I agree that Overhaul is now going to be targeted for the screwing. I said a while back that once the company feels they have used Tulsa to squeeze as much out of the line they could that they might spin off overhaul into a seperate contract. This way they could then squeeze even more savings out of overhaul. Although I said AMR.
As it is now line mechanics are resigning, we had two more this last month. Both with over 15 years, both excellent mechanics. In my 25 years in the industry I can't remember any mechanics with the type of time these guys had resigning.
Its also clear that those who remain are less than motivated. They feel they have no future. Most are looking to get out. However these things take time. Those who are the most agreesive and motivated, the ones who do the most work, will be the first to leave. In the end the company will only keep those who dont want to do anything.
The schools are not pumping out replacements either. Perhaps this is part of the plan to get Part 66 in place so Bush can claim that these are jobs "Americans dont want". The industry will claim there is "criss" due to a shortage as the excuse to lower standards.
People who feel they have no future with a company tend to do as little work as they can, no "pull together win together" when they feel that no matter how hard they pull they can only lose. This of course does not only apply to mechanics.
The profit sharing and incentive programs are insults. We only get profit sharing after $500 million in profits and the incentive program amounts to less than a PL every three months. People should give the extra effort and work themselves out of overtime so that maybe three months down the road they will get a once a quarter check for $30 instead of $45/hr now?
Other things are starting to happen that are morale related. An engine was toasted and the tail on another was smashed. Both obvious accidents, but just the types of things that can be expected from an atmosphere where poor morale is previlent. People get sloppy because they are too concerned over things other than the job at hand.
These are the types of things the eggheads cant put on a graph.
Between those two things alone the company lost more than they saved in concessions out of this station. And we are only into January.
The equipement situation is a wreck. Vehicles sit abandoned for weeks either because of a dead battery or no fuel. People dont even bother to report when things dont work, they let it sit.
A large number of workers here are from Pan Am and EAL, and they all say the same thing, "deja vu".
All you have to do is look at the delays and see that there are serious problems on the line. The loss of talent and poor morale may kill the airline, hopefully not the passengers.
The TWU and the company know that they could probably hack off another 30% from Tulsa, but on the line they are already losing what they need in order for the company to prosper.
So I think that 2004 is right. They may put overhaul under a different contract but still have us considered the same bargaining unit under the RLA. By doing this the TWU get to further isolate the two groups, however it could backfire because the main reason why the TWU was able to keep overhaul from going AMFA was because overhaul made pretty much the same as the line. That will no longer be the case. As overhauls standard of living falls closer to what the line mechanics have been experiencing for years they too will be more willing to try something else.
What the TWU does not realize is that even if they got the line back every penny, we would still want to go AMFA. SWA should have shown them that. SWA mechanics chose AMFA after the IBT got them an industry leading contract.
By seperating overhaul from the line, they have removed the main reason why overhaul refused to back AMFA. If overhaul sees the line getting better wages because as far as they can see the line keeps threatening to go to AMFA they will be more likely to fill out a card.
So, maybe this could be another TWU blunder that could finally get Tulsa to wake up and realize that the TWU is
The Worst Union. It seems that we no longer hear anything out of MCI anymore in support of the TWU. They seem to be at the point where they know we were right but just refuse to come out and state it.
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