TWU/AA (One of the Same ) Five Year Contract

ch53D

Senior
Jan 21, 2007
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Airline union to plan strategy
By D.R. STEWART World Staff Writer
2/28/2007


Union members want to be rewarded for American Airlines' rebound.

Negotiations could get ugly this time around at AMR Corp.'s American Airlines.

As representatives of the Transport Workers Union, American's mechanics union, gather Wednesday in suburban Fort Worth to plan strategy for negotiations on a new five-year contract, there is evidence that American's hard-won labor-management cooperation is fraying at the seams.

Although American, which employs more than 6,000 aircraft mechanics in Tulsa, has avoided bankruptcy and posted a $231 million profit last year, its unionized mechanics, pilots and flight attendants say their sacrifices -- $1.6 billion a year in wage and benefit concessions since 2003 -- are not being shared by management.

While company executives say AMR's financial problems are not over, its stock price has soared during the past four years, closing at $33.95 Tuesday, making hundreds of executives eligible for millions of dollars in stock-based incentive payouts in April, officials said.

"Our position is that moving forward, we need to have a contract in place by the (May 2008) amendable date, and it's not going to be a concessionary contract," said Gary Yingst, the director of TWU's Air Transport

Division. "All of us will be expecting a return for our sacrifices -- and it will be monetary."

James C. Little, president of the TWU International, said the profits and share price of AMR are up because of the concessions agreed to in 2003 by the mechanics, pilots and flight attendants.

In addition, due to the work, planning and cooperation of the mechanics, American's maintenance bases in Tulsa, Fort Worth and Kansas City, Mo., have become major profit centers for the company, Little and the mechanics say.

The partnership between management and the mechanics is expected to bring in $100 million in revenue from outside sources this year and $175 million in 2008.

"We're pleased the company is doing so well," Little said in a written statement. "We know that much of this success is directly tied to our highly profitable partnership with the company that has streamlined the maintenance process and brought more than 50 customers, including many foreign airlines, into American's hangars for repairs.

"American's leadership has told us in recent years that workers and managers should 'share the gain' as well as 'share the pain.' The gains are there; it's time to share."

At an appearance in Tulsa earlier this month, AMR Chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey was asked whether the management stock incentives might jeopardize the cooperative relationship forged between labor and management.

"We are not paying (management) bonuses this year," Arpey said. "We have a stock-based incentive plan. If the stock does poorly -- as it did in 2002 through 2005 -- there are no incentives."

Arpey and American's management say the company's executive are paid less than comparable U.S. airline executives. The stock incentives help redress the differences between executive pay at American and the market, they say.

But American's labor groups and some industry observers aren't buying it.

Mike Boyd, an industry analyst with the Boyd Group in Evergreen, Colo., and a consultant for American's pilots union, the Allied Pilots Association, said a management payout this year would be a major mistake.

"When you're lavishing money on management at the same time you're telling employees that regardless of the profits, we're not out of the woods, you've lost all credibility," Boyd said in a telephone interview. "If Arpey believes these are two separate issues, he needs to come back to earth."

Lori Bassani, spokesman for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants at American, said morale is suffering because of the perception of unequal sacrifices by labor and management.

"Our membership feels top American Airlines executives are getting paid bonuses on the sacrifices employees made in 2003," Bassani said in a telephone interview. "I see a huge opportunity that's being missed. They could have led by example to really pull employees together.

"This is an opportunity to equitably share with employees the profits made by the airline due to the sacrifices made by all employees. That would have engendered employee loyalty that would have spilled over to our customers.

"Happy employees produce happy customers. It just seems so obvious to me."



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D.R. Stewart 581-8451
[email protected]
 
Why would anyone want a five year contract, that's a concession already. And why are we strictly worried about money, how the language that got gutted. If this is their plan, they need to be removed ASAP.
 
Why would anyone want a five year contract, that's a concession already. And why are we strictly worried about money, how the language that got gutted. If this is their plan, they need to be removed ASAP.

We need all the language back, plus 25% pay increases with 3% cola for life of the agreement. The agreement should be 2 years.

This will not happen so the only option is to boot the TWU.
 
If I had to bet(AND I HOPE I'm WRONG), the contract will be....NO language changes...3.5% per year, for five years(which equals 17.5%), which would mean, that after about "10" years, everybody would be where they were, before the concessions.

The ABSOLUTE ONLY HOPE, is to $hitcan the twu...RIGHT NOW!

There is one other way, to get all the concessions($$$) back, PLUS raises(in my view)
(Plese don't think of me as a TRAITOR for writing this, but it "would" work)("almost" a mirror image of NW).
Oddly enough, CRANDALL envisioned "something" like this, years ago.

A New union (hypothetically) could offer AA a 33-40% reduction in AMT/FSC manpower(and benefits), using todays numbers, PLUS major language changes.
A Different form of a "station protection".
For example, allow AA to outsource all AMT/FSC work, except the following stations.(Naturally the HUBS..DFW/AFW/TUL/ORD/MIA/SJU), and focus cities of BOS JFK LGA LAX and SFO.

NH/BB's
 
Just More BS,

Like one of the TUL guys said, the TWU and AA couldn't let BSh!t take a dumper after all the PR they pumped into him...

DV, Gless and the rest weren't going to take the fall for the bad deal...

Put BSh!t in charge and if AA values him enough, they sweeten the pot to the point that the International takes the credit.

If AA doesn't want the deal, then the International puts the blame on Barney.

