Oh great, another convenient newb telling us how negotiations work. Bottom line, Maintenance has lost work to Fleet Service, and other vendors over my 32 years - never the other way around. We don't blame the clerks, or the vendors. We are usually told that we voted for it, or we didn't want to do that type of work. None of which is usually true. BTW, outsourcing Line Maintenance at AA, already takes place. Outsourcing of heavy maintenance at AA already takes place. Not sure what you're suggesting in your post. Take a look at Allegiant Airlines as an example of an airline that goes barebones on their entire maintenance program. # in trouble with FAA - oh and AA's shift to US Air's bare bones maintenance program is gonna bite them in the assets as well. There are a lot more requirements that an FAA Part 121 Air Carrier has to comply with - regarding their Aircraft Maintenance programs,, than you might be aware of.
If you think that Aircraft Maintenance hasn't been affected in negotiations in the past - by negotiating with all the other title groups - you're not being honest. The TWU has always had it's favorites, and it has never been Aircraft Maintenance. One big reason AMTs didn't make the jump to AMFA in the past, was the Tulsa voting block. The TWU always kept the overhaul guys happy with their holidays off, their weekends off, their base closure at Christmas etc.. Well, now Tulsa doesn't have the headcount to out vote the Line AMTs. The TWU has failed Tulsa now on the other items as well. So, once we get our stool pushed in with whatever weak TA we AMTs end up seeing, the authorization cards will be circulating.
