2015 AMT Discussion

[Realityck]

How do I recover sub standard wages and possibly sub standard benefits for thirty years in this one contract?
 
BIgJets did you ever make an attempt to remove this cancer from yourself?

 
 
How long have you been an AMT at AA?  I’ve spent more than 44 years as a Hanger/Line mechanic and if you say you got screwed for the last 30 years – you are either extremely naïve, or an AMFA kool-aid drinker. While we all paid a price during the fallout from Deregulation in the 1980’s thru the mid-1990’s, the Major carrier AMT’s that went thru bankruptcy or whose Airline went out of business paid a hell of a lot more than we did.
 
The “B” scale BS that Seham bragged about and supported at AA with the APA Pilots in 1983 helped foster the segregated pay scale for employees throughout the industry (BTW, his version never provided the melding of pay scales for AA Pilots or equal Pension Benefits that the TWU negotiated for their members).
 
I agree, from 2003 thru 2012 Little and his band of incompetents dropped the ball and failed us. However, neither he nor his cohorts are here now, and we have an opportunity to address the concerns we all have.
 
We need to act together and rather than show management we’re a disorganized mob to be taken advantage of (which USAir management is expert at as they’ve shown in the past with the America West Merger) we either present a united or pay the consequences. 

 

[Buck]

 
 
How long have you been an AMT at AA?  I’ve spent more than 44 years as a Hanger/Line mechanic and if you say you got screwed for the last 30 years – you are either extremely naïve, or an AMFA kool-aid drinker. While we all paid a price during the fallout from Deregulation in the 1980’s thru the mid-1990’s, the Major carrier AMT’s that went thru bankruptcy or whose Airline went out of business paid a hell of a lot more than we did.
 
The “B” scale BS that Seham bragged about and supported at AA with the APA Pilots in 1983 helped foster the segregated pay scale for employees throughout the industry (BTW, his version never provided the melding of pay scales for AA Pilots or equal Pension Benefits that the TWU negotiated for their members).
 
I agree, from 2003 thru 2012 Little and his band of incompetents dropped the ball and failed us. However, neither he nor his cohorts are here now, and we have an opportunity to address the concerns we all have.
 
We need to act together and rather than show management we’re a disorganized mob to be taken advantage of (which USAir management is expert at as they’ve shown in the past with the America West Merger) we either present a united or pay the consequences. 

Oh a TWU cultist

 

[ATD]

No one made anyone stay employed with AA or US. If you thought you were been short changed you should have left. the problem is half of the guys at AA could not ever left this job and make half of what they are making at AA regardless of whatever contract they where under. So blame the Union the company but ultimately blame yourselves.

 

[Deleted member 14439]

December 3 2015, here we go again. "Negotiations" begin today an the membership is completely in the dark. No published information on our starting position or initial ask. The sad thing is that I`m not surprised at all. Now we can look forward to another 6-9 months of empty "updates" from the table.

 

[bigjets]

How do I recover sub standard wages and possibly sub standard benefits for thirty years in this one contract?
 
BIgJets did you ever make an attempt to remove this cancer from yourself?

You're a fool for staying at AA for so long, you should have gone to spirit mro. But you're a goofball for comparing cancer to a frozen pension plan and $38 an hour. Look what has happened over the last 30 years to TWA, eastern, pan am, employees and you're equating working for an airline having Saturday Sunday and holidays off with your family to cancer, when all you had to do is get another job.

You are truly a waste of time.

 

[bigjets]

December 3 2015, here we go again. "Negotiations" begin today an the membership is completely in the dark. No published information on our starting position or initial ask. The sad thing is that I`m not surprised at all. Now we can look forward to another 6-9 months of empty "updates" from the table.

I do not want to read that the negiators have met and have agreed to meet in January, stay tuned. I will call that the motivation killer.

 

[AANOTOK]

I do not want to read that the negiators have met and have agreed to meet in January, stay tuned. I will call that the motivation killer.

Call me a "Pessimist", but I'm thinking that's exactly what you will get. (Maybe one more "for show" meeting before the New Year)

 

[Deleted member 14439]

I do not want to read that the negiators have met and have agreed to meet in January, stay tuned. I will call that the motivation killer.

