View Changer --- The Story of Alliance

Jan 26, 2012
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Interesting email posted over on Terry Maxon blog. Changes my whole opinion on a lot of things. You know why? Because it puts a face to the issue, high-lights what we are losing, and just makes me sad. I'm a STAUNCH "independent plan" and anti merger with US guy, but if the merger involved striking a deal to save Alliance, I'd say f***k it, I'm all in and will buy tix on the new airline. My sympathies to everyone at AA that had their lives ripped apart by the events of the last 12-months, perhaps you were lost in all of the arguing back and forth about whose right and whose wrong:

“I usually don’t rant or expound on matters. A wise gentleman once told me, ‘Never pass up the opportunity to say nothing at all.’ And I try to live by that. However,,,
“I would regret not passing on to you an insider’s view of what is happening at Alliance Airport. I’m an American Airlines employee here at AA AFW. My workplace overlooks the hangar from the third floor. For the past 22 years I have worked most aspects of this facility. For the past 22 years we have produced aircraft overhauled to a level second to none.
“This week I have a whole new view. This week I look out and see hundreds of tool boxes being shipped to new cities throughout the nation that the technicians will be calling home. Some will have their families move with them. Others will suffer the separations necessary for their children’s best welfare.
“I see hundreds of tool boxes being rolled out only to be taken home while the technicians seek new jobs.
“I see hundreds of stock, facilities and support staff enduring the same fate.
“I see a skilled and proud workforce brought to its knees by the events that have transpired at AMR.
“I firmly believe that none of these folks, union and non-management alike, brought this upon themselves but rather, they have had this beset upon them by poor leadership.
“Terry, I only wish I could describe the gut-wrenching reality of what I feel looking out over this facility, state of the art caliber, large enough to hold six wide-body aircraft, sitting deathly quiet with the lone, last aircraft in its final days.
“My best description is that this is what a thousand jobs sent to China looks like. Shame on American AIrlines for doing it. Shame on America for allowing this trend to happen.
“Godspeed to my Alliance Fort Worth family.
“Thanks for your time, Terry. This may have been the best of all therapies."
 
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thanks for posting... and no one can failed to be moved by it.

Just a few comments, though.
- The gutting of AA has been going on for a whole lot longer than 12 months. If it were only 12 months, alot of steps that are being taken wouldn't be necessary.
- A merger deal wouldn't involve saving Alliance because US has one of the highest rates of outsourcing in the US airline industry. US airlines cannot support the level of inhouse maintenance that AA has done. Remember that WN - who most airline employees regard as one of the best airlines to work for - built its business plan around large scale outsourcing from the very beginning of the airline. The trend of outsourcing started decades ago.
- AA had enormous potential that it could have used to insource maintenance work, even if it was of a different type than what alot of AA employees were accustomed to doing. My greatness sadness comes because AA has not seriously pursued that route.
- While there will be alot of jobs going to China, alot of maintenance jobs would have been lost solely because of AA's aggressive and massive fleet replacement program which creates new jobs at Airbus and Boeing, even if the "longevity" of those jobs is a lot less than what they would have been at AA maintaining AA's existing fleet.

The common theme is that AA is only now having to act on trends and actions that started years ago.... companies as big and historically strong as AA rarely are moved by the events of even a year or two.

I stand with you in praying that each member of the AA family lands on their feet as quickly as possible.
 
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WT, don't forget for a while AA did get it as they were doing maintenance work for FedEx (I still thought they were but with Tulsa and Alliance being cut down asmuch as they have I don't see). You are 200% right that they could have grown their mantenance to include smaller / low cost airlines just starting out, so at least when they lost in some fare wars they at least would derrive revenue from the situation.

Cheers,
777 / 767 / 757
 
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- A merger deal wouldn't involve saving Alliance because US has one of the highest rates of outsourcing in the US airline industry. US airlines cannot support the level of inhouse maintenance that AA has done. Remember that WN - who most airline employees regard as one of the best airlines to work for - built its business plan around large scale outsourcing from the very beginning of the airline. The trend of outsourcing started decades ago.

