Is Amfa National Using Pressure?

[Checking it Out]

AIRCRAFT MECHANICS FRATERNAL ASSOCIATION
OAKLAND LOCAL 37
7700 Edgewater Dr., Suite 839, Oakland, CA 94621
*510-568-8446 Fax 510-568-8529


January 22, 2004

To: AMFA National

From: Hillary J. Francois III
President Local 37

Ref: 2004 Convention Eligibility

It is regrettable that AMFA National has picked this time to bring this Force Majeure – Customer 10 / Seneca issue up again. It was thought to be dead and of no concern to this Local membership. The membership of Local 37 spoke to this issue months ago when it voted not to fund Force Majeure – Customer 10 / Seneca. The membership even went as far as to answer an intrusive survey from AMFA National about the Local membership decision.

As stated in the survey the decision was made with representation from all of Local 37 membership. A quorum was in attendance the vote was taken and the membership voted no to the funding. The decision of the Local 37 membership did not sit well with several members of the NEC and NWA ACAC. When did the NEC or the NWA ACAC get the power to tell any Local what will be funded? Is it not the decision and vote of the membership of a local that governs how a Local will be run? If this has changed please let me and the other AMFA Locals know when it happens?

Now comes the question of this Locals 2004 Convention Eligibility because the Local has refused to fund Force Majeure – Customer 10 / Seneca. This Local is well aware of the statement in the AMFA Constitution about, “ Each Local in good standing and free of delinquency of any nature to the National within ninety days prior to the opening date of the convention shall be entitled to be representedâ€. At the last convention, this Local and others were in delinquency to National and others, a loan was granted to us that put us in a different kind of delinquency, yet we were allowed to attend? No question of the Locals delinquency was mention at anytime after that!


What I want to know on behalf of all Locals is the only time that the voice of the Local membership means anything to AMFA National is when it just goes along with the NWA ACAC because it is what he wants to do? Even if AMFA Legal has said it is a waste of time and money to fight Force Majeure – Customer 10 / Seneca. Now this Local is going to be punished because we did not go along or agree with the NWA Locals and their ACAC. What you are saying is that if a Local membership makes a decision that is not inline with what certain Locals want to do then we are going to be punished for our action of Local Antimony. Does this action not violate some basic AMFA constitutional rule?
With all this said, it is still in question as to this Locals 2004 Convention Eligibility. We are told that the Convention delegates are going to be the ones that will determine the 2004 Convention Eligibility of Local 37. It should not be up to the delegates, the Membership of Local 37 made their voice known. There is no delinquency owed to AMFA National for Force Majeure – Customer 10 / Seneca from this Local. Because the membership said not to fund Force Majeure – Customer 10 / Seneca. Are we not obligated to do as we are instructed to do by our membership, because it is my understanding the Local membership has the final decision in the running of a Local, Not a larger Local, ACAC or the NEC!

If we are wrong please let us know, because we have been doing it that way for years.

One other small idem, since Local 37 has been Right Sized and we no longer have NWA members, have you inform the new Locals that they will be billed for the NWA Force Majeure – Customer 10 / Seneca pro rated to the population of the NWA members in their Local without a membership vote on funding once they get charted?


On behalf of the membership of Local 37.

Yours truly,

/s/

Hillary J. Francois III
President AMFA Local 37

 

[Checking it Out]

Looks like amfa delle the dictator is setting the stage.

No local antinomy, full control tell the last day?

 

[Bob Owens]

Looks like amfa delle the dictator is setting the stage.

No local antinomy, full control tell the last day?

Has Delle removed her or any other officers from office like Sonny Hall did to Local 562 and 567?

"At the end of the day" the members can vote out Delle. The members never get to vote one way or the other for Sonny Hall.

 

[twuer]

AIRCRAFT MECHANICS FRATERNAL ASSOCIATION
OAKLAND LOCAL 37
7700 Edgewater Dr., Suite 839, Oakland, CA 94621
*510-568-8446 Fax 510-568-8529


January 22, 2004

To: AMFA National

From: Hillary J. Francois III
President Local 37

Ref: 2004 Convention Eligibility

It is regrettable that AMFA National has picked this time to bring this Force Majeure – Customer 10 / Seneca issue up again. It was thought to be dead and of no concern to this Local membership. The membership of Local 37 spoke to this issue months ago when it voted not to fund Force Majeure – Customer 10 / Seneca. The membership even went as far as to answer an intrusive survey from AMFA National about the Local membership decision.

