I don't think he derives joy from outsourcing; rather, he's not so stupid as to think that the mechanics of one airline can successfully prevent that airline from doing what each and every other airline is doing: outsourcing a majority of heavy airframe overhauls (D checks or Heavy C checks depending on the airline). With you or without you, AA will outsource a portion of its heavy airframe overhauls. Either that, or it goes out of business. Understandably, those who pine for a repeat of Eastern long for a liquidation of AA. Most do not.
Over the past ten years, posters on this website have posted (and I'm paraphrasing here) that "it's management's job to manage the airline to try to make money and the employees should just do their assigned task."
Despite the realization that it's management's job to manage the business, contracts that prevent outsourcing also prevent management from "managing the business." Worrying about the number of jobs and not focusing on increasing pay has worked out real well for the AA mechanics, wouldn't you say? Nearly last in hourly compensation but there sure are a lot of warm bodies paying dues. As has been oft-repeated here for the last 10 years: the real failure of the TWU at AA was in embracing Arpey's failed strategy of keeping all heavy maintenance inhouse. Instead, effective leaders would have explored ways to increase compensation by offering to accept the WN contract, lock, stock and barrel. Too many in the TWU fantasized about getting WN/UPS pay for all 11,500 AA mechanics and related. Stupid fools. So where are you today? Staring down the barrel of outsourcing (with thousands of jobs lost) plus the lowest hourly pay in the industry once US and UA mechanics get their raises.
Well done, TWU. Well done. If I were a mechanic for AA, I'd be calling for heads on pikes.