BALLS of STEEL check in

[odie01]

Hey Chuck your message is clear to me, Tulsa do you agree?
Go AMP!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRM7Hgz1Ay8&feature=related

 

[odie01]

Bob Owens,

It's to my understanding that the twu and company agreed or previously agreed to 30 articles. With 17 of the monetary articles left, and the company shooting down our proposal, (as you probably expected), and no date yet for the next session, what's next? It's obvious, and tactical for the company, to stall before presenting us with their modified version of the last TA. Is their a game plan in place, and can we ask to be released after they give us the polished turd, or stall to long before presenting us that turd?
TIA

 

[Hopeful]

Bob Owens,

It's to my understanding that the twu and company agreed or previously agreed to 30 articles. With 17 of the monetary articles left, and the company shooting down our proposal, (as you probably expected), and no date yet for the next session, what's next? It's obvious, and tactical for the company, to stall before presenting us with their modified version of the last TA. Is their a game plan in place, and can we ask to be released after they give us the polished turd, or stall to long before presenting us that turd?
TIA

Did anyone truly think the greedy AArogant company would say OK to this long overdue proposal?
Where is their proposal?
Is everyone hap,hap happy at work yet? Don't you just look forward to going to work knowing what the company thinks of you?
They will now start their stalling tactics again and there will probably be no reaction by the workforce.

 

[odie01]

Did anyone truly think the greedy AArogant company would say OK to this long overdue proposal?
Where is their proposal?
Is everyone hap,hap happy at work yet? Don't you just look forward to going to work knowing what the company thinks of you?
They will now start their stalling tactics again and there will probably be no reaction by the workforce.

Yes,
The company will re-set the clock and re-start the stall tactics and everything will be status quo, including our twu local union leadership. You know what sucks? Bob, Larry and the rest of the neg. committee are local presidents and don't have authority over all the locals. And what really sucks is, our so called twu atd president, our highest office in our union, is untouchable and unacountable by its members. What a racket!

 

[eolesen]

So change union representation already, give your contracts back to the locals, and quit pissing & moaning about the ATD...

 

[TIME FOR CHANGE]

A release and a strike would be far easier

 

[toroshark]

It would be interesting to be released into the 30 day cooling off period. That appears to be the only thing that could possibly get AA to get off this zero cost contract B.S. (and their idea of zero cost is fuzzy math at best) and give any of the unions a proposal that would be even remotely acceptable. The stall game has to end sometime!

 

[FWAAA]

It would be interesting to be released into the 30 day cooling off period. That appears to be the only thing that could possibly get AA to get off this zero cost contract B.S. (and their idea of zero cost is fuzzy math at best) and give any of the unions a proposal that would be even remotely acceptable. The stall game has to end sometime!

That might be the best solution.

Then again, consider this possibility: Suppose AA is currently losing $5 million per day in the first quarter. We'll know the exact loss in about a monh. A release is granted and the cooling-off period comes and goes without a substantial improvement in AA's offer.

Companies that are generating profits have a strong motivation to settle labor disputes quickly, especially if the workers strike. What's the huge motivation for a company to settle quickly with generous wage/workrule/benefit improvements if it's losing a few million dollars per day? Not like there's any profits to be protected. So what lights a fire under management's behind if workers strike in the midst of multi-year huge losses? Why wouldn't management continue to stall?

First thing would be a quick Ch 11 filing so the unsecured creditors would share in the pain (as their several billion dollars of debt owed by AA would be converted to new stock in AMR upon exit from Ch 11). The bankuptcy filing protects AA from creditor self-help for a while (so no repo of collateral like airplanes). AMR has about $5 billion of cash so it's not like it would run out of cash in a day or two. A strike eliminates AMR's two biggest expense items: fuel and most labor expense. Yes, there are some fixed expenses that have to be paid (even in Ch 11) but that's what the $5 billion of cash permits.

And none of that even begins to address the almost-guaranteed concession demands that AA would make once it was in front of the bankruptcy judge. AA management trots out its "$600 million brick" arguments and convinces the judge (they're all crooked anyway, right) that AA's labor costs have to come down to match DL, UA/CO and US.

I doubt any of the above worries the mechanics, fleet and FAs all that much. But you can be certain that pilots wouldn't like the sound of it, especially when the subject turns to termination of the pension plans.

