IAM Talking Tough at USAirway

[Thomas Paine]

Business as usual when the F/A's went on strike back in 93. The other unions on the floor where given directives (Federal) no sympathy strikes. Won't happen here because we have the TWU looking out for the best interest of the ____________. (you fill in the blank)
 
As far as what is in our CBA? It is so vague that it gives a new meaning to Gray Area.
As far as I know the TWU may be putting together a secret letter of agreement to cover this very situation.

Not really true, the APFA requested that the other Unions continue to show up for work so the company would be paying everyone as the planes flew empty, it made their strike more effective.
 
At times like this we have to look in the mirror, you work with the guys who will continue to work OT regardless of whether or not its struck work, regardless of whether or not the TWU comes out with a letter saying we should not be doing struck work. We know who they are, treat them like the scabs they are. Let it be known on the shop floor that what management is doing to the mechanics at USAIR they are doing to us. Their deal is the only real chance we have of improving our deal, so if they continue to work OT while US is on strike and they agree to stay and do struck work then they are scabs. Forget TWU, forget IAM, forget AMFA, its time to stand up as A&P mechanics and do what is right for the profession. So the guy who says he has alimony payments, tuition payments, needs the OT, tell him that scabs always have their excuses, a few weeks of not working the OT we never would have seen anyway without a strike isnt going to make a difference in their personal situation and it hurts all of us by hurting our profession but not working it could help all of us.
 
Very few individuals can perform miricles, but collectively anything is possible.  Time to put aside the excuses and comitt to supporting the mechanics, OUR FELLOW A&PS,  at USAIR, and time to let management know that as well.

 

[Thomas Paine]

Not that easy, once a scab always a scab. There were other penalties imposed. Hey you can rip off Americans like JP Morgan, pay $20 billion in fines, and give the CEO a $20 million raise. Glass house.

How many of those SCABS still work at US? Do the rest of the guys there still treat them like scabs? You are right, they can pay the fine but everyone around them remembers that they are scabs, and when they need help, a CS, or maybe a collection to help them through a rough time they get what they deserve, and they soon realize that the company they scabbed for could care less about them.

 

[Thomas Paine]

The TWU would be the first one to step up and support the strike. On the company's side that is. So you know what that means if it should happen.

A year ago I would say you would be right, but Little and Videtich are gone, Oryiano came out and made it official, he resigned his TWU Title and declared that he is in management. There have been changes, sure you have heard it before and the attitude you have is one formed by past experience but try and have a little hope, what do you really have to lose at this point by hoping?
 
Over on the Transit side the TWU has pledged to support the LIRR strike. I think the new guys running the TWU will support the IAM should they go on strike despite concerns over representation post single carrier status. Under previous regimes the International didnt even support TWU Local 100's strike and they did everything in their power to eliminate the strike option from their members minds.  Now they are supporting strikes by other unions because they know that the outcome at the LIRR will affect the outcome at Local 100, just like the outcome of the USAIR/ IAM struggle will affect us.
 
You are a TWU member, where do you stand? Will you start turning down OT when/if the US guys do go on strike? Will you try and rally your fellow mechanics to do the same? Will you walk picket lines for USAIR mechanics? I will.
 
The odds of there being a strike are inversely proportional to the strength and likelyhood of a successful strike that will impair the Aviation transport system. Ironically the best way to avoid a strike is to be very well prepared for it. Lets say the IAM is on its thirty day cooling off period and three days before the strike thousands of aircraft mechanics at AA stop signing up for OT and start refusing to work OT and start joining USAIR mechanics on picket lines where the IAM is staffed and set up additional pickets in places they arent. (Imagine if the AMFA guys put aside their factionism and encouraged all their Associate members at all carriers to do the same, after all hasnt the entire profession suffered and wouldnt the profession as a whole benefit by raising the bottom?) How do you think the carriers and their bought and paid for politicians and judges would react to that? My bet is a PEB. What do PEBs look at? Well they look at what other carriers pay their workers, and since US is at the bottom that means that a PEB would most likely be very favorable to the IAM. The LIRR workers were OK with the outcome of the PEB, and they are paid a lot better, with better benefits than we are.
 