As stated in the survey the decision was made with representation from all of Local 37 membership. A quorum was in attendance the vote was taken and the membership voted no to the funding. The decision of the Local 37 membership did not sit well with several members of the NEC and NWA ACAC. When did the NEC or the NWA ACAC get the power to tell any Local what will be funded? Is it not the decision and vote of the membership of a local that governs how a Local will be run? If this has changed please let me and the other AMFA Locals know when it happens?

Now comes the question of this Locals 2004 Convention Eligibility because the Local has refused to fund Force Majeure – Customer 10 / Seneca. This Local is well aware of the statement in the AMFA Constitution about, “ Each Local in good standing and free of delinquency of any nature to the National within ninety days prior to the opening date of the convention shall be entitled to be representedâ€. At the last convention, this Local and others were in delinquency to National and others, a loan was granted to us that put us in a different kind of delinquency, yet we were allowed to attend? No question of the Locals delinquency was mention at anytime after that!


What I want to know on behalf of all Locals is the only time that the voice of the Local membership means anything to AMFA National is when it just goes along with the NWA ACAC because it is what he wants to do? Even if AMFA Legal has said it is a waste of time and money to fight Force Majeure – Customer 10 / Seneca. Now this Local is going to be punished because we did not go along or agree with the NWA Locals and their ACAC. What you are saying is that if a Local membership makes a decision that is not inline with what certain Locals want to do then we are going to be punished for our action of Local Antimony. Does this action not violate some basic AMFA constitutional rule?
With all this said, it is still in question as to this Locals 2004 Convention Eligibility. We are told that the Convention delegates are going to be the ones that will determine the 2004 Convention Eligibility of Local 37. It should not be up to the delegates, the Membership of Local 37 made their voice known. There is no delinquency owed to AMFA National for Force Majeure – Customer 10 / Seneca from this Local. Because the membership said not to fund Force Majeure – Customer 10 / Seneca. Are we not obligated to do as we are instructed to do by our membership, because it is my understanding the Local membership has the final decision in the running of a Local, Not a larger Local, ACAC or the NEC!

If we are wrong please let us know, because we have been doing it that way for years.

One other small idem, since Local 37 has been Right Sized and we no longer have NWA members, have you inform the new Locals that they will be billed for the NWA Force Majeure – Customer 10 / Seneca pro rated to the population of the NWA members in their Local without a membership vote on funding once they get charted?


On behalf of the membership of Local 37.

Yours truly,

/s/

Hillary J. Francois III
President AMFA Local 37

!!!!!HOLY COW!!!!!!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

How's that for a kick in the pants amfa wannabes????


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

DELLE THE DICTATOR STRIKES AGAIN!!!!!!!!


ROLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[twuer]

Looks like amfa delle the dictator is setting the stage.

No local antinomy, full control tell the last day?

Has Delle removed her or any other officers from office like Sonny Hall did to Local 562 and 567?

"At the end of the day" the members can vote out Delle. The members never get to vote one way or the other for Sonny Hall.

Has Delle removed her or any other officers from office like Sonny Hall did to Local 562 and 567?


I don't know . . . anyone guilty of dual unionism????

"At the end of the day" the members can vote out Delle. The members never get to vote one way or the other for Sonny Hall.

This seems to be the ONLY thing you can argue Bob. If this is all amfa has to offer than they are much much worse then we all thought to begin with.


You never responded to my questions regarding why you stayed for 17 years when the TWU (as you claim) has had the worst contract for over 20 years. Doesn't add up Bob. Could it be maybe you are exaggerating quite a bit to make amfa look better? I noticed you had no comment on the article CIO posted other than what you have been saying for a year now. It can't be that amfa is guilty of the same things you say the TWU does is it???????????????

Time to 'fess up boys!!!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! STILL ROLMAO!!

