I also concur that the TWU/AA contract has very good job protections in it.
Based on what? The best protection we had was System protection, which only kept the current employee on payroll but did nothing to keep the work and the union rolled that back when the company told them to. If the union is willing to open and change the contract at the whim of the company what good is it?
Based on what I have read so far (in the NWA/amfa contract), I believe that if amfa were to somehow get on the property here at AA that eventualy the employment of non licensed A&P technicians would suffer.
Well you may be right there as far as numbers. It is not AMFAs mission, like that of the TWU to eliminate high paid jobs and replace them with lower paid jobs. But low paid unliscenced positions, like OSMs, would likely be converted into more higher paid liscenced ones. Of course those on Payroll now would be Grandfathered in and remain where they are unless they get their liscences.
Should another RIF occur (and one eventually will), I can envision many highly skilled welders, platers, machinists etc... getting bumped out of their positions by higher seniority A&P technicians who do not posess those skills necessary for those postions.
I think you are stretching things a bit. Welders, platers and machinists would still be needed and the current contract would still remain in place. These workers posess unique skills. Under the current contract unless the A&P has demonstrated that he has the skills he cant bump these guys out and you know that. Since this can be a critical point in the operation that also affects safety even with AMFA this likely would not change. It is unreasonable to brand all unliscened the same, obviously these skilled workers have a demand, the OSMs on the other hand are probably mostly made up of liscenced mechanics who are simply trapped in a lower paid classification. This is wrong because even if the work is less challenging they still carry the same liability. If they screw up, their tickets are on the line, even though they are not getting paid for it.
Forcing the company to look elsewhere for those services and starting what I call a snow-ball effect of RO'ing work and layoffs.
Didnt you just say that the TWU/AA Contract has very good job protections in it? What are they, the ability to lower wages and take away benifits? How about getting language that clearly states what is our work and then be willing to fight, up to and including a strike, to keep it? Do you think that AA can withstand a strike today any more than they could have three years ago?
