ON AMFA RAID AT AMERICAN AIRLINES -- (March 31,2004)
LOCAL 100 EXECUTIVE BOARD ACTS ON AMFA RAID AT AMERICAN AIRLINES
A “union†calling themselves AMFA has filed a petition with the national Mediation Board to represent the mechanics at American Airlines. If this petition is upheld and AMFA wins an election, it will mean the loss of 16,000 TWU members. This will severely weaken the Air Transport Division of the TWU.
On March 26th, the Local 100 Executive Board unanimously approved the following resolution on AMFA.
AMFA IS the Wrong Way to Go -- Stay and Fight
The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, or AMFA, has filed a challenge to the TWU’s representation of mechanics at American Airlines with the National Mediation Board.
Local 100 strongly opposes this raid and calls on all American Airlines mechanics to Say NO to AMFA.
The AMFA petition is an attack not only on the TWU, but on the very principle of industrial unionism. AMFA’s basic stand is to play off mechanics against other airline workers according to the notion of “strength in skill, not in numbers.†This is why it has filed to represent only mechanics, and not the thousands of other members of the TWU bargaining unit at American Airlines.
Faced with the crisis of the airline industry, many disappointed mechanics have bought into the mistaken belief that mechanics can do better by going it alone. In fact, this leaves them wide open to divide-and-conquer games on the part of the company. The strongest position aircraft mechanics can be in is to stand shoulder to shoulder with all ground workers against American’s attempt to farm out work and undercut jobs.
The mechanics at American would do well to reflect on the experience of their counterparts at NWA. The high hopes of mechanics at NWA who voted in AMFA have been dashed as AMFA gave a green light to farming-out and job loss.
Signing on with this craft-oriented “fraternal association†is throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Local 100 urges our brothers and sisters at American to reject this raid.
Local 100 too has been confronted with AMFA like efforts to split our union along craft lines – buses vs. subways, even so-called skilled trades within subways against the rest of subways. We have always rejected them, just as we reject AMFA.
No matter what the problems are with the TWU or with any TWU leaders, AMFA is the wrong way to go. The Local 100 Executive Board urges all mechanics at American Airlines to stay and fight.
Passed unanimously.
March 26, 2004
Full Story
LOCAL 100 EXECUTIVE BOARD ACTS ON AMFA RAID AT AMERICAN AIRLINES
A “union†calling themselves AMFA has filed a petition with the national Mediation Board to represent the mechanics at American Airlines. If this petition is upheld and AMFA wins an election, it will mean the loss of 16,000 TWU members. This will severely weaken the Air Transport Division of the TWU.
On March 26th, the Local 100 Executive Board unanimously approved the following resolution on AMFA.
AMFA IS the Wrong Way to Go -- Stay and Fight
The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, or AMFA, has filed a challenge to the TWU’s representation of mechanics at American Airlines with the National Mediation Board.
Local 100 strongly opposes this raid and calls on all American Airlines mechanics to Say NO to AMFA.
The AMFA petition is an attack not only on the TWU, but on the very principle of industrial unionism. AMFA’s basic stand is to play off mechanics against other airline workers according to the notion of “strength in skill, not in numbers.†This is why it has filed to represent only mechanics, and not the thousands of other members of the TWU bargaining unit at American Airlines.
Faced with the crisis of the airline industry, many disappointed mechanics have bought into the mistaken belief that mechanics can do better by going it alone. In fact, this leaves them wide open to divide-and-conquer games on the part of the company. The strongest position aircraft mechanics can be in is to stand shoulder to shoulder with all ground workers against American’s attempt to farm out work and undercut jobs.
The mechanics at American would do well to reflect on the experience of their counterparts at NWA. The high hopes of mechanics at NWA who voted in AMFA have been dashed as AMFA gave a green light to farming-out and job loss.
Signing on with this craft-oriented “fraternal association†is throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Local 100 urges our brothers and sisters at American to reject this raid.
Local 100 too has been confronted with AMFA like efforts to split our union along craft lines – buses vs. subways, even so-called skilled trades within subways against the rest of subways. We have always rejected them, just as we reject AMFA.
No matter what the problems are with the TWU or with any TWU leaders, AMFA is the wrong way to go. The Local 100 Executive Board urges all mechanics at American Airlines to stay and fight.
Passed unanimously.
March 26, 2004
Full Story
AMFA Constitution PREAMBLE