 

[Bob Owens]

"You never responded to my questions regarding why you stayed for 17 years when the TWU (as you claim) has had the worst contract for over 20 years. Doesn't add up Bob. Could it be maybe you are exaggerating quite a bit to make amfa look better? I noticed you had no comment on the article CIO posted other than what you have been saying for a year now. It can't be that amfa is guilty of the same things you say the TWU does is it???????????????

Time to 'fess up boys!!! [/color]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! STILL ROLMAO!!

I don't know . . . anyone guilty of dual unionism????


Guilty according to whom? Is your version of a fair trial one where the accused does not get to face his accusor? Where the accused picks three of his subordinates to render judgement? You can only be found guilty of what you have done, not what you feel in your heart. I was committed to changing the TWU from within, I met with other TWU reformers from Philidelphia and New York City on several occasions on my own time in order to further this goal. While I've always felt that we should be with all the other mechanics in one union I also felt that all the other airline workers should also be in one union. I see no benifit in having workers that do the same job being split up between three unions that are not primarily airline unions. If this is dual unionism then why didnt Sonny press charges back in 2000 when I revealed this to him in a letter? Or on the several occasions where I discussed this with him, Little, Bakala and several other TWU officials?

"At the end of the day" the members can vote out Delle. The members never get to vote one way or the other for Sonny Hall.

This seems to be the ONLY thing you can argue Bob. If this is all amfa has to offer than they are much much worse then we all thought to begin with.

Its not the only thing but it is a Big thing. Accountability and Democracy are important to me. Maybe not to you but they are to me. AMFA offers mechanics the opportunity to join together as an industrywide organization that is focused on our issues. Even the SEUI the largest union in the country put out an essay claiming that a focused union, like the unmentioned AMFA, is superior to a catch all union(like the unmentioned TWU).


"You never responded to my questions regarding why you stayed for 17 years when the TWU (as you claim) has had the worst contract for over 20 years. Doesn't add up Bob. Could it be maybe you are exaggerating quite a bit to make amfa look better? I noticed you had no comment on the article CIO posted other than what you have been saying for a year now. It can't be that amfa is guilty of the same things you say the TWU does is it???????????????

I dont recall you asking but if I answer your questions will you answer mine? You usually dont. Why is that?

I'll answer it anyway. As we all know in this industry seniority is very important and moving from airline to airline comes with a heavy social as well as financial penalty. This is especially true out on the line where the majority of mechanics work nights shift, holidays and weekends. Thats why many workers stayed with Pam Am and TWU until the bitter end.

When I got hired it was early on in AAs rapid expansion. In fact the whole industry was expanding, but no one was expanding as fast as AA thanks to the TWUs WALMART style contract(for employers the lowest prices Everyday).I considered leaving, I interviewed and was offered several positions but I took the advice of a family friend and many of my senior coworkers who said to be patient, that we typically leapfrog off each other and that jumping from airline to airline in search of the top wage was foolish. However with each TWU failure we were always told "Dont worry fellas, we will get em next time". And to tell the truth I was too preoccupied to actually sit down and analyize our position.

It was not until the late nineties when I started to finally get more normal hours and once again started to socialize with people outside of our industry that I realized how far behind we had fallen. My next mission was to find out how this happened and why. The more I looked the more I found that our union, the TWU, had led the way with concessions. While AA has always been one of the healthiest airlines they were still able to consistantly get "Industry Leading Concessions" from the TWU.

The concessions of 1983 were incredible for the time. Only the TWU concessions of 2003 topped them. In fact other carriers were only able to get concessions that the TWU gave up in 1983, in 2003, twenty years later in bankruptcy court! In 1983 the TWU gave the company B-scale, part time, straight pay for training off shift, cross utilization, and transferred work away from A&Ps, thereby wiping out A&P positions in countless small stations and scores of other concessions. Ever since 1983 the TWU has granted concessions at every single contract, usually in return for wage increases that were not even at pace with inflation. As a result members not only continued to lose buying power but also lost benifits and work rule changes in addition.

