Strike? Now?

[Duke787]

Reading about the strikes at TWA and NWA, they were not succesful. They also happened when times were good compared to today's economic enviroment. I have no doubt that AA could replace the pilots, mechs and F/A's. It would be painful for AA to replace the mechs and pilots just because of the vast amount of experiance it takes to be proficient in our careers. But for a F/A it would not be that hard to. Not to make lite of a F/A job, to do safety checks and be nice to the pax it doesn't require a whole lot of experiance. If the F/A job was so horriable why is there so little turn over with the personal? Below are links to articles about the strikes.

Just to be clear, I believe all the airline employees deserve a raise, but to go on strike now is a mistake for any work group.

http://www.cpcs.umb.edu/labor_notes/files/08905.pdf

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2005-1...st-strike_x.htm

http://books.google.com/books?id=EY2WGe62K...FFA&f=false

 

[wcs]

Then Strike when?

 

[Duke787]

Then Strike when?

When there isn't an estimated 10% unemployment, When the company is looking to expand instead of shrink.

I would ask anybody who wants to go on strike so bad, to go look for a job that you will inevitablity have to find, if you go on strike. Nobody will have sympathy with someone making $40k a year, health benefits, and working 2 weeks a month (if you only fly your schedule). Don't forget about all the travel, the reason most of you became F/A's.

 

[frontline]

Totally agree. It is nothing but irresponsible talk by people who are trying to find some leverage against AA. They want to scare the customers, most of who do not understand that airline workers can't just call a strike overnight. Empty threats and negotiating tactics, nothing more.

I sure as hell don't want to be filing for unemployment because the negotiators could not do their jobs.

 

[Hopeful]

When there isn't an estimated 10% unemployment, When the company is looking to expand instead of shrink.

I would ask anybody who wants to go on strike so bad, to go look for a job that you will inevitablity have to find, if you go on strike. Nobody will have sympathy with someone making $40k a year, health benefits, and working 2 weeks a month (if you only fly your schedule). Don't forget about all the travel, the reason most of you became F/A's.

Making 40k a year???????????? That's below poverty level in NY.
I cannot speak for the TWA FA strike, but I will say this about the NWA mechanics.
AMFA screwed up big time..They gave NWA so much advance warning of a strike, NWA had more than enough time to hire replacement workers.

Duke, remember Eastern Airlines? The IAM struck and the pilots and flight attendants supported the strike. And every former EAL employee I have ever met say they would do it again.
There comes a time when workers have to say "enough is enough." Let the chips fall where they may.

 

[FurloughedByAPFA]

"There comes a time when workers have to say "enough is enough." Let the chips fall where they may."

 

[Maark767]

When there isn't an estimated 10% unemployment, When the company is looking to expand instead of shrink.

I would ask anybody who wants to go on strike so bad, to go look for a job that you will inevitablity have to find, if you go on strike. Nobody will have sympathy with someone making $40k a year, health benefits, and working 2 weeks a month (if you only fly your schedule). Don't forget about all the travel, the reason most of you became F/A's.

Well if thats how you feel... get ready to take more cuts in pay, VC, sick time..... work 95 hrs a month...list continues.
The company wants to paint this bleek pix so everyone feels scared .... get the employees to take more cuts and then they get bigger bonuses.
Boeing employees struck about a year ago with about the same economic issues and guess what, boeing settled and everyone was happy.
My advice to you ... start thinking in the other direction and dont listen to these people that hate unions. Stick to your union and most of all STICK TOGETHER... UNITY DOES AND WILL PAY !!!!

 

[MrZee]

Good points Duke but you might as well give up trying to talk sense with most of this crowd. They don't live in the real world like you and I do.

 

[goodgirl37]

Reading about the strikes at TWA and NWA, they were not succesful. They also happened when times were good compared to today's economic enviroment. I have no doubt that AA could replace the pilots, mechs and F/A's. It would be painful for AA to replace the mechs and pilots just because of the vast amount of experiance it takes to be proficient in our careers. But for a F/A it would not be that hard to. Not to make lite of a F/A job, to do safety checks and be nice to the pax it doesn't require a whole lot of experiance. If the F/A job was so horriable why is there so little turn over with the personal? Below are links to articles about the strikes.

