No, I'm defending the argument that unions are essentially screwed and incapable of overcoming the reality of economics.
One or two might succeed in bringing down their employers, but they are still powerless to change the price of oil or where the economy heads...
That's a cold, hard fact, Bob. Kicking out Conley or even the TWU won't change a damn thing.
The cold hard facts are that when there is inflation (7.5% for the last year) workers must demand more in order to survive. Executives dont seem to be held to the same "reality of economics" that you speak of, they get raises and bonuses regardless of how much of the stockholders money they lose. $100 a barrel or not the airline still needs workers. As long as thats the case unions can get raises.
United's AMTs are now on their third union in five years. Do you really think the IBT is going to be able to undo all of the damage done by the IAM and perpetuated by AMFA? If you do, you're admitting that AMFA was outclassed and incapable of serving their members...
Did I say that? I think going to the IBT was a mistake for UAL since the only intrest that the IBT has is destroying AMFA, not helping airline workers. They proved that by declining to go after workers at AA and other AFL-CIO represented airline workers. Our problem is that pour unions keep us fragmented and that has more to do with our inability to get raises than oil prices or airline profitability. If we were under one union then that union could set prices to the highest price the market could bear, just like OPEC. If the IBT had announced they were going after the whole industry I would have supported them, but I wont support them using the mechanics at UAL as a means of exacting a personal vendetta.
Probably because they realize that unions don't really do a whole lot for their benefit, and you might as well keep the devil you know... You and Bob have been brainwashed from birth about unionism. Having lived in quite a few red and blue states, I don't see where the rest of the country has been hoodwinked into the false sense of security that still persists in the Northeast.
Brainwashed from birth? What do you base that on? My parents were never in a union. I went to Catholic school and was taught by non-union teachers in a Conservative Institution. Maybe I was brainwashed against abortion and divorce but unionism realy wasnt part of the curriculum. One thing is for sure, that I did see the benifits of having real unions. Those who worked under real unions made more money, died less often on the job and generally lived better than those doing the same work who were non-union. Thats learning though observation, not brainwashing.
Bears, perhaps the people you denegrate so often from DFW and TUL have actually done more good for AA's unionized workforce than not. AMFA is now a proven failure at both NWA and UAL. Had they been elected in at AMR during either of the last two elections, it's possible that AMR would be in the same boat as NWA, ALK or UAL -- no overhaul, no pension, and very little job security.
You left out SWA.
No overhaul? Like IBT represented UPS and Continental?
No pension? Who has No pension? I believe that those who went BK went to DC plans instead of DB, but a DC is still a pension.
Job security? Come on now, there never was job security in this industry, no matter where you work or who represented you.
You dont believe in unionism and thats why you like the TWU. As our representative Conley should be making our arguement, not the company's. Inflation is hurting us even more so because this inflation comes on top of a huge paycut, a double whammy. AMR on the other hand has increased their revenues by $5.5 billion since we gave those paycuts. Yet today the airlines still charge very low airfares. Those increased revenues have more than covered the increased costs of fuel. Those are facts, not economic assumptions that you call reality.
Unions have never "brought down" a company, companys fail due to poor management. Give me one example of a company that was run correctly by management but brought down by unions.
Conley has chosen to go out and champion the company's plight while staying silent about ours. He is supposed to be our (appointed) spokesperson and he is derilict in his duty. The last thing that we need is for our representative to go out and champion the airlines plight, everyone is well aware that fuel costs have an impact on the cost of airline operations but many are not aware of the double whammy that has hit his members, a 25% paycut and at least another 15% loss of buying power due to inflation. If Conley talks about the price of fuel he should target the oil companies and their windfall profits as the culprit and not say that the workers should just sit back and accept less so the oil companies can make more. Thats what Conely should be saying. He isnt, and thats why he must go!
