UseYourHead said:
Four years ago I wrote a letter to John Sweeny calling upon the AFL-CIO to encourage all the unions that represent airline workers to combine all the Air Transport Divisions into one union. I got an immediate reply from Sweeneys office. They liked the idea-BUT, it was not within the scope of the AFL-CIO to encourage it, the leaders of those unions had to go to the AFL-CIO with it. (In that letter I warned that the present structure was deeply flawed and at the next economic downturn Airline workers would be very vulnerable. I had no idea that it would be as bad as it turned out to be.)
So I wrote to Sonny Hall (TWU), Tom Buffenbarger (IAM) and James Hoffa (IBT). Needless to say they were not in favor of it. Thats because they knew that it would simply result in a battle between the three unions for the dues.
I was not detered. At every opportunity I pushed this idea. Talking to any airline worker I came into contact with. Even meeting face to face with Sonny Hall in May of 2003. I was the Treasurer of TWU Local 562 and after our industry leading concessionary contract I statred calling for the removal of the appointed TWU officers that put those concessions in place. The TWU then used my writings calling for all the airline unions to merge as evidence of dual unionism. In their decision they said " Brother Owens could only have been referring to AMFA since there is no other union presently "consisting of all airline workers."
Unfortunately todays unions are predominantly business unions. Even one person from the AFL-CIO told me that if you ever want to see such a thing happen you will have to leave the TWU, IAM and IBT, form a new union, when you have completly pushed those unions out of the industry then go back into the AFL-CIO.
What you are asking for will never happen, these unions see the current difficulties as an opportunity to pick up more of the labor market. They could care less about our suffering. As they negotiate concessions for us they give themselves raises then complain about how the executives have not shown any shared sacrifice.
Early in 2003 when the papers were saying that a Judge might abrogate UALs contracts I sent out an E-Mail saying that "When the first contract is voided we should all walk out". Jim Little, appointed head of the TWU-ATD sent me an E-mail demanding that I retract the statement, I refused, he claimed I was endangering the TWU membership and that we should sit back and let the courts do their thing. I disagreed. I was more than willing to take a stand, so would most other airline workers with half a brain because we knew that what was happening over at USAIR and UAL would eventually affect us at AA. We knew that once they used the threats of BK and abrogation of contracts that it would be a free for all against the workers where our unions, in a bid to be the union at the surviving airline, just sat there licking their chaps in the hope that the IAM would take a stand. When that did not happen the TWU went and gave the company everything they wanted, lowering the bar way below what USAIR or UAL agreed to under the threat of complete contract abrogation.
If you want change then go for either AMFA or the AGW. The guys at the Internationals pulling down six figures with secure benifits and pensions are not going to do anything to help us.