Just to be clear, I believe all the airline employees deserve a raise, but to go on strike now is a mistake for any work group.

http://www.cpcs.umb.edu/labor_notes/files/08905.pdf

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2005-1...st-strike_x.htm

http://books.google.com/books?id=EY2WGe62K...FFA&f=false

I agree with most of your points, the flight attendants dont have much clout, however, they could if they werent so naive. The flight attendants in this country, in particualar, American, United, Delta, USAirways, and Continental, seriously need to realize that they need to fall under one umbrella union and more importantly contract - PERIOD... Instead, you have American flight attendants griping about this and that and then turning around defending their company fiercly, the same at Delta and United and so on and so forth. Who cares what company I work for, I want to work under the best contract!! HELLO F/A's - WAKE UP!!! If we were all (UAL, AA, DAL , US, CAL) fighting for a unity wage and work rules, we would win, no doubt.. Until then, you can kiss your raise and maybe your job, goodbye.. AA is always going to say, well you make more than DAL and UAL f/a's , so you should be happy.. What would they say if we were all under a unity contract, with the same wages and we were all putting pressure on our companies for a combined raise for our combined contract? But Nah, that would make too much sense, anyway, have fun while you are out on strike, I will gladly go and walk your picket line.

 

[Duke787]

Making 40k a year???????????? That's below poverty level in NY.
I cannot speak for the TWA FA strike, but I will say this about the NWA mechanics.
AMFA screwed up big time..They gave NWA so much advance warning of a strike, NWA had more than enough time to hire replacement workers.

Duke, remember Eastern Airlines? The IAM struck and the pilots and flight attendants supported the strike. And every former EAL employee I have ever met say they would do it again.
There comes a time when workers have to say "enough is enough." Let the chips fall where they may.

40K is good money everywhere else in this great country except NYC and California. When EAL went on stike they forced to by Lorenzo who wanted to gut that airline to prop up Continential and Texas Air. AA just isn't giving you a big as pay raise as you want, and making you work more hours. AMFA was pushed into a strike by NWA they wanted a 20% pay cut and layoff 51% of the mechs. AMFA didn't go on strike sooner because the NMB didn't release them until NWA had replacements hired and trained. Remember you can't go on strike until you are released, then you still have to wait an additional 30 days.. Everyone of us is replaceable................go look for a job and tell us what's out there. I can make $100k fixing A/C in Bahrain and Iraq or $26 an hour doing overhaul on USAF planes in OKC, no pension, 2 weeks vacation, benefits that are not as good as AA, no flt privledges, but I get to work the crazy hours I work now.

 

[eolesen]

There are less than 15M union members (both government and private) left in the US; that says to me that unions in general have outlived their usefulness, and in many ways, have overplayed their hand over time.

That includes striking.

Under the law, unions can certainly exercise their right to engage in strikes, but as the number of people in unions declines to something south of 5% of the nation's population, don't expect a lot of sympathy from the public.

I think you can also expect less sympathy from a PEB than you would have gotten 10 or 20 years ago...

 

[Maark767]

There are less than 15M union members (both government and private) left in the US; that says to me that unions in general have outlived their usefulness, and in many ways, have overplayed their hand over time.

That includes striking.

Under the law, unions can certainly exercise their right to engage in strikes, but as the number of people in unions declines to something south of 5% of the nation's population, don't expect a lot of sympathy from the public.

I think you can also expect less sympathy from a PEB than you would have gotten 10 or 20 years ago...

With no unions... The old saying prevails ..... "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer"... Maybe we can all work at Walmart??
Wait and see what kind of condition the US economy is going to be in about 20 yrs..... With no pensions for the elderly... 1/2 the population will be poor. Think of what the government will have to deal with then. Pensions are pulled left and right these days but nobody thinks about tomorrow....
Maybe I'm wrong... Hope so...

 

[Bob Owens]

There are less than 15M union members (both government and private) left in the US; that says to me that unions in general have outlived their usefulness, and in many ways, have overplayed their hand over time.

15 million is insignificant? What do you think would happen to the economy if just the 1,144,000 unionized workers in transportation and utilities walked off the job?

 

[Bagbelt]

Union membership has largely declined from offshoring work and de-industrialisation. Even nonunion can't compete with third world wages and enviormental laws. $40k a year is close to poverty everywhere in this country unless you live with your folks with no kids. The airlines wouldn't be so bad if you started at full rate like years ago. But who in their right mind would want a gig with crappy hours, no prospects and a pay and benefits package that gets worse by the year? Half the guys in a/c maint.are already working 2nd jobs or looking for one.

 

[Bagbelt]

I know how bad the economy is and that people are hurting. But it's been 20 years of concessions, most crawled up a 10 year pay progression with 1.5% raises for most of that time when things were booming. It's probably the best part time job there is, but I would never recommend it as a career..