In 1999 right after I got elected I was still figuring out exactly where we stood. I requested copies of Article 4 all the way back to the sixties. After several weeks of stalling Koziatek requested that I fly down to Dallas and get them myself. I did. But only back to 1980. From those figures, and inflation rates from the DOL website I constructed a graph of how our pay had performed against inflation. This graph was presented to Jim Little who did not dispute what it reflected. He even said that he thought our decline was steeper. This same graph was the basis of the graph that we put in our ad in the Tulsa World last spring, that one was simply an updated version. The graph is a visual display that shows that we have been in a steep decline for over 20 years. There is no exaggeration. It is accurate and even Jim Little admitted so.

As for the why? Why would our union sell us out time and time again and how could they get away with it?

That became even clearer after I became an officer. I saw the contempt that Leaders like Sonny Hall had for the members and how this union tries to foster that same contempt for the members in the Local officers. "Thankless job", "apathetic membership", "members dont care", etc.

They sold us out because they could.

They set up a sham committee called "the presidents council". A body that has no real power either under our contract or the Constitution, it is basically a front to give the members the impression that their "elected leaders" had control and input over the contract.

The goal of the TWU International was not for better wages for us, but more members for the TWU. They would use the increased membership to justify increased compensation for themselves even as real compensation for the members sank. They were free to pursue this goal because they could not be held accountable by the members. Instead they could only be held accountable by delegates, many who were all too eager to try and secure favor from the International with the hope of getting one of those coveted six figure paying appointments. However most never made it, Local leaders were ousted as they were blamed for poor contracts but the real culprits of these sellout deals remained in place. This suited the International perfectly. New leaders were easier to BS or buyout.

The TWU has found that by cooperating with the company, and by giving them lower labor costs than other unions like the IAM and IBT, that they saw more membership growth. In other words the bottom line of the TWU benifitted by selling out our bottom line. Thats why the company welcomed having the TWU represent Eagle instead of challenging them. The only thing better than no union is a sweetheat union.

With the TWU in place it would be impossible to end up with a more militant union like the IAM or the IBT, and AMFA was no threat at the time. The beauty of it was that there was not much the members could do about it. While the mechanics were frequently courting AMFA the TWU had a lock on Tulsa where the members were less affected by the concessions and still enjoyed a comparatively high standard of living. Other workers really had no choice since there were no non-AFL-CIO affiliated alternatives. The TWU was also effective at decieving the members and having them blame not only the Presidents councils but the members themselves!

The more time you are here, the harder it is to leave. The choice of starting at the bottom all over again vs trying to bring about change where you are, is easy. Try for change. Since I know that the TWU will not change, that they will continue to pursue the goal of more members through lower wages I will do exactly what I told Sonny Hall I would do, do whatever I can to get them off the property so we can get unions that care about serving its members and not just getting more dues.



I thought I did comment on the article, my comment alluded to the fact that at AMFA leaders are free to criticize and disagree without being removed-unlike the TWU. In AMFA, elected leaders disagree, challenge and debate elected leaders. In the TWU elected leaders who do the same to their unelected superiors are removed by those unelected superiors.

Will there be internal dissagreements with AMFA? Yes of course there will be, but again, "at the end of the day" everyone who holds a position of power in AMFA is held directly accountable to the members. That is not the case with the TWU where the Dictators can impose any agreement on us as they choose and the members do not have the "right" to vote on their own contracts or those who impose them on them.

I hope that answers your question.

 

[Checking it Out]

You know Bob for someone who prides himself on attending the last convention you sure act dumb once in awhile. Sonny was voted in, Local 514 had every intentions to vote for the best person running. That was Sonny not Roger who lacked the ability to represent us and was a sure bet of leading us down the wrong path.

 

[Bob Owens]

You know Bob for someone who prides himself on attending the last convention you sure act dumb once in awhile. Sonny was voted in, Local 514 had every intentions to vote for the best person running. That was Sonny not Roger who lacked the ability to represent us and was a sure bet of leading us down the wrong path.

Oh really?

Well Sonny Hall has comlete control over our contract.

Rojer has control over their contract.