Built their business plan around large scale outsourcing??? Doubt that. Small carriers typically lack the economies of scale to do Overhaul. AA had decided that their way of attacking upstarts was to refuse to do their OH. Crandall stated that he wanted to only maintain AA planes and not help competitors by doing theirs. As WN grew with their single fleet type they were able to shop around at the shops that grew as the other carriers curtialed doing maintanence for upstart competitors. I think SWA just happened to find good deals as far as outsourcing and never saw the need to bring the work in hous even as their fleet grew. My guess is the circumstances dictated and large scale outsourcing was not what hey built their business plan around, it just fell that way. The thawing of the cold war freed up hangars and aviation workers and the FBO market expanded with very low costs and a lot of competition. How long this will last remains to be seen. FBOs , apparently all around the world, are seeing a shortage of skilled workers willing to accept what they have to offer. As wages in the airlines plummeted so did the incentive to sell yourself cheap to get some experience to put on a resume, other industries offered just as much, or more. The generation of skilled workers that were surplussed as a result of military expenditure cuts at outfits such as Grumman, Fairchild, Boeing, Douglass, Lockheed have long since been absorbed or attritted out of the workforce, permanently, there is no new supply out there. At least not domestically, and fuel , as you have pointed out, just keeps getting more and more expensive so foreign maintenance isnt as cost effective. SWA, UA and US are all in talks with their mechanics. Unfortunately, maybe, they are in three different unions, AMFA, IBT and the IAM. Will any of them stoop to the levels we did? Hopefully not, but I could see the possibility some of these carriers would like to regain control over the quality of their OH maintenance, and they may propose fair increases in pay and bringing some work back in house, but at something close to AA rates for the OH. That in turn would probaby fuel an exodus from AA of skilled workers, especially on the line and AAs performance would mirror that of Peoples Express, which had become the training ground for mechanics in the late 80s. AA may think that this will allow them to replace topped out workers with entry level but with only 3500 A&Ps a year coming out of the schools more than likely only half of them interested in working for the airlines they may find that their investments in these schools not paying off. Competotors will lure them away faster than AA can hire them, like we saw in the late 80s. AAs competitors would be able to fill their maintenance ranks easier than AA because kids coming out of school would be willing to work for less at those carriers where there was good pay in the future, in the meantime their seniority would carry as well. Seniority at AA would be pretty much worthless, because there is nothing good in the future at AA. Why would any kid stay at AA when they would only be getting one week of vacation, no holidays, working weekends, for the lowest pay in the industry? Tell a 20 year old kid that he will be working every Friday and Saturday night , except for the one week he gets of vacation and show him the pay and benefits and you just lost that kid.

AA is done.

Hopefully the next owner of Alliance will treat their workers better.
 
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Bob,
AA is no different than any other airline that has been through BK. You have a new contract.. Where's the mass exodous?
 
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Bob,
AA is no different than any other airline that has been through BK. You have a new contract.. Where's the mass exodous?

AA is different, they cut deeper , harder and with pure spite and they did it with over $4 billion in the bank and 500 new planes on order. Other carriers cut to try and match what AA got in 2003 without even going BK, AA just did what they did to humilate us.

PV days, come on, one week of VC, five sick days, no Holidays, non-contractual CS policy and they had to take away PVs???

We had around 1000 leave (or put in to leave) since they filed didnt we? Do you think its going to stop? Do you really think the $40 K was that much of an incentive? They were going anyway. We had some that told them to stuff the EO and left on their own terms. Just because most still physically show up, that doesnt mean that they havent left. Most are looking, many have made this their second job.

There is no future at AA.
 
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Bob,
Unlike USAIR this is the only concessions related to bankruptcy you offered, whereas the IAM facilitated three rounds of concessions in Chapter 11 which resulted in the downward spiral and push for concessions we see now. People will want to work for AA, if you don't like what AA is paying or the terms of employment offered, why not leave. As you say your non-union counterparts at Fedex, Delta, and jetBlue earn more without having union dues imposed on them, so why not go there?

Josh
 
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Bob,
companies that have succeeded as much as WN has didn't just stumble upon a key component of their business plan. They planned for maintenance outsourcing precisely because they didn't have the capabilities in the beginning as a small carrier and there were sufficient alternatives around.
WN planned its strategy with respect to maintenance just as much as they planned every procedure that was part of their legendary 20 minute turn and their fabled HR strategies.

Do you really think any low cost carrier was prevented in growing because AA wouldn't provide maintenance services to them? Even if it might have made sense at one time, it is obvious today - long after Crandall - that there are enough maintenance providers that AA could either be one of them and keep mechanics employed or do what we are seeing right now.

If I were an AA mechanic or even a TWU official, I think I'd far rather do work for other carriers than be faced w/ a move, loss of dues, or worse.
 
