Unions ...would You Be Safe With Out It?

[Twicebaked]

I saw this on the AFA website and thought it really painted a picture. Many of us may be unhappy with our union representation and the money that we pay, but this put it into perspective for me. Hopefully, this will be read by more people here.


Where Do My Union Dues Go

Imagine life without the $39.00 monthly union dues…

What would it be like working at US Airways without having to pay $39 to AFA every month?

It would mean no union and no AFA...

Do you think that is the answer?

Then the question really is…
What would it be like working at your airline with no contract to protect you?
How would management treat you and your flying partners if it didn't have to negotiate and adhere to the contract?
What would it be like if you had no voice?
You've seen how supervisors routinely attempt to violate your contract and how this management team never seems to think it's taken enough from you. Without AFA and the flight attendants and attorneys who represent you, things would likely be a lot worse. With no contract to protect your wages, benefits, and work rules, management could create new work rules, cut benefits and reduce pay at their whim - and you would have no recourse.

Without... a contract protecting you on the job, your pay and per diem would probably be cut. You'd likely have to pay a lot more out of your pocket for a lot less health insurance. Sick leave would be virtually non-existent. Vacations would be reduced significantly. Pensions and retirement would be unheard of.

Without... a contract, safety and security training and protections would get slashed. Duty days would get longer and rests would get shorter. Days off would never be "free".

If... management had its way, the quality of hotels you stay in would go way down, because standards for the hotels you stay in are set in your contract and monitored by AFA representatives.

And if... AFA hadn't already won the legal battles against these practices, you might even have to weigh in, remain single and retire at 32.

Your $39... a month goes to pay professional negotiators and financial and benefit experts to work with flight attendants in negotiating new contracts. It pays attorneys who work with elected leaders (also paid with your dues) and flight attendant committee members to enforce your contract.

Your $39... is used to pay lobbyists and flight attendants who take time away from flying to work to change laws and give you a voice on Capitol Hill. It's used to make sure the FAA doesn't overlook us when it's creating safety and health policies that affect our workplace. Dues are used to help us advocate for better security and training with the TSA.

Your $39... brings you up-to-date communications on our industry, workplace and employers. When flight attendants need to be in the news to alert the flying public about our issues, your dues enable AFA to communicate effectively with the mass media. And with your dues, AFA is able to provide a nationally recognized Employee Assistance Program that's available to flight attendants in need, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Just think about it: Without membership in AFA, especially in these last two difficult years for our industry, where would we be now? How much further would airline management have cut if it didn't have to negotiate?

AFA dues have not increased since 1994. In fact, that's one reason our union is struggling financially - over the past two years, we've lost over 10,000 members. That means 10,000 fewer people paying dues. And with the cost of living going up and revenue going down, and management taking out its financial missteps on the front-line employees, we have to change the way we do business to survive to fight another day. Just doing nothing and continuing down this same road would be a failure to each and every flight attendant who shows up to work each day.

To make sure we can continue to fight from a position of strength, we are considering a merger with the Communications Workers of America. Gaining the strength and backing of CWA's 700,000 workers would give us the economic and political resources to get through the downturns in our industry without weakening our union through cuts in services to members.

Sure, AFA might not always be successful in our fights against powerful corporations and government agencies. We don't always come out on top. But our progress over nearly six decades is proven. Your local and MEC leaders, and the International Officers and staff never stop fighting for a better workplace and a better career for all 40,000 AFA flight attendants. And your dues give us the ability to do that.

 

[T-bone]

The question of how this company would treat you was answered, when the Ramp employee's were decertified. Their hour's were slashed, their benifits slashed, pay slashed.

On the other hand maybe you can trust the labor friendly dave twins to take care of you.

 

[Justaramper]

Life without a Union.....Isn't the "gripe" actually your "enforcement" of your contract and NOT the Union itself....I don't mind the $39/month, it's for keeping what I have at this point..Funny as it seems the other day a fellow employee was complaining about how the UNION took away part of his vacation....Excuse me, wasn't the Company in Bankruptcy...? We all had to give in order to stay employed...Just think if there wasn't any contracts...? Taking would be so very simple....They would have taken alot more than they did and you would never see any part of it given back....

For those who think it might be better, I'd ask you to visit with any Fleet Service Employee who was here in 1990. From 1990 to 1999, we lost more than anyone on this property..NO raises, more PT than ever before, harsh disciplinary action , Lead jobs filled by selection, PDO days , sicktime bank never increased, overtime was almost impossible for a PT agent, shift trades were limited {no back to back doubles}, No holiday pay, a 15 year B scale, no shift premium for PT agents, no paid lunch, NO medical benefits for PT agents hired after 1996.....I could go on with alot more, but what is the point...?

WE may complain about having a Union and blame everything we can think of on them, but, we DARE not get rid of them.....

 

[delldude]

Life without a Union.....Isn't the "gripe" actually your "enforcement" of your contract and NOT the Union itself....I don't mind the $39/month, it's for keeping what I have at this point..Funny as it seems the other day a fellow employee was complaining about how the UNION took away part of his vacation....Excuse me, wasn't the Company in Bankruptcy...? We all had to give in order to stay employed...Just think if there wasn't any contracts...? Taking would be so very simple....They would have taken alot more than they did and you would never see any part of it given back....