The IAM should print up the signs and work it out where they ship those signs to TWU Locals where they dont have members. This should be made common knowledge, everyone should be made aware that the TWU is preparing to set up pickets in stations where there is little or No IAM presence. .
 
TWU Locals should start getting picket permits in advance in those stations.
 
The TWU should come out with a statement of support to the IAM and inform the membership how a succesful IAM contract can only help us _via the mid term wage adjustment and by raising the floor for single carrier status agreements. Right now their contract is nearly as bad as ours and even if we combined all the best parts of boths contracts we would still have the worst deal, by far, in the industry.
 
If the TWU and IAM want to try and sell that BS alliance this is their time to show what they can do as a team. If they fail now then my bet is that when a vote comes the majority will opt for No Union or write in someone else, and they would be right to do so. So far they are failing. They need to do this sooner rather than later because it will take time to get buy in from dissaffected TWU members, who have every right to feel the way they do. It must be stressed that change starts with each of us and our lkeaders must show that they are not the same as those who came before them.

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

I remember 2 Eastern scabs that were hired by NWA in ATL. They were completely ignored for their entire time there. They were allowed to store their toolboxes in the foremans office. They literally had no interaction with any other mechanic on the floor. Nobody would even make eye contact with them. When they would walk up to a group, all would turn their back to them.

One finally quit when someone ratted him out to his wife that he was having an affair. This guy was one of those they remembered as waving the paycheck at them as he crossed the picket line and being very vocal.

It seems that one of his former EAL non-scab co-workers had been following him and videotaping his every move since the strike. The guy then sent the video tapes to his wife. Turns out that some of those tapes had him seeing a mistress. The guy resigned soon after.

 

[Bob Owens]

Just sarcasm. Bob wanted a strike so here is his chance to lead the charge.
 
Voting for new representation is part of a process. So what now? The new regime at 514, 567, and 591 will have to explain the virtues of staying with the TWU to all if us. In the aggregate, the TWU has done better than all other unions in the industry.

I wanted a strike? No thats what Don Videtich and Mark Richard said to scare the Tulsa and Title II guys into voting YES. I wanted us to continue with the process that has been in place for over 80 years, which is if the company fails to move you go to mediation, if they still fail to move you request a release, then it can be a strike, or other forms of self help, or we could end up in a PEB or with the stakes much higher for everyone in the room a deal could be struck. Under the Videtich strategy there was zero pressure on the company to move off their ZERO cost table position. Was I willing to strike in order to get a fair deal-YES, and anyone who isn't doesn't belong in a Union.

We rejected a TA in 2010 after three years of talks and over two years of a pay freeze and still the International refused to demand a release. That is unprecedented. Following the rejection Don and his team decided to punish the Locals whose leaders pushed for rejection of the concessionary TA and release. Every member that voted NO was aware that NO meant the possibility of a strike, they made that choice but Little and Videtich chose to ignore that and still not go for the release. No Union that I know of has ever been refused a release after the members rejected a TA that was struck in mediation. So three months after the TA was rejected they pared down the Committee so the YES Locals could save money and had the NO locals continue in negotiations. At the time they said "you own it", till we voted to request a release, then all of a sudden we didnt own it and the whole committee had to vote on it, thats when the FSC Presidents would normally show up, but this was July and many of them were on Vacation, so the vote passed again, again the International refused to ask for a release, made us vote again the following month, after Little invited the Union Buster former head of Aircon in to tell us why we should not request to be released, by then Little and Don were able to get enough YES votes in the room.

No airline with as much market share as AA has ever been allowed to Strike. While several were allowed to strike back in 1966 the country was not as reliant on air travel back then as it is now. Odds are we, like the Pilots in 1997, when we held a much smaller share of the market, would have ended up in a PEB.