I'm guessing that is exactly what we will read.

 

[Herenthesouth]

First day of talks. I am sure the first hour will be a meet and greet follow with the second hour of hard negotiations of what will be catered in for lunch that day. Ending with "well guys! Great talks today. We will see you next year Jan. 24th." Nothing will get done. The great stall tactics and let's see how long we can drag this out like last time begins today.

 

[1AA]

We will have a T/A before days end.

 

[Vortilon]

If you recall I would prefer to be non union because of these very reasons, but we are part of a union and a majority voted for those concessions, yes the low informed twu loyalists. On the other extreme of why I would prefer no union, is the 2010 VOTE NO know nothing's, to expect the twu to negotiate a contract where we are industry leading pay etc, and have OH and have a pension and retiree medical. What gets me is that I saw the writing on the wall and voted yes which would have put over $50k in cash alone in our pockets etc etc, but the kicker the bull headed vote no crowd still won't admit what a mistake it was. The techs voted it in and they're doing pretty good now.

The FSCs work as hard as anybody, and there is no reason to attack them, the union has no say with anything AA will run its business the way they see fit to. We are forced to be in this union and pay dues. Tulsa and the guys that don't vote are the ones that have hurt us.

Nobody is attacking baggage handlers for taking what they can get.  We are; however, challenging the people, and their motives - within the TWU international who slice up the pie behind closed doors.  The AMTs at AA have taken a bigger hit than all the other employee groups represented by the TWU since the 2003 concessionary contract.  AA's AMTs; to this day, are still at the bottom of the industry in pay and benefits.  Even this recent industry averaging raise has AA's AMTs getting passed up in base pay by building & auto mechanics by 80 cents.  What the hell is that about? 
 
You mention the 2010 vote; again, that TA was yet another slap in the face to AA's AMTs - yet you were willing to accept it.  With your hindsight is 20/20 view, you're still wrong.  BTW, I am still making less now, than I was in 2002, so "doing pretty good now" as you put it - is pretty subjective.  Like it or not, the majority (at the time) of the 2010 contract didn't like what they saw, and felt let down - yet again.  Why not have higher expectations? 
The paradigm has changed now, our pension is frozen, and overhaul is being thinned out regardless of what we vote for.  Now, the TWU international will not be able to hang that boat anchor around the AMT's necks.

 

[AANOTOK]

Nobody is attacking baggage handlers for taking what they can get.

Obviously you didn't read coneheads rant about baggage handlers getting $29 an hour to "throw bags"...

 

[Tater Salad]

December 3 2015, here we go again. "Negotiations" begin today an the membership is completely in the dark. No published information on our starting position or initial ask. The sad thing is that I`m not surprised at all. Now we can look forward to another 6-9 months of empty "updates" from the table.

   The published starting position was to tell the company to put across their offer. Parker said how much they are going to pay us, the neg team wants to see it in writing. BTW, i think we will have a T/A by Jan 30th, or it will take 3 years, one or the other.

 

[swamt]

December 3 2015, here we go again. "Negotiations" begin today an the membership is completely in the dark. No published information on our starting position or initial ask. The sad thing is that I`m not surprised at all. Now we can look forward to another 6-9 months of empty "updates" from the table.

Good luck to you all in your nego's.   We just had 2.5 days of face to face mediation nego's and await an update from our union.  I do believe the mediators have to approve all updates being givin out to the membership so I expect a tad longer wait than usual.  Worse case, we will get at least a verbal update at our monthly meeting set for the 10th of this month.  
On a side note, Parker has already said you guys will get Delta or United plus 7% or, a, rather 3%. This is something the union did NO work for what-so-ever.  If I was at your nego table I would fight for the original +7% that he said you guys would get. Then and only then could the asso. brag about getting you guys something. And let's not leave out restoring all that was lost in BK, all that also needs to get restored back to where it was. This "should be" the top priority of your nego team, but I have my doubts that it is.  Wishing you guys the best of luck...

 

[700UW]

Mediator doesn't have to approve updates