Amfa Using Their Heads
- Thread starter Bob Owens
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Former ModerAAtor said:
I would imagine so, as that would be the end of unions in the airline business.
As much of a pain as organizing and negotiating under the RLA are, the benefits for the employees of a far-flung operation like an airline outweigh that. Just one of the many points to consider:
The RLA allows coordinated, system-wide bargaining; the NLRA limits it. How successful would an airline strike be if only one station went on strike?
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NWA/AMT said:
I disagree.
If anything the RLA is bringing about the end of unionism in this industry. It ties the hands of unions and union members.
The RLA hurts workers. A strike in just one station could be effective, in fact thats why they made the RLA. The RLA preceeded NLRA and was put in place because there was so much labor unrest in the Rail industry. A strike in say a station in Pennsylvania would screw up the whole system because a train going from NY to Chicago could not get through Penn. With each state having their own union it seemed that there was always a problem somewhere. The Railroads benifited, it gave them consistancy and restricted labors ability to disrupt service. Provisions that were put in place to make it appear balanced have been reinterptreted away, leaving only the negatives.
The UNION benifits from the RLA in that it makes it harder for the members to hold the union accountable, harder to organize a decertification drive and allows a union security clause to remain in effect even in RTW states but the members are restricted in many many ways. They can not react to contract violations unless the politically tamperable NMB declares that there is a major dispute, often after a legnthy process. This allows the company to take pot shots at the union while denying the union the right to hit back. In fact it gives the company the advantage of suprise attacks but guarantees that the company is given plenty of time to plan to the unions move.
While I will not argue that systemwide solidarity is a better option the fact is that the RLA does not foster this. It allows unions to become a divisive element as we have with the TWU. We dont have solidarity we have a tyranny of the majority where the minority is ignored. The TWU at AA basically screws everyone for the benifit of the overhaul base in Tulsa Oklahoma. A RTW, anti-union, low cost area of the country. A pro company union in this case is very acceptable. One reason why AA keeps maintenance in house is because it keeps AMFA out. If we lost Overhaul, maintenance would be AMFA within months. We know the industry does not want that and we know why NWA was so inflexable. If we were not under the RLA line mechanics from across the country could have gotten rid of the TWU and let Tulsa keep it, and you guys would probably not be on strike right now. At AA there is almost no unity between overhaul and the line. Overhaul is willing to give the company pretty much whatever they want. as long as the line guys bear the brunt of the concessions, and the boys in Tulsa can still afford a $3000 sq ft house with a new truck and a bass boat in the driveway. If we could freely leave our affiliation with Tulsa then those workers might be more inclined to give our situation some thought. However as it is, where they are the majority, they could care less about what we face. So we dont have unity despite the fact we are in the same union.
So the RLA makes it hard for members to hold their unions accountable, results in a tyranny of the majority where minoority interests are ignored-destroying unity, gives incompetant unions an excuse not to fight and gives the company all the time it needs to prepare to fight, or, as you guys saw in the 90s, simply put off the fight until years into the future when circumstances have changed.
TWU informer
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Former ModerAAtor said:
That would be great!!!!
Bring it on!!!!!!
Bob Owens said:
The NLRA keeps workers from organizing in the first place and, being subject to the states RTW laws, ensures that if they do they are weakened from within.
Under the RLA, a union's representation certification is linked to the carriers operating certificate, under the NLRA no such link exists. A simple name change is all that is required for management to be shed of the union.
A strike in a single station with a railroad is hard to avoid, but not so with the airlines. It's a lot harder to divert a train.
If you had to organize AA one station at a time, how long do you think it would take? Would you be able to prevent management from closing that station as Wal-Mart does when one of their stores organizes?
As does the NLRA.
The NLRA does nothing in this instance that the RLA doesn't do. The only real accountability comes from the LMRDA and the unions own constitution, which apply equally to either case.
Again, only because of the requirement for system-wide organizing.
In RTW states under the NLRA, an average of 40% of the workers choose not to belong to the union, yet still enjoy union pay and benefits and have a legal right to representation by the union, even though they are not members and pay no dues or fees. Then during strikes they proudly cross the picket lines.
The NLRB is no different, but more susceptable to state politics, than the NMB.
But a carrier must be organized on a system-wide basis under the RLA, while it is virtually impossible under the NLRA, so if one is seeking system-wide solidarity the RLA is the better choice.
Changing the labor laws that apply to the airlines will not fix either of those problems, but it will give you new ones.
The attributes you ascribe to the RLA are true for the NLRA also, but under the NLRA a union finds itself further divided and weaker, if it is able to organize and maintain representation at all.
Having participated in NLRA organizing campaigns, assisting the UFCW and the AFT, I have had an opportunity to experience the NLRA, and the NLRB, first hand. I came into it with the same opinion of the RLA that you have but left with a greater appreciation of the benefits of the RLA, particularly for large companies like airlines.
The fact that the AirCon group and almost all airline managements support moving their workers into the NLRA should tell you something.
PlayTheOdds
Veteran
Leave the railroads alone, they have nothing to do with this. Publicity? The dead Aruba chick still gets more media attention than you guys. Game Over.
PlayTheOdds
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When I was in the hanger I was able to get to the internet. Here on the line I haven't been able to find a computer that will let me out.