 

[eolesen]

I've been expecting a pre-packaged bankruptcy for some time. $5B in the bank with the credit markets the way they are might not be such a bad idea.

And if enough of the secured creditors and debtors see the possibility to be made more or less whole under a new cost structure?...

Could be interesting, indeed.

 

[TIME FOR CHANGE]

You guys are all talk

 

[FWAAA]

You guys are all talk

And yet we are not the ones who have failed to replace our company lapdog union over the past eight years. Nor are we the ones constantly posting about our crappy wages and terribly evil management. I assume you're a member of the worthless union, the members of which have done nothing but talk for most of that eight years (with the exception of the AMFA campaign and the recent AMP effort).

 

[TWU informer]

You guys are all talk

What if though?

What IF the AA position is the Pilot Sacred Cow Pension was funded and kept in place for the last 8 years by TWU Concessions?

And now the TWU members have had enough and are ready to take a stand?

AA is ready to allow TWU to take a stand and be the blame for the BK filing that eliminates the Sacred Cow Pilot Pensions?

Not only is this very plausible AA conduct, this is actually a viable scenario that could be taking place right before eyes.
You might think the battle is the AMT profession, I think the battle is the Pilot Sacred Cow Pension liability.

But that is just my opinion. Prepare to suffer a small but intimidating sacrfice, to only be the scape goat of AA's intention to shaft the Pilots.
Then watch the Pilots burn the barn, and your suffering will be greater.

Anyone who thinks this scenario is just talk or not possible, doesn't know AA Management very well, even after all these years of dealing with them.

Don't be foolish and bury your head in the sand just because emotions are running at an all time high within the AMT group.

 

[TWU informer]

And yet we are not the ones who have failed to replace our company lapdog union over the past eight years. Nor are we the ones constantly posting about our crappy wages and terribly evil management. I assume you're a member of the worthless union, the members of which have done nothing but talk for most of that eight years (with the exception of the AMFA campaign and the recent AMP effort).

In my opinion the 5 year plus AMFA campaign should not be disregarded and shrugged off as some passing experiment as your post indicates.

This was a heart and soul campaign that led to a card filing which was wiped out by the Federal Government.

While it is obvious and true that organized labor has very little political clout left. However, there was enough Political Clout to manipulate the Government into saving the TWU from it's own membership revolt. This is why this TWU union is currrently very weak and the prime target for the current AA strategy. The company knows exactly what took place and thus the weak and illegitmateTWU is the pawn now in the Pilot Pension Chess Game.

The end justify the means, yet the TWU is too stupid to see the truth and in fact survival of dues collection was more important.
8 more years of dues collection was worth the risk, regardless of the outcome of our current debacle.

These are sad facts to live, but in my opinion are correct and accurate.

 

[TWU informer]

Weakness of the TWU.

William Collins has scheduled six each time slots of base conferences for Tulsa on Monday 3/21.

The TWU has neither the balls or the thoughts to organize a membership boycott of these meetings.

If AA management has been screaming poverty and cost over runs, then the TWU should tell every member to stay in their work area and complete their daily jobs to reduce cost.

But not the weak and worthless TWU. Wouldn't be a shock if the Local President of 514 ends up on the stage with the man while he pulls out the all too well known manipulation tools of fear and intimidation.

Maybe one of you Line Presidents has the guts to show up and on open Q&A go to the microphone and tell the truth to the membership.

Otherwise watch the fear go uncontested.

 

[odie01]

Weakness of the TWU.

William Collins has scheduled six each time slots of base conferences for Tulsa on Monday 3/21.

The TWU has neither the balls or the thoughts to organize a membership boycott of these meetings.

If AA management has been screaming poverty and cost over runs, then the TWU should tell every member to stay in their work area and complete their daily jobs to reduce cost.

But not the weak and worthless TWU. Wouldn't be a shock if the Local President of 514 ends up on the stage with the man while he pulls out the all too well known manipulation tools of fear and intimidation.

Maybe one of you Line Presidents has the guts to show up and on open Q&A go to the microphone and tell the truth to the membership.

Otherwise watch the fear go uncontested.

The AFW meeting should be next on the tour, I'll get with our prez and see where we stand.