For those who think it might be better, I'd ask you to visit with any Fleet Service Employee who was here in 1990. From 1990 to 1999, we lost more than anyone on this property..NO raises, more PT than ever before, harsh disciplinary action , Lead jobs filled by selection, PDO days , sicktime bank never increased, overtime was almost impossible for a PT agent, shift trades were limited {no back to back doubles}, No holiday pay, a 15 year B scale, no shift premium for PT agents, no paid lunch, NO medical benefits for PT agents hired after 1996.....I could go on with alot more, but what is the point...?

WE may complain about having a Union and blame everything we can think of on them, but, we DARE not get rid of them.....

JUST A RAMPER....anybody remind your friends as to how they got "porked"?
the reason your labor group was the recipient of mangements wrath was a simple fact that you failed to get enough votes to keep union representation.
50%+1 = the difference between having a union represent you and losing representaion.so now tell me exactly,who is to blame here for all you problems?
SOLIDARITY COMES NOT WITHOUT A PRICE!

 

[delldude]

Life without a Union.....Isn't the "gripe" actually your "enforcement" of your contract and NOT the Union itself....I don't mind the $39/month, it's for keeping what I have at this point..Funny as it seems the other day a fellow employee was complaining about how the UNION took away part of his vacation....Excuse me, wasn't the Company in Bankruptcy...? We all had to give in order to stay employed...Just think if there wasn't any contracts...? Taking would be so very simple....They would have taken alot more than they did and you would never see any part of it given back....

For those who think it might be better, I'd ask you to visit with any Fleet Service Employee who was here in 1990. From 1990 to 1999, we lost more than anyone on this property..NO raises, more PT than ever before, harsh disciplinary action , Lead jobs filled by selection, PDO days , sicktime bank never increased, overtime was almost impossible for a PT agent, shift trades were limited {no back to back doubles}, No holiday pay, a 15 year B scale, no shift premium for PT agents, no paid lunch, NO medical benefits for PT agents hired after 1996.....I could go on with alot more, but what is the point...?

WE may complain about having a Union and blame everything we can think of on them, but, we DARE not get rid of them.....

JUSTARAMPER:how can you justify what you have posted?now you are a super union supporter,however...recently...you told the lavman that you were willing to cross our picket lines...who's butt you kissing today?
here you have the unmitigated audacity to support the union way...you are not worthy of our support.i challenge you to explain how you can go from a scab to a trade unionist overnite...........
i must say that you have irreversably insulted every trade unionist on this board with your views.your fellow workers in CLT will look up to you for your wisdom.

 

[REACC1]

I dunno. I personally enjoyed my pre-union working life a whole lot more than I do today. It made it a whole lot easier to accomplish what needed to be done, without someone taking it personally and filing a grievance. Some people wield the contract like a 4 year old with a sword. Vindictive in every way. In a way it is understandable in today's environment, with fear of job loss and uncertainty.
One of the dumbest things the employees of this company did when the union bandwagons were coming through was to split the airport functions into two different working groups. Not only does it increase costs associated with operating the airline, but the working groups impact is vastly diluted. This is evident when looking at the service employee count. Add fleet and CS numbers together and you have a stronger voice.

 

[Teflon]

REACC1, Dave would have destroyed the employees at US if there were no unions.

Unions the people the brought you the 40 hour work week, child labor laws, pensions, health and safety regulations and dignity in the work place.

Remember PDOs, no pension, no sick time, no OI time, 40% part time, 25 hours a week, part-timers paying $300 a month for insurance and a PPG that the company could change at its whim?

 

[CSSUP]

I dunno. I personally enjoyed my pre-union working life a whole lot more than I do today. It made it a whole lot easier to accomplish what needed to be done, without someone taking it personally and filing a grievance. Some people wield the contract like a 4 year old with a sword. Vindictive in every way. In a way it is understandable in today's environment, with fear of job loss and uncertainty.
One of the dumbest things the employees of this company did when the union bandwagons were coming through was to split the airport functions into two different working groups. Not only does it increase costs associated with operating the airline, but the working groups impact is vastly diluted. This is evident when looking at the service employee count. Add fleet and CS numbers together and you have a stronger voice.

I agree 100%. The CWA is a telephone operators union. I have not been impressed with our representation.

Where the IAM was able to get their negotiated pension up and running, we are still waiting for ours. After hearing from our Rep, it may never happen. The IAM was also able to figure out how to distribute the new stock shares according to how much each employee gave up in concessions. CWA took the easy way out and split up the stock evenly part time/full time or Supervisor. As the CSS group gave amost a full dollar an hour more back in concessions it would be nice if our union could figure, as the IAM did, how to give us a least a little more stock.

What it boils down to, our representation is completely and utterly unable to do math. The CWA does not belong at the airport. But when the time came for a union the IAM did not want the airport CS group. I say let the AFA and the reservations agents join forces, we should always be with fleet service.

