Can anyone defend the IAM crossing the mechanic's picket line?

[700UW]

Let me ask you this during contract negotiations, the days were 8-12 hours for the most part and one day it was like 16 hours spent working, yet the grievance reps and regular members on the negotiatiing committee are only paid for eight hours a day, nothing more, and they are away from their families and ever try to eat three meals a day in Arlington, VA on the $51 a day per diem.

Walk a mile in their shoes before you throw stones at them.

 

[700UW]

The self-proclaimed expert knows it all.

I am not talking SALARY people, I am talking hourly, regular hourly workers who were selected by their peers to help make things bette.

Once again you have to butt in when you have no idea.

Keep up your track record.

 

[pitguy]

If the job was so bad why do they fight everyone so hard to keep it come re-election time? Also contract negotiations are not grievance committee work and are not subject to be paid extra straight time pay. Frankly I would not want these guys to negotiate to buy a car for me let alone a labor contract. I have seen their work and they are lousy negotiators.

 

[Bob Owens]

The AFA did support the IAM and the company went to court to force the AFA Members to work.

Well since Amfa raided the IAM at NWA, do you expect them to support them?

Amfa was out maneuvered by NWA and lost bad, they don't even have a strike fund to support their members and went on the web begging for money to be sent in via paypal.

In a word Yes.

All union members have differences, yet we are expected to support each other, or has that concept been lost to business unionists such as yourself?

 

[700UW]

I am not a business unionist, just a realist.

 

[Bob Owens]

The strike fund pays $150 a week.

Sorry I was in college when EAL was on strike.

I hope it wasnt Columbia STATE Univerisity like the TWUs Jim Little!!!

I am not a business unionist, just a realist.

Thats what all the business unionists say.

 

[700UW]

Now you are labeling people that you have no idea about?

Not a smart move.

Amfa made their choices to alienate the other unions and they learned their lesson the hard way.

I dont believe in anyone crossing a picket line, but I can under the IAM's animosity towards amfa.

 

[Bob Owens]

Also Champion Air flew flights for NWA during the strike and the ibt represents Champion's Flight Attendants and Dispatchers.

IBT truck drivers in New York honored AMFA picket lines at NY airports. If the line was there they turned around.

 

[pitguy]

Isn’t it obvious that Northwest’s mechanics were not happy with the IAM? Has it ever occurred to you or the IAM that the IAM should blame themselves for not servicing its members? The same thing is going on at Airways. The IAM is not servicing its membership very well and now may lose them. I am beginning to think you may be like the rest of IAM types and are no better than a common thief stealing from working families. What morons!

 

[Bob Owens]

Now you are labeling people that you have no idea about?

Not a smart move.

Amfa made their choices to alienate the other unions and they learned their lesson the hard way.

I dont believe in anyone crossing a picket line, but I can under the IAM's animosity towards amfa.

I go by what you post.

You are a business unionist.

You defend your unions decision to lead its members in a race to the bottom, despite your feable attempts to absolve yourself by claiming that you disagree with it.

You repeat the "business unionist" tactic of blaming the members for the failures of leadership.

Why doesnt the IAM harbor the same same ill will towards the ALPA? AMFA has never crossed an IAM picket line. ALPA has, on numerous occasions.

Why is the FAA liscened mechanic wrong for wanting to have his own union but its OK for the Faa certified ALPA pilots and AFA flight attendants?

Why does the IAM not harbor the same feelings towards the "elitist" ALPA and AFA? Thats right, because it has nothing to do with unionism or ideology, its just business. The IAM lost "business" to the AMFA and they are bitter about it to the point where they are willing to see thousands of workers suffer just to be vindictive. They are willing to work with the company to bust another workgroup just to get back at them, even though such a move weakens their own members bargaining position.

The IAM was willing to harm every mechanic in the industry just to get back at the AMFA. Any mechanic who has the choice to get rid of these clowns but fails to do so is nuts. Mechanics must hold the IAM accountable for what they did to our fellow mechanics.

When you start questioning the business union tactics of your beloved IAM then I may reconsider but I have not seen much out of you that would indicate that you are anything other than a business unionist.

 

[Bob Owens]

It starts at the top. Don't blame the union worker. Unions against Unions. What is that? How can you blame the members when Union leadership...well is showing no leadership!

Exactly.

They dont have to lead because the members cant hold them accountable.

Unions should create a sense of family and team between it's members. Personally I would not cross a picket line. How many of it's own union members cross is a direct reflection on how well the Union has done in creating the sense of family and team. Then there is the X-factor...how many replacement workers will come on to fill the vacancies left by the strikers. NWA has proven with a little planning even a skilled class can be replaced in today's airline environment. How many of those replacement workers where prior union? I suspect most were which leads back to the Union providing a sense of family and team. Building unity within the ranks requires alot more than just words and anti-company rhetoric. Unions should stