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<<COUNCIL 6 MEMBERS
Please share the following newsletter with your flying partners. E-mail it, download it, print copies and share it with those who do not have email access. Share it with flying partners at other airlines and across the United system. Based on the latest issue of Flightlog and the other information about the merger with CWA that has been sent out by the International Office, many of you have contacted me about not getting objective, unbiased information. I will continue to provide you with information on the "other side" of the issue so that you may make a truly informed vote. In addition to my editorial information, I will pass along newsletters with details pertinent to the discussion.
AFA BOARD OF DIRECTORS DECISION TO MERGE WITH CWA
After long debate at the BOD last week, barely 2/3 of the delegates voted to merge with CWA and send out a ballot to the entire membership. A Constitutional change takes 2/3 approval. Although the International President, Pat Friend, originally wrote the agenda item calling for the approval to read that the BOD would make the decision and the members would only approve the merger agreement, the BOD did vote to allow the members to make the decision. The President from UAL ORD Council 8 called the original agenda item "a travesty. "
Paul MacKinnon, the International Secretary-Treasurer, spoke out against the merger. He also said members were only getting one side of the story. He said, contrary to our position in the Spring when the merger affiliation was approved by the Executive Board, our financial picture has improved and in fact, we will break even this year and have already returned all the money CWA sent us. He did say simply due to increased costs of goods and services we needed to raise the dues by $6. to $45. if we were to remain independent. (Note, dues have not been increased for the past 11 years and although I was adamantly opposed to increasing the dues while the money was going to Delta Organizing, I do believe a modest increase is now justified.)
Nevertheless, the BOD also voted a contingency budget in case the merger failed which calls for a $6. dues increase ($45.) with a provision to cover future increases in the cost of goods and services capped at 2% every two years ($45.90 in 2006, $46.82 in 2008, etc. until 2016). (We fought tooth and nail for a more modest $3. increase. I identified at least $1 that could be saved and still provide more $$ for the MEC and LEC budgets but the BOD would not budge. Some have said the dues increase is blackmail to scare you into voting for the merger. I believe it could be viewed as a protection against unknown and much higher increases possible at the end of the 4 year freeze with CWA.)
You will be asked whether you want to merge with CWA and have your dues frozen for 4 years at $39 with no promises after that, or to remain an independent Union, AFA a union of, by and for Flight Attendants and pay $6. more in dues.
In the words of a Chicago Flight Attendant at the Town Hall meeting in ORD held by Pat Friend before the BOD, "It's a no brainer, I'll pay more dues to keep our Union." Let's examine what's at stake and why I believe we should not merge with a larger Union. Let me begin by making it clear I believe CWA is a good union but not for us.
1) We are told that bigger is better, we must join a larger organization to fight management. Here's what we have to lose. We have a charter with the AFL-CIO which provides us support and help from a much larger organization than CWA. We received direct help from them during our struggles this past Winter to keep UAL operating and reach agreement with the Company. We will lose that charter.
2) Our charter provides direct access to decisions made by Labor affecting our lives, and support for our issues through State and Local AFL-CIO councils and the positions we hold on those councils. We are told we will probably be able to retain those positions. How will that happen when some of the councils' constitutions specifically call for only one delegate per Union? I believe "probably" is the operative word here. Probably not.
3) We are told a bigger union will give us better access to the power brokers in Washington. They just don't know Flight Attendants. We are resourceful and we are tenacious. We may not have access to every Senator or Congressional representative, but we manage to talk to their aides who, for the most part, write the legislation anyway.
4) We are told we need the money to fight management. Before the BOD at the Town Hall meetings we were told if we don’t merge, AFA could "cease to exist." Two weeks later, at the BOD, we find out not only are we going to break even for 2003 but we don't need the $$ from CWA. True, we lost $5 million in dues money because of the furloughs. But, not only is UAL recalling Flight Attendants early but USAir is also and the smaller regional airlines are hiring like crazy. The downturn, although more severe than any we have had in the past, will not last forever. We have $2.5 million in our AFA reserve fund. This year alone we are putting another $90,000 into the reserves.. What's the panic?
5) We have been told a lot of things but what have we not been told? Only recently we learned we will be required to leave our offices in Washington and move into CWA space. At the BOD we learned that there is a hiring freeze at CWA, that at their convention they cut budgets by 5% to 50%. Do we need their money or do they need ours??
6) If the merger is approved, we will present CWA with a budget for AFA which, in my opinion, is inflated and calls for a $3 million deficit. It includes hiring new positions at AFA. Where does the money come from if CWA is cutting their budgets, where do the new staff people come from while CWA is in a hiring freeze? Pat Friend said at the BOD, "It's not guaranteed but our AFA priorities will be met." I say--If it sounds too good to be true…!
7) Last, but to me most important, our Union is one of the very few that gives the power directly to the members. Although it is a representational structure, your Local President is part of the highest governing body and, as such, you have direct access to the decisions. If you don't like what's being done you can vote the person out of office or more drastically recall her or him. In CWA, although we are told we maintain our autonomy, we do not maintain our independence and our access to decisions. The Executive Board of CWA through their Strategic Planning and Budgeting Sector has the final say on budgets. That alone affects our priorities and all we do. The CWA Executive Board, unlike our AFA BOD, is not directly elected by the members and is therefore, not accountable to you. The merger agreement is written with vague promises. I believe we are giving up control over our Union unnecessarily and unwisely.
FOR THE PRICE OF A SANDWICH WE CAN KEEP OUR INDEPENDENCE. WE CAN KEEP OUR UNION, AFA OF, BY AND FOR FLIGHT ATTENDANTS. I URGE YOU TO VOTE WHEN YOU GET THE BALLOT AND VOTE "AGAINST" THE MERGER WITH CWA.
IN SOLIDARITY,
XXXXX XXXXXX
<<COUNCIL 6 MEMBERS
Please share the following newsletter with your flying partners. E-mail it, download it, print copies and share it with those who do not have email access. Share it with flying partners at other airlines and across the United system. Based on the latest issue of Flightlog and the other information about the merger with CWA that has been sent out by the International Office, many of you have contacted me about not getting objective, unbiased information. I will continue to provide you with information on the "other side" of the issue so that you may make a truly informed vote. In addition to my editorial information, I will pass along newsletters with details pertinent to the discussion.
AFA BOARD OF DIRECTORS DECISION TO MERGE WITH CWA
After long debate at the BOD last week, barely 2/3 of the delegates voted to merge with CWA and send out a ballot to the entire membership. A Constitutional change takes 2/3 approval. Although the International President, Pat Friend, originally wrote the agenda item calling for the approval to read that the BOD would make the decision and the members would only approve the merger agreement, the BOD did vote to allow the members to make the decision. The President from UAL ORD Council 8 called the original agenda item "a travesty. "
Paul MacKinnon, the International Secretary-Treasurer, spoke out against the merger. He also said members were only getting one side of the story. He said, contrary to our position in the Spring when the merger affiliation was approved by the Executive Board, our financial picture has improved and in fact, we will break even this year and have already returned all the money CWA sent us. He did say simply due to increased costs of goods and services we needed to raise the dues by $6. to $45. if we were to remain independent. (Note, dues have not been increased for the past 11 years and although I was adamantly opposed to increasing the dues while the money was going to Delta Organizing, I do believe a modest increase is now justified.)
Nevertheless, the BOD also voted a contingency budget in case the merger failed which calls for a $6. dues increase ($45.) with a provision to cover future increases in the cost of goods and services capped at 2% every two years ($45.90 in 2006, $46.82 in 2008, etc. until 2016). (We fought tooth and nail for a more modest $3. increase. I identified at least $1 that could be saved and still provide more $$ for the MEC and LEC budgets but the BOD would not budge. Some have said the dues increase is blackmail to scare you into voting for the merger. I believe it could be viewed as a protection against unknown and much higher increases possible at the end of the 4 year freeze with CWA.)