 

[fast]

I am IAM however I do have one good thigns to say about the CWA.
They are the only group that I know of that is doing something about the FMLA that the company is breaking the law and denying everyone who applies.
Can I add my name to the list over there since the IAM has told me I am on my own?

 

[REACC1]

I agree 100%. The CWA is a telephone operators union. I have not been impressed with our representation.

Where the IAM was able to get their negotiated pension up and running, we are still waiting for ours. After hearing from our Rep, it may never happen. The IAM was also able to figure out how to distribute the new stock shares according to how much each employee gave up in concessions. CWA took the easy way out and split up the stock evenly part time/full time or Supervisor. As the CSS group gave amost a full dollar an hour more back in concessions it would be nice if our union could figure, as the IAM did, how to give us a least a little more stock.

What it boils down to, our representation is completely and utterly unable to do math. The CWA does not belong at the airport. But when the time came for a union the IAM did not want the airport CS group. I say let the AFA and the reservations agents join forces, we should always be with fleet service.

I dont really understand why the IAM didnt want to represent CS togather with fleet. You'd think that they would want more members. It has been working with UA in their out cities. How would one get the IAM to cover the whole group?
I'm not saying that right now we would be better off without representation, however, DL, I dont believe is going for the jugular. I could be wrong. I can see where U is waiting for its kill to die.

 

[Teflon]

The reasoning is because the CWA and IAM were on the ballot and the CSA's and RES Agents voted for the CWA.

 

[xoxo]

I would just like to say that I never even missed that 39.00 I payed to the AFA. I am happy that we have them. A friend of my family worked for DELTA as a f/a for 20 years..now we all know they do not have a union. She took time off to have a baby, well after 9/11 happened when she tried to come back...guess what...GONE...lost her job. If they would have said yes to AFA then she would still have her job. That is a fact!!! I had problems with scheduling "saying" they called me when they did not. I got 2 no contacts and they never even tried to contact me. I got the union involved and they got rid of those 2 no contacts. I would not have been able to do that without them. So, the union is a GREAT thing. Thank you AFA!!!!!!!

 

[AOG-N-IT]

Sadly, U has created an enviroment that requires having Unions.

Having started out as a MSP type...then having been acreeted into the IAM. I can safely speak from both sides of the coin.

The IAM has technically done very little for me personally...and has in many respects hindered my career progression...and penalized me in ways that current MSP types that have less time with the company have not been.

My MSP friends have two weeks of vacation at present...I now have one week of vacation for the next 22 months....had it not been for the IAM , I would not only still have a job...I would be enjoying three weeks of vacation 22 months from now.

My job has also become diluted due to intergration of other classifications into one supposed group....I also feel the other jobs have suffered in an alike manner from the reverse end of the spectrum...the sword indeed cuts both ways.


Now that my personnal gripes are out of the way....I still believe that Unions are a necessary evil...to combat an even greater Evil , our Upper and Middle management.

Our Upper management is void of any degree of honor...and integrity is as equally lost within them. I suppose it's not a MBA requirement in a business school? Ethics is nothing more than an exercise in people distruction.

Our Middle Management is about as equally useless in some respects. Most are too affraid to speak up...no matter how bad some situations are in need of exposure and correction , yet it's all too often about not making waves or ruffling feathers. It's about remaining in favor..and covering thyne arse. This frankly leads to un-effective leadership...and poor end results on a recurrent basis.

Myself...I really don't mind the union dues too badly....and if it does something to keep more people working and treated fairly while doing so? So be it !!

It's just a damn shame that things have to be this way...but here we are. I guess things like the Golden Rule mean nothing in business...If their was Gold in the rule at U...I'm sure someone would have already found a way to pocket it and run...and not among the working stiffs either.

 

[E-TRONS]

Holy Smokes!!!! This one is a no-brainer x 10. :huh:

Non-union types at Delta and alike carry on about how well they are paid without a union and that they don't need one.......read on.

Carriers like Delta pay their employees slightly better than the unionized competition in an effort to keep the unions off the property. Period. Not because they are happy to pay you such but rather they MUST do so. Which explains the rate of pay they give their employees......Union-Wages set the pay standard for Delta Airlines and alike.

If there were not any unions at any airline to compete with, what do you think the pay and bennies would be like?? Start by looking at Walmart, a multi-billion dollar a year company.....note the way they pay/treat their "serfs." It's abominable to say the least. Just mention union at Walmart and you will be ratted-out the door without recourse. Sounds fair?? Hardly. Nevertheless it happens. :down:

Unions are a necessary evil.....without unions the CEO's would have free reign as would any dictator of a third world country. Surely you wouldn't want that......would you????

E-TRONS OUT.

 

[REACC1]

Apparently on this side of the skies, the company doesnt really HAVE to do anything. They interpret the contracts to benefit themselves as if the meaning of a word is only implied. Which is more powerful? 'Cut our pay and generally piss us off, or worse, treat us like U treats their employees and we will call for representation.'? or (ditto) and we will (strike, etc.) but only this lil group right here, because you're only pissing them off at the moment'.?
Dont get too excited folks, just stimulating dialog.