposal for IAM members to pay more
in wage and benefit concessions than the carrier has requested.

In addition, we need answers to the following questions.

1) Does AMFA, the institution, have a strike fund with sufficient assets to protect IAM members?

2) Does the so-called AMFA “back to work agreement†provide for financial support to any IAM member that stands with AMFA?

3) Does AMFA guarantee that no AMFA-represented member will come back to work while IAM members who have stood with AMFA have not been returned to work?

4) Will the AMFA membership be allowed to vote whether or not to accept a contract to strike or will it be an elite few that make that decision?

IAM members will not be duped into standing with AMFA. AMFA has never honored an
IAM picket line. To represent otherwise, as stated in your July 20th letter to all members on NWA property, is nothing more than an attempt to use trickery and deceit to persuade IAM members to stand with you.

The IAM is monitoring the situation very closely with ALPA representatives.

The Machinists Union takes our moral and legal responsibility to protect our members seriously, and whatever action we recommend will be in the best interests of the Machinists Union membership at Northwest Airlines.

In your July 27th letter you requested that we encourage our members to stand with
AMFA, thereby recognizing that whether or not someone stands with your organization is an individual choice. However, it would be very difficult for any IAM member to stand with your organization knowing full well that if AMFA wins, the IAM members lose, because AMFA, the institution, is fighting for IAM members to pay more in sacrifices than is currently proposed by Northwest Airlines.

Our members can rest assured that whatever action the IAM takes will be in the best
interests of its members.


Robert Roach, Jr.
GENERAL VICE PRESIDENT

RR/tlm

cc: Buffenbarger
Executive Council
Trans. GL Staff
Trans. P/DGCs
AT LL Pres. & RSs
IAM NWA Members
 
CONFIRMED!

Organize Labor is dead!

We have organized dues collectors.

That letter completely ignores the fact the IAM MEMBERS chose to leave, and in typical industrial union fashion, seperates the union from the member, as if they two different things.
 
PineyBob said:
General Vice President? More like General idiot. This is why I do not work union and never will. I'm pro labor to be sure but that letter is pure silliness. Why not take NWA to it''s knees if that's what you want? it will soften them up for the next round or totally kill them.

For some killing off NWA is more palatable then the alternatives.
[post="287886"][/post]​

Bob with all due respect this is a letter between two unions that despise one another. Sooner or later something like this was bound to happen

Labor bring NWA to its knees with so many AMT's, Pilots, and FA's in the unemployment line... is that even possible? Not to mention the fact the carrier you want to bring down appears to have one foot in bankruptcy court and the other on a banana peel. :blink:
 
tug_slug said:
Bob with all due respect this is a letter between two unions that despise one another. Sooner or later something like this was bound to happen

Labor bring NWA to its knees with so many AMT's, Pilots, and FA's in the unemployment line... is that even possible? Not to mention the fact the carrier you want to bring down appears to have one foot in bankruptcy court and the other on a banana peel.  :blink:
[post="287905"][/post]​

Well its obviuos that the IAM hates AMFA but not so much the opposite. AMFA has maintained that they would honor the picket lines of other unions despite differences, however the IAM will put its hatred before the welfare of its own membership.

Its really stupid when you think of it. A bitter divorce. If the IAM isnt getting the dues it wants nothing to do with them. Yet the IAM will use members dues to support political actions like raising the minimum wage-something that primarily benifits non-union members. The IAM hates AMFA yet buddies up to ALPA despite the fact that on several occasions ALPA crossed IAM picket lines. The best example was at Continental when ALPA crossed IAM picket lines thinking that since they had a contract in place they were untouchable, so they helped Lorenzo bust the IAM figuring he would get enough from those workers and he would leave the pilots alone.

Does the IAM actually believe that once NWA is done with AMFA that they wont go after them? Dont you see? If NWA had gone after the IAM first they would have faced having to replace all the ramp guys and the mechanics because AMFA would honor their pickets, but by doing it this way they can go after them one at a time.

Most of the IAM and ex-IAM members I know have strong union beliefs. Crossing the picket line of other union members, even one that split with them, will not sit well with them. They are still crossing a picket line. It will turn any of the real union members stomach.

That may work out better in the long run, should the Teamsters make a shot at uniting the airlines, IAM members with strong union beliefs will remember how they felt crossing the picket lines of their coworkers. They will remember how they felt like scabs because the leaders who sat up top untouched by everything going on in this industry,collecting their six figure salaries, and all sorts of other perks, hated AMFA so much that they forgot about being union. They will remember how the IAM sided with the company to screw workers and they will look at their shrunken paychecks and ask themselves, what happened to the IAM I thought I knew?
 
PineyBob said:
Well Said Bob,

Just remember that Neil Cohen is CFO now. Those of you who read eleswhere know he came from US. You also know what happened there as well.

He is a very petty and vindictive man, BEWARE!

The strategy is one of divide and conquer and they played the US unions like fiddles and they folded like cheap suits. IAM came to a gunfight armed with a stick in my opinion and got there assets handed to them. Except for AFA under the leadership of Teddy Xidas at least was able to organize an orderly retreat and live to fight another day.

All while Mssrs Roach & Buffenbarger collected CEO level compensation at the expense of their members. To my mind their are about 200,000 ways to spell AMFA (Roach's Comp is in excess of 200k).

Watch them throw the workers right under the bus at NWA in order to preserve maximum dues revenue. Whatever allows Roach to keep the most cash will be the path the IAM takes. At least they're predictable.

Even as a Non Union worker I can not fathom crossing a picket line. Then to think that another union would even consider it so the top guys can earn more and win a turf war that they couldn't win otherwise is beyond the pale.
[post="288504"][/post]​
The salaries are one thing, the pensions they grant themselves are another. To find out what they give themselves simply write to the DOL and request a copy of the IAMS IRS form 5500.
 
Bob Owens said:
The salaries are one thing, the pensions they grant themselves are another. To find out what they give themselves simply write to the DOL and request a copy of the IAMS IRS form 5500.
[post="288534"][/post]​

The IAM is monitoring the situation very closely with ALPA representatives

Now here is a team that we can trust...............????????????


-Big E