AND MORE ON THE TWU LIES
How many of you have been told that AMFA was to blame at UAL for the closing of the Indianaplois and Oakland Maintenance Bases?
Here is the IAM/UAL restructuring agrrement and Page 8 clearly show that is was the IAM that allowed those base closures.
http://www.amfa-aa.c...ay_OAK_INDY.pdf
Once again,
As usual, you are only telling half the story. Or at least the part that helps you produce your fantasy about amfa.
Lets start from the raise in 2002.
March 5, 2002
IAM 141-M members ratify February 18 T/A. Contract features 37% pay increase for top mechanics and retroactive pay paid in eight quarterly payments. Pension multiplier increases from $60.04 to $87.00.
October 21, 2002
UAL announces the closure of one of three 757 maintenance lines at the Indianapolis Maintenance Center. This results in 250 mechanic furloughs.
December 9, 2002
UAL files for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11.
December 18, 2002
United announces a mechanic furlough of additional 569 employees: 275 from IND and 160 from SFO/OAK and other line stations (I was one of these with over 18 years).
January 7, 2003
United announces wage reduction agreements as ratified by ALPA, TWU and PAFCA in conjunction with UAL's 1113© filing with the bankruptcy court. United also asks the court to impose interim wage reductions under Section 1113(e) for IAM District 141 and 141-M, because this union did not reach interim agreements on wage reductions with the company. The Court is
expected to rule on UAL's 1113(e) motion against the IAM by January 10, 2003.
March 20, 2003
UAL informs 1,100 mechanics at the Indianapolis Maintenance Center that they will be placed on "temporary unpaid leave" effective March 24. The company cites a "force majuere" contract clause due to the war in Iraq.
This allows the company to avoid paying traditional furlough benefits including severance pay, bumping rights, and moving expenses.
April 3, 2003
IAM District 141-M forces company to grant furlough benefits to all Indianapolis Maintenance Center workers place on unpaid leave by filing a preliminary injunction in a U.S. District Court.
April 11, 2003 -
THIS IS THE POINT YOU POSTED about Indy which also wiped out the 2002 raise.
IAM District 141-M reaches a T/A with United Airlines. Pay and benefit cuts total $349 million annually for six years. Details of the settlement include a 13 percent all inclusive reduction in hourly wage rates, twenty percent co-pay toward the cost of health insurance and modified work rules.
April 29, 2003
IAM 141-M members
ratify agreement with a 70% yes vote. Company withdraws the 1113© motion to reject the CBA.
May 2, 2003
United said it filed a motion in bankruptcy court "to reject its lease at IMC (Indianapolis Maintenance Center) in order to make permanent the closing of the facility." In the same motion it also indicated it will permanently shut down a second repair base in Oakland, CA.
July 2003
Employees allowed to sell their ESOP shares. The typical worker's $70,000 to $100,000 in foregone wages yields a distribution of approximately $2,000.
July 13, 2003
AMFA wins representational vote for Mechanic and Related employees at United. The National Mediation Board certifies AMFA on July 14, 2003.
Much like the situation you were just faced with, we were forced with a no win vote in 2003. UAL was crying poor and the employees were going to pay for the officers bonus one way or another. The company had been pushing the idea to sell off all assets through liquidation as well as nullify the agreement, and too many of us bought in to the idea that they such a move would be possible. Who knows?
What is unspoken by TWU Informer is the campaign for amfa at the time is
exactly what is going on right now at AA. We were bombarded with all the same rhetoric you are hearing now. How the industrial unions failed, how they lied, and how the only savior will be to create a craft union of mechanics to represent only our interests. We heard the same thing, and we bought that too. Why not?
It could not get much worse, right?
It did. Besides loosing our 2002 wage rates, we took even more cuts to pay and benefits and finally
lost our retirement.
November 4, 2004
UAL delivers to the AMFA/UAL 1113 Negotiating Committee the Company Term Sheet (CTS) that lists the changes to the previous IAM CBA that enable the company to save $101 million in average annual costs. The company intends to file an 1113© motion with the bankruptcy court with an early January 2005 hearing date.
UAL REOPENS THE CONTRACT nullifying the agreement you posted!
November 30, 2004
The AMFA Negotiating Committee and United Airlines negotiators open discussion to seek an agreement that would avert the company's scheduled January 10, 2005 bankruptcy court hearing to abrogate our CBA. Talks proceed every week for the six week period leading up to the January 10, 2005 hearing (the hearing date was moved up to January 7, 2005 in early January). The discussions are open to the membership as per AMFA constitution but the company does not see the value. Nothing of substance is discussed by UAL with the open arena and the talks go nowhere but down. An agreement is eventually reached, but it is insignificant and is in essence a trap by the company.
January 28, 2005
AMFA members (57%) reject the tentative agreement and support strike by 85%. This closes the jaws on the unsuspecting mechanics and three days later, the companies plan is aboout to unfold.
January 31, 2005
Judge Wedoff rules in the Company's favor on an 1113(e) motion to temporarily change some of the contract terms. These changes include a
9.8% reduction of all wages, 75% pay for all sick leave absences less than 16 consecutive days, and postponement of a 5-1-05 pay increase. The motion also bars AMFA from striking unless the company initiates a permanent non-consensual change to our CBA. This temporary order expires May 31, 2005.
It became very apparent that amfa brought a knife to a gun fight. They were just TOO un prepared and TOO inexperienced for these types of bankruptcy proceedings. amfa simply could not compete.
May 16, 2005
AMFA reaches a tentative concessionary agreement with United Airlines. The tentative agreement includes:
"
an additional 3.9% reduction of all wage factors "
In addition we lost the following:
1 Holidays reduced from ten to eight beginning 2006.
2 Overtime pay limited to 1.5x.
3 Holiday pay limited to 2x.
4 Sick pay (regular and industrial) for first seven days paid at 75%, thereafter 100%.
5 Computer Technician and Utility workers outsourced.
May 31, 2005
AMFA announces the ratification of the tentative agreement by a 59% to 41% margin by only 81% of the eligible voters take part in this election.
Worst of all was when we lost our defined pension benefit plan. All amfa could do was stand by and watch. The seeham circus filed inexplicable and pointless law suits which ended up solidifying the companies position and making future pension plan forfeitures easier. At this point, many of us knew the mistake we had made by supporting amfa.
Don't make the same mistake. Do
NOT support amfa.