AA claimed that they were broke. The Union never challenged the company's assertion and instead recommended that we accept the most massive concessions ever in the history of the labor movement. After our agreement was put in place the company's 10K revealed that the company put away millions for the top executives, claimed $988 million in Goodwill losses and also prepaid leases. Nearly one third of the companys claimed loss of $3.5 Billion was from an "inidentifyable, intangable" loss. In other words no real cash was lost. Another factor which has been used by companys to overstate their losses is accellerated depreciation, we dont know how much of the loss was from that. Any way the company claimed they were broke, the TWU believed them and jammed a 6 year concessionary contract that not only will have us earning less in 2009 than we were in 2001 but we also lost nearly everything else. In the meantime since we got this contract, in less than 1 year the companys stock has more than quadrpouled and they have over $3billion in cash on habnd as they continue building new terminals, buying new aircraft and other major capital improvements in addition to possibly buying another airline.

This is a typical example of Sonnys leadership-Concessions.


On the other hand the NYC TRansit authority tried using the same tactic. They cried poverty- they claimed that they were broke. No doubt that since Sonny is so fond of socializing with Transit Management, since he avoids his members like they have the plauge Sonny shared his methods with them on how to win concessions. However even though the TA claimed that they were broke Rojer Toussaint challenged the TAs assertion. HE CALLED THEM LIARS! He took a lot of heat and it looked like LOCAL 100 was going to strike. In the meantime Sonny was threatening to take over the local if they struck-Sonny was once again siding with management against his own members. THe negotiations went down to the wire with massive demonstrations in suport of Local 100, Sonny did show up and was booed off the podium by the large gathering of New York unionists that included many other union members. Members of both craft and industrial unions stood together in opposition of both the NYC government and Sonny Hall. In the meantime Sonny kept up his attacks and threats against Local 100. In the end they settled for moderate increases and many language improvements and no concessions like us. Months later it was revealed that the TA was lying. Either way they only are stuck with this contract for three years.

Rojer fights for his members.

So what kind of a leader do we want? One that gets us concessions as they sit in their ivory tower, socializing with management, avoiding the membership telling us that we are overpaid and powerless and MUST accept what ever the company demands or one that challenges management and fights for the members?

Judgeing from 514s LM-2 we can see the answer to that for you. Your $200,000/year Local President makes more than double of what Toussaint makes even though Local 100 has 38000 members vs your 6000, and Rojer lives in a high cost area.

Its clear why you waqnt to keep the TWU, not because of what they can do for the membership or the labor movement but to keep alive the hope of getting one of those Six figure, unaccountable jobs in the union.

 

[twuer]

Oh really?

Well Sonny Hall has comlete control over our contract.

Rojer has control over their contract.

AA claimed that they were broke. The Union never challenged the company's assertion and instead recommended that we accept the most massive concessions ever in the history of the labor movement. After our agreement was put in place the company's 10K revealed that the company put away millions for the top executives, claimed $988 million in Goodwill losses and also prepaid leases. Nearly one third of the companys claimed loss of $3.5 Billion was from an "inidentifyable, intangable" loss. In other words no real cash was lost. Another factor which has been used by companys to overstate their losses is accellerated depreciation, we dont know how much of the loss was from that. Any way the company claimed they were broke, the TWU believed them and jammed a 6 year concessionary contract that not only will have us earning less in 2009 than we were in 2001 but we also lost nearly everything else. In the meantime since we got this contract, in less than 1 year the companys stock has more than quadrpouled and they have over $3billion in cash on habnd as they continue building new terminals, buying new aircraft and other major capital improvements in addition to possibly buying another airline.

This is a typical example of Sonnys leadership-Concessions.


On the other hand the NYC TRansit authority tried using the same tactic. They cried poverty- they claimed that they were broke. No doubt that since Sonny is so fond of socializing with Transit Management, since he avoids his members like they have the plauge Sonny shared his methods with them on how to win concessions. However even though the TA claimed that they were broke Rojer Toussaint challenged the TAs assertion. HE CALLED THEM LIARS! He took a lot of heat and it looked like LOCAL 100 was going to strike. In the meantime Sonny was threatening to take over the local if they struck-Sonny was once again siding with management against his own members. THe negotiations went down to the wire with massive demonstrations in suport of Local 100, Sonny did show up and was booed off the podium by the large gathering of New York unionists that included many other union members. Members of both craft and industrial unions stood together in opposition of both the NYC government and Sonny Hall. In the meantime Sonny kept up his attacks and threats against Local 100. In the end they settled for moderate increases and many language improvements and no concessions like us. Months later it was revealed that the TA was lying. Either way they only are stuck with this contract for three years.

