Well Bob, I don't see where the AMFA really gained anything with this strike. There were 4400 that walked, with 400 mechanics jobs lost and 800 cleaners jobs lost that is a total of 1200 jobs lost due to the settlement, some were offered layoff status with severance and some up to 10 weeks severance to resign, and then there were some that were just "#### out of luck!" There were many scabs that crossed and became employed at NW throughout this period and an additional sad fact in the settlement AMFA lost their closed shop status, which meant not all were required to join the association though there were later reports that AMFA offered their representation to the scabs...
You post as if you find honor in what AMFA was forced to accept in settlement with this failed strike, why is this BOB? You're beginning to make me a little nervous if you think this was some great achievement, I just hope you are not so engrossed with supporting AMFA that you would consider leading us to the same conclusion?
Stupid is as Stupid does....especially arguing over topics no longer relevant...did I just say that? :blink:
So you are saying that if AA offered us the same deal, that for the good of the TWU, you would recommend that our members vote YES?
Now I know why you post under an alias.
Its pathetic that you claim to be a unionist and you dont see what happened at NWA for what it was. Even the UAW saw it for what it was, and they arent in this industry. It was a one shot deal where the Airline Industry realized it would be more benificial to "make an example" of a group of workers, no matter what the cost was, because overall it would help set wages back across the whole industry for many years into the future. They capitalized on the sectarian divisions within labor and went after the newest, most disruptive entrant. One that defied the panic of the post 9-11 fallout and refused to give into unilateral demands. Today NWA no longer exists, that shows you how much "Capital" was willing to invest in busting a union, and the members in those unions that helped bust AMFA will no longer be union(except ALPA), how well have they fared in the end? AMFA however does still exist, and their members at SWA make around $10/hr more than we do.
People like you work in the interests of the carriers when you keep bringing up the AMFA/NWA fiasco in an attempt to convince us that we should take heed lest we become the next "example". You promote cowardice and leave out the pertinent facts of what happened, whats changed, and what the true objectives were back in 2005, we would expect the company to do that, but its not expected of a true unionist.
As an Aircraft mechanic I am proud of what AMFA did in 2000 for the mechanics at NWA, we all benifited from it, they raised all our hopes and expectations, and we were able to reach most of those expectations, briefly, but the benifit was short lived because we all fell one by one because, following the topic, we collectively didnt have balls of steel, but of clay, and their careers paid the ultimate price. Our "careers" havent fared much better, we earn a fraction of what we used do and our standards of living have plummetted. We make all the same sacrifices but get paid a lot less for them. What happened post 9-11 was sickening as the Airlines cashed in of the death and destruction and the Unions, led by people who didnt see their wages slashed or benifits eliminated did nothing but fall over themselves making sure their members gave the airlines everythig they wanted in a desperate attempt to shore up their dues revenue (so they would not face job loss, pay cuts or the loss oif benifits themselves).
The fact is whether you are an AMFA mechanic at Southwest, an IAM mechanic at USAIR, an IBT mechanic at UAL/CAl or even a AMP card signer under the TWU at AA we had better start sticking together when it comes to fighting these corporations, not only with each other across company lines but other workgroups as well or things will never get better. We have to realize as workers the real opposition to getting fair wages is not (or should not be) another union, its the company.