You will be asked whether you want to merge with CWA and have your dues frozen for 4 years at $39 with no promises after that, or to remain an independent Union, AFA a union of, by and for Flight Attendants and pay $6. more in dues.
In the words of a Chicago Flight Attendant at the Town Hall meeting in ORD held by Pat Friend before the BOD, "It's a no brainer, I'll pay more dues to keep our Union." Let's examine what's at stake and why I believe we should not merge with a larger Union. Let me begin by making it clear I believe CWA is a good union but not for us.
1) We are told that bigger is better, we must join a larger organization to fight management. Here's what we have to lose. We have a charter with the AFL-CIO which provides us support and help from a much larger organization than CWA. We received direct help from them during our struggles this past Winter to keep UAL operating and reach agreement with the Company. We will lose that charter.
2) Our charter provides direct access to decisions made by Labor affecting our lives, and support for our issues through State and Local AFL-CIO councils and the positions we hold on those councils. We are told we will probably be able to retain those positions. How will that happen when some of the councils' constitutions specifically call for only one delegate per Union? I believe "probably" is the operative word here. Probably not.
3) We are told a bigger union will give us better access to the power brokers in Washington. They just don't know Flight Attendants. We are resourceful and we are tenacious. We may not have access to every Senator or Congressional representative, but we manage to talk to their aides who, for the most part, write the legislation anyway.
4) We are told we need the money to fight management. Before the BOD at the Town Hall meetings we were told if we don’t merge, AFA could "cease to exist." Two weeks later, at the BOD, we find out not only are we going to break even for 2003 but we don't need the $$ from CWA. True, we lost $5 million in dues money because of the furloughs. But, not only is UAL recalling Flight Attendants early but USAir is also and the smaller regional airlines are hiring like crazy. The downturn, although more severe than any we have had in the past, will not last forever. We have $2.5 million in our AFA reserve fund. This year alone we are putting another $90,000 into the reserves.. What's the panic?
5) We have been told a lot of things but what have we not been told? Only recently we learned we will be required to leave our offices in Washington and move into CWA space. At the BOD we learned that there is a hiring freeze at CWA, that at their convention they cut budgets by 5% to 50%. Do we need their money or do they need ours??
6) If the merger is approved, we will present CWA with a budget for AFA which, in my opinion, is inflated and calls for a $3 million deficit. It includes hiring new positions at AFA. Where does the money come from if CWA is cutting their budgets, where do the new staff people come from while CWA is in a hiring freeze? Pat Friend said at the BOD, "It's not guaranteed but our AFA priorities will be met." I say--If it sounds too good to be true…!
7) Last, but to me most important, our Union is one of the very few that gives the power directly to the members. Although it is a representational structure, your Local President is part of the highest governing body and, as such, you have direct access to the decisions. If you don't like what's being done you can vote the person out of office or more drastically recall her or him. In CWA, although we are told we maintain our autonomy, we do not maintain our independence and our access to decisions. The Executive Board of CWA through their Strategic Planning and Budgeting Sector has the final say on budgets. That alone affects our priorities and all we do. The CWA Executive Board, unlike our AFA BOD, is not directly elected by the members and is therefore, not accountable to you. The merger agreement is written with vague promises. I believe we are giving up control over our Union unnecessarily and unwisely.
FOR THE PRICE OF A SANDWICH WE CAN KEEP OUR INDEPENDENCE. WE CAN KEEP OUR UNION, AFA OF, BY AND FOR FLIGHT ATTENDANTS. I URGE YOU TO VOTE WHEN YOU GET THE BALLOT AND VOTE "AGAINST" THE MERGER WITH CWA.
IN SOLIDARITY,
XXXXX XXXXXX