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Yes it's a sham there are those who are losing their jobs, and the posibility of AFW closing. But this is nothing new for AA. I saw those tool box's go out the door before! Mine included!------- And nothing was said! AA closed MCIE without any concern for those who's lives were torn apart! So please spair me the tears! Don't get me wrong, for I've been there! I don't like to see anyone in that position! But if you plan on a career with AA, or anyother major Airline, this will only be what goes with the job! The new reality so to speak!----- My advice, for what it's worth, for those who's jobs are gone, get out of the Aircraft business and find yourself an honest job before your too old to do so! This is not the same Industry I once knew!
 
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AA is different, they cut deeper , harder and with pure spite and they did it with over $4 billion in the bank and 500 new planes on order. Other carriers cut to try and match what AA got in 2003 without even going BK, AA just did what they did to humilate us.

PV days, come on, one week of VC, five sick days, no Holidays, non-contractual CS policy and they had to take away PVs???

We had around 1000 leave (or put in to leave) since they filed didnt we? Do you think its going to stop? Do you really think the $40 K was that much of an incentive? They were going anyway. We had some that told them to stuff the EO and left on their own terms. Just because most still physically show up, that doesnt mean that they havent left. Most are looking, many have made this their second job.

There is no future at AA.

Bob, you urged the members to vote down the TA in 2010 which included increase holidays, sick pay , no pension freeze , no loss of vacation, no loss of pv days. Now you come on here and complain at what they did. Someone else said it in here already but really why do you stick around? If you really truly don't like it here you should leave. But do us all a favor and stop making vote no videos and urging members to vote no. We all would have been in a much better position if 2010 would have passed. Wasn't perfect no contract ever is but definitely better than what we have now.
 
Bob, you urged the members to vote down the TA in 2010 which included increase holidays, sick pay , no pension freeze , no loss of vacation, no loss of pv days. Now you come on here and complain at what they did. Someone else said it in here already but really why do you stick around? If you really truly don't like it here you should leave. But do us all a favor and stop making vote no videos and urging members to vote no. We all would have been in a much better position if 2010 would have passed. Wasn't perfect no contract ever is but definitely better than what we have now.
You know what they say about opinions! I think mechanics can think for themselves, unless of course, you live in Jonestown.
 
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Bob,
Unlike USAIR this is the only concessions related to bankruptcy you offered, whereas the IAM facilitated three rounds of concessions in Chapter 11 which resulted in the downward spiral and push for concessions we see now. People will want to work for AA, if you don't like what AA is paying or the terms of employment offered, why not leave. As you say your non-union counterparts at Fedex, Delta, and jetBlue earn more without having union dues imposed on them, so why not go there?

Josh
The master of misinformation speaks again.

In bankruptcy case one we voted down the first concessions, then agreed to them, then in December of 2002 Bronner threatened to shut the company down and all unions took concessions again.

In bankruptcy case two we never agreed to concessions and had the CBA abrogated.

Show the board how the IAM facilitated concessions at US Airways?

Its quite apparent you dont understand the Section 1113 of the bankruptcy code where it FORCES a union to sit and negotiate with the company.
 
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The master of misinformation speaks again.

In bankruptcy case one we voted down the first concessions, then agreed to them, then in December of 2002 Bronner threatened to shut the company down and all unions took concessions again.

In bankruptcy case two we never agreed to concessions and had the CBA abrogated.

Show the board how the IAM facilitated concessions at US Airways?

Its quite apparent you dont understand the Section 1113 of the bankruptcy code where it FORCES a union to sit and negotiate with the company.

You know full well the IAM has brought forth concessions, Tim Nelson has posted about it and rather than address the issue you resort to name calling and attacks, typical. You feel guilty that you brought on concessions, that's why you come to the AA forum cheering on further concessions from the TWU workers only so the IAM looks less bad. You hate AMFA, no wonder the IAM scabbed them with the support of Roache, DePace and AFL-CIO. Now isn't time for you to serve Buffy his morning coffee?

Josh
 
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Tim Nelson is not a credible source, he is a person who tried to start his own union three times at US only to fail.

The IAM saved Tim Nelson's job when he advocated a slow down at US and they were going to fire him.

Tim was soundly defeated in the last District Elections as was his slate.

Tim was also removed from office for promoting dual unionism, and the tried to raid the TWU at AA and failed there.

He filed short of cards back in 1991 which forced a one year bar and US took full advantage and decimated the non-union CSA and Ramp.

The IAM didnt scab at NW, the work was all ready in the Ramp CBA.

And once again, show the board how the IAM facilitated concessions at US while US was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, seems you keep ignoring facts when you are backed into a corner.