The fact is that just like the concessions deal: the Locals are invited down to decide which bite of different sh!te sandwiches they will committ to swallowing. It does not matter how much drama you hear or read from the TWU
 
We have to all face reality. After all these years that I have been with the TWU and AA, the company already dictated to the TWU what they want and how much if any they will pay us. Now the TWU has to sugar coat it for our negotiation committee and sell it to the members. If the line presidents do not like the proposal I am sure that Burchette will some how threaten or bribe to convince our negotiating committee to accept the proposal or force a roll call vote. Then if the membership votes it down you may just see Burchette or Little use their power and sign off on the contract anyway. But before this happens I am curious to see how the voting will turn out. The last one was a joke. Too many inconsistencies.
Keep this thought in mind folks, AA needs money and needs to raise additional capital to buy new aircraft and the Pilots union was already quoted that they want their money back or will strike. The pilots will get their share of the money and not much will be left over for us. If any of you guys in the TWU think that we are going to get back a substantial amount of money and benefits back you are all living a dream. What the TWU gave up in 2003 is never going to come back. It is all a memory. If you do not believe me ask yourself this question.... Has the TWU ever negotiated a contract that NEVER had CONCESSIONS? :huh:
 
They did allright back in the days of passing cost increases to the CAB. Since 1983 its been one shell game after another. My prediction; no change in language, no pension for new hires. To get it signed, maybe 10% raise DOS and 1.5% annually for 5 years. Or maybe like 89 and 93. 2 years extension for pay increase DOS, but everything put on hold in language.
 
If the line presidents do not like the proposal I am sure that Burchette will some how threaten or bribe to convince our negotiating committee to accept the proposal or force a roll call vote.
The line presidents are powerless and are outnumbered by title 2 and title 4. Actually, at the last two negotiations, title 2 and 4 negotators outnumbered title 1 negotiators despite being outnumbered by a 5 to 1 margin in members. It's that twu math. ;)

Time to boot them the hell off the property once and for all. :up:
 
The maybe 135 title 4 employees left (aircraft fueling) have been rolled into title 3 since 91. Openings are covered with fsc. As far as Title 2 we had an excellent negotiator who told us to vote no. He has since voted with his feet instead of his mouth, skilled tradesmen don't need the airline industry.
 
The maybe 135 title 4 employees left (aircraft fueling) have been rolled into title 3 since 91. Openings are covered with fsc. As far as Title 2 we had an excellent negotiator who told us to vote no. He has since voted with his feet instead of his mouth, skilled tradesmen don't need the airline industry.
They may be rolled into title 3, but still have 3 or 4 spots at the M&R table as title 4 in 95, 01, and 03.

And BTW...I'd take anyone from any title group out of the northeast to negotiate over what we will get in Burchette. But the point was, that what appears to be seperate and the so-called line presidents club think they have a voice, but they are still outnumbered.

Here's 2001's committee by the way, 12 from title 2 and 4, 10 from title 1:

Title Group I = 10
David Lanham
Dennis Burchette

Jack Madish

Todd Woodward

Bobby Gless

Paul McCormick

Mark Rasco

Don Videtich

Joe Hasen

Nestor Rodriguez



[ back ]

Title Group II = 10
Jack Sullivan

John Conley

Bobby Gless

Rich Beeks

Tony McCoy

Tom Supernaw

JJ Albee

Eddie Suarez

Mike Schwanz

Kenneth Hall


Title Group IV = 2
Gary Blanck

Tab Baker
 
Some of those names got run out of town on a rail, however I believe the language is that the junior title group sends a rep. along with whomever is in the majority. It was to ensure that when it was all joint negotiations took place title 1 would allways have someone with the title 3 rep. It was probably an unforseen result that title 2 (or 4) now is in that position. Or maybe not. All I know is every guy who has bumped in from a layoff at a base has had the same mentality. I think they are well intentioned, but it's a different world in Tule.
 
Title Group I = 10
David Lanham, Dennis Burchette, Jack Madish, Todd Woodward,
Bobby Gless, Paul McCormick, Mark Rasco, Don Videtich, Joe Hasen, Nestor Rodriguez

Just curious here, BUT, out of the names posted here which individuals went onto bigger pay checks as an international rep.?

And of those reps. were any removed from office?

And of those reps. which ones get a warm welcome when flying into JFK?

And of those that remained which ones accepted pay & benefit cuts equal to those AMTs took?
 
Title Group I = 10
David Lanham, Dennis Burchette, Jack Madish, Todd Woodward,
Bobby Gless, Paul McCormick, Mark Rasco, Don Videtich, Joe Hasen, Nestor Rodriguez

Just curious here, BUT, out of the names posted here which individuals went onto bigger pay checks as an international rep.?
One of them is looking at 30 to life. :shock:
 
Title Group I = 10
David Lanham, Dennis Burchette, Jack Madish, Todd Woodward,
Bobby Gless, Paul McCormick, Mark Rasco, Don Videtich, Joe Hasen, Nestor Rodriguez

Just curious here, BUT, out of the names posted here which individuals went onto bigger pay checks as an international rep.?

And of those reps. were any removed from office?

And of those reps. which ones get a warm welcome when flying into JFK?

And of those that remained which ones accepted pay & benefit cuts equal to those AMTs took?

I apologize for not giving an "honorable" mention to kirk wells. His chant of "To the doors and stop!" outside the Bradey Theatre next to a rented coffin will forever live in the lore of being a rented tool.

So, where is old kirk and who is looking at 30 to life and for what?
 
I apologize for not giving an "honorable" mention to kirk wells. His chant of "To the doors and stop!" outside the Bradey Theatre next to a rented coffin will forever live in the lore of being a rented tool.

So, where is old kirk and who is looking at 30 to life and for what?
No not Kirky...he was one of the 10 from title 1. If I find his record I'll post it.