The company had not moved in three years of negotiations, it was obvious they were not going to move as long as Don and Jim Little refused to push for release. The company was perfectly content to talk forever with the mechanics, after all we already had the worst contract in the industry, the longer they kept us talking the more money they saved. Little/Videtich, Richard's response was none of the other Unions were pushing for a release, my response was none of the other unions are at the bottom of the industry, if they got released a PEB probably would not be that good for them, they probably would have ended up with a deal that was concessionary. Even after exiting BK those groups still remain at or near the top of the industry while we sunk to new depths, making as much as 40% lower than our peers who we were equal to just 12 years ago. No other workgroup on the property has seen their standing decline as much as line Mechanics have.

So yes I was pushing for a release because thats the only way to move the process forward, it would raise the stakes for everyone involved, vs talking forever as inflation eats away at whats left of our earnings while the company, Videtich (who continued to get raises) and Little laugh all the way to the bank. Yes there is a chance we could have had to go on strike, but this isn't 2005 and there aren't thousands of qualified mechanics out there anymore who are waiting to scab for what AA is offering, in fact AA has a hard enough time filling the openings they have. They will need 50 more guys in JFK soon, and thats not counting those who left. AA has built their business model on OT, I already know guys who are younger than me who have decided that they will not work more than one OT per week, and other who wont work any, because they have other jobs. The fact is we were in a good position to make gains and Videtich was successful at making sure we didn't go forward in the process. If the PEB had recommend a contract that brought us up to the rates enjoyed by our peers but at the price of allowing as much outsourcing we could have rejected the PEB (at that time OH still had the numbers to do so, that wont be the case next time) at which point we could still strike, then it would have been up to both parties to come to a deal or likely have the PEB recommendations imposed, in the end they got their outsourcing, more than they could even exploit and we are all at substandard wages, benefits and working conditions, AFW was closed and Tulsa continues to shrink as fast as AA can find people to do the work or as the MD-80s are replaced by new aircraft.

Is it your position that the guys at US should just roll over and we should not support them? Are you saying that they should go three years without a pay increase or as long as it takes for their members to submit to another concessionary deal and claim they are doing it to save jobs like you? If going for a release with a possibility of striking ok for them why was it wrong for us? The fact is they have better Holiday pay, better Vacation, Better sick time, better joib protection and better work rules than we do, yet they are asking for a release, if you were at US no doubt you would be saying that they too should just accept whatever shitty deal the company is offering as they sit on $10 billion in cash, the execs just cashed in $60million in shares and are poised to earn $3 billion a year in profits (with No profit sharing either).

The fact is that Jim Little and Don Videtich and their minions did more damage to this profession than Frank Lorenzo.

 

[WorldTraveler]

I remember 2 Eastern scabs that were hired by NWA in ATL. They were completely ignored for their entire time there. They were allowed to store their toolboxes in the foremans office. They literally had no interaction with any other mechanic on the floor. Nobody would even make eye contact with them. When they would walk up to a group, all would turn their back to them.

One finally quit when someone ratted him out to his wife that he was having an affair. This guy was one of those they remembered as waving the paycheck at them as he crossed the picket line and being very vocal.

It seems that one of his former EAL non-scab co-workers had been following him and videotaping his every move since the strike. The guy then sent the video tapes to his wife. Turns out that some of those tapes had him seeing a mistress. The guy resigned soon after.

and you wonder why the labor movement has been rendered as insignificant in the life of modern America?
You can't win in the marketplace so you stick in your nose in people's personal business and expect to find support from everyday Americans?

when you make it your business to be police, judge, and executioner it isn't surprising when you get bit in the butt.

And to think there are people like you who tell stories like that as a badge of honor..

 

[Bob Owens]

and you wonder why the labor movement has been rendered as insignificant in the life of modern America?You can't win in the marketplace so you stick in your nose in people's personal business and expect to find support from everyday Americans?when you make it your business to be police, judge, and executioner it isn't surprising when you get bit in the butt.And to think there are people like you who tell stories like that as a badge of honor..

I support him, a scab is my enemy, in fact the worst of enemies. Hopefully there are still more like us than you.




Where others have hearts, he carries a tumor of rotten principles.

When a scab comes down the street, men turn their backs and angels weep in heaven, and the devil shuts the gates of hell to keep him out.

No man (or woman) has a right to scab so long as there is a pool of water to drown his carcass in, or a rope long enough to hang his body with.

