AMFA has always claimed that they do not need anyone else and that they and they alone could shut an airline down by withholding their skills. They claimed that the unskilled ground workers were "riding their coattails" and holding them back (In spite of the fact when Lorenzo put CO in bankruptcy in the early 1980s and paid ramp minimum wage with no benefits the CO mechanic's salary did not double overnight but in fact decreased significantly as well). I have no problem at all with a "mechanics only" union. However, AMFA has no right to criticize the IAM because of AMFA's 40 year claim that they don't need strength in numbers in association with the unskilled. AMFA made their bed, let them lie in it. The main idealogy of AMFA was to get all the airline mechanics into their craft union. This being the case, why are they bashing the IAM instead of asking "Where is the support from our AMFA brothers at UA, Alaska, Horizon, etc.?" The fact is that NWA had a detailed plan as to where AMFA had no plan. This lack of a plan on AMFA's part led to a complete loss of confidence in their leadership and the AMFA members crossed their own picket lines in droves (some were former IAM officers and supporters and some were local AMFA officers, supporters, and AMFA T-shirt peddlers). I am not a defender of the IAM because in my opinion, it has degenerated significantly since the EAL strike ( as evidenced by what happened in PHL) but the IAM is not to blame for AMFA's total failure at NWA, AMFA is.