Rojer fights for his members.

So what kind of a leader do we want? One that gets us concessions as they sit in their ivory tower, socializing with management, avoiding the membership telling us that we are overpaid and powerless and MUST accept what ever the company demands or one that challenges management and fights for the members?

Judgeing from 514s LM-2 we can see the answer to that for you. Your $200,000/year Local President makes more than double of what Toussaint makes even though Local 100 has 38000 members vs your 6000, and Rojer lives in a high cost area.

Its clear why you waqnt to keep the TWU, not because of what they can do for the membership or the labor movement but to keep alive the hope of getting one of those Six figure, unaccountable jobs in the union.

Bob,

You continue to put up number after number regarding company finances and salaries,etc. . . but yet you don't put up solid proof. Why should we believe what you say? Just because you say it? You seem to know everything about everything when it comes to everything!!! Sorry pal but nobody knows that much. When you start posting some solid evidence, receipts, pay stubs, bank records, company books, confidential company records, memos anything than I will eat my words. But until then, what you say doesn't mean much. I don't mean to sound arrogant but you would expect the same if we were spouting off numbers the way you do. In fact I think you have asked for it in the past.

Rojer fights for his members.

As for Rojer. . .everyone knows he wants Sonny's job. I guess you think he wants it for the commaradary and unionism??? Give me a break.

Have you commented on the topic of this tread yet Bob? Maybe I missed it.

 

[Checking it Out]

These amfa wantabes are so full of anti-sentiment they really don't understand what they are advocating, They want change, but change is not always brighter on the other end of the stick.

Anyone with common sense can see the writing on the wall! Amfa is a pyramid scheme designed to funnel money to outside sources. The local 37 sees this and have voiced their objections! But amfa wantabes don't want to see the truth?

 

[Bob Owens]

You continue to put up number after number regarding company finances and salaries,etc. . . but yet you don't put up solid proof. Why should we believe what you say? Just because you say it? You seem to know everything about everything when it comes to everything!!! Sorry pal but nobody knows that much. When you start posting some solid evidence, receipts, pay stubs, bank records, company books, confidential company records, memos anything than I will eat my words. But until then, what you say doesn't mean much. I don't mean to sound arrogant but you would expect the same if we were spouting off numbers the way you do. In fact I think you have asked for it in the past.[/color]

Rojer fights for his members.

As for Rojer. . .everyone knows he wants Sonny's job. I guess you think he wants it for the commaradary and unionism??? Give me a break.

Have you commented on the topic of this tread yet Bob? Maybe I missed it.

How would you like your words? Well done or rare?

The $988 million in Goodwill was in the companys 10K report, along with the widely publized $3.5 billion loss.

The statements about our earnings being less in 2009 than they were in 2001 can be found by comparing article 4 in our old contract book with what the company has posted in the computer, since we dont have new contract books.

The companys stock performance can be found on any stock quote internet site by looking at the 52 week high vs 52 week low figures.

The $3 billion in cash was put out in the companys own statements, again widely distributed.

The $200,000 for Randy was based upon the fact that the LM-2 reports that he got over $140,000 from the Local plus as Treasurer I am aware that the company pays Presidents their full 40 hour paycheck without punching in or accounting for how that justifies as UBP. Assuming Randy was at top pay as a mechanic he got around $60,000 from the company.

The fact is that you do often spout off numbers and claims without any supporting evidence. You complain when you dont get responses yet you regularly avoid responding. I would say that I have been much more obliging than you or any of your fellow TWU/ATD supporters have been.

Ok, so I told you where you can find evidence supporting my claims. Now can you produce anything contesting them?

As far as Rojer goes he fights for his members.Transit workers are better off today despite the fact that Sonny tried to torpedo negotiations and when Rojer took office he slashed the pay and perks of Local officials so they were more in line with the members.