Judas was a gentleman compared with a scab. For betraying his master, he had character enough to hang himself. A scab has not.

Esau sold his birthright for a mess of pottage.

Judas sold his Savior for thirty pieces of silver.

Benedict Arnold sold his country for a promise of a commision in the british army.

The scab sells his birthright, country, his wife, his children and his fellowmen for an unfulfilled promise from his employer.

Esau was a traitor to himself; Judas was a traitor to his God; Benedict Arnold was a traitor to his country.

A scab is a traitor to his God, his country, his family and his class.

Author --- Jack London (1876-1916)

NO SCABS!

 

[Rogallo]

I support him, a scab is my enemy, in fact the worst of enemies. Hopefully there are still more like us than you.

NO SCABS!

+10000

 

[WorldTraveler]

go ahead and support whoever you want.

If you don't grasp how despicable this type of post is to the vast majority of Americans, then you are way too committed to the labor movement to understand why most Americans want nothing to do with it.

I am telling you that bragging that you ostracize a coworker who has to store his tools in a mgmt office is bad enough in the minds of average Americans but then to brag that his union coworkers outed his personal life (which I am not at all saying I approve of) is well beyond what most Americans consider normal behavior.

I don't expect to win any kudos for what I am saying here but I am telling you that if you want to understand why average Americans see no use for labor any more, you need only look to incidents like this as evidence.

The fact that even the VW plant vote ended in failure says the union movement is deeply damaged and the people who lead it are clueless to know how to turn it around.

The sooner you and others can grasp how badly out of touch the labor movement is with what most Americans believe, the sooner the loss of members can stop.

 

[dfw gen]

scab is a scab is a scab.......would not be surprised if faced with a scab situation world traveler will surely scab. ie your unwavering support for delta as they purge the northwest portion of the merger

 

[WorldTraveler]

what I can absolutely assure you I would not do is take a workplace related issue into someone's personal life.

Neither would most Americans

The reason why the labor movement is failing is because it embraces values like this which are so far removed from the American mindset that any possible gain - if it even exists - is so far behind asking someone to embrace getting involved in someone's personal life or be an on the job lifetime enemy to someone.

I get the whole purpose of a strike. But if it fails, don't take labor's own strategic failures out on someone's personal lives.

You WILL reap what you sow.

 

[ChockJockey]

You WILL reap what you sow.

 
And so shall the scab.
 
See?  Cosmic order.

 

[Kev3188]

Hopefully there are still more like us than you.

+1

 

[Thomas Paine]

what I can absolutely assure you I would not do is take a workplace related issue into someone's personal life.Neither would most AmericansThe reason why the labor movement is failing is because it embraces values like this which are so far removed from the American mindset that any possible gain - if it even exists - is so far behind asking someone to embrace getting involved in someone's personal life or be an on the job lifetime enemy to someone.I get the whole purpose of a strike. But if it fails, don't take labor's own strategic failures out on someone's personal lives.You WILL reap what you sow.

Now you have gone from knowing how most Delta employees feel to knowing how most Americans feel. Most Americans are not Rich like you and have seen their real earnings decline and disposable income disappear over the last few decades, so anything thats done to them in the workplace inevitably affects their personal life. Working for us isn't a hobby, its a means of survival so the two are not so easily seperated. Most Americans aren't Rich like you and perhaps if you spent your spare time with needy Americans instead of trying to convert Catholics in South America you may realize that you probably have no idea how most Americans feel.

 

[WorldTraveler]

converting Catholics in S. America? Are you serious? I would ask where you come up with this kind of stuff but I already know. I wouldn't have to spend so much time on here if it weren't for the misinformation and bias that is so prevalent on this board and which some people continue to push even if it is so far off the market it is truly laughable. but since real people really believe it, it is sad.

I'm not sure you'll find too many Americans who would say they work for a hobby. There might be people who like the job they do but most people would likely say there are thing they would rather do with their time if putting bread on the table and a roof over their head wasn't the issue.

As much as you or anyone else wants to think they have a corner on the market, many Americans have faced economic difficulty in their lifetimes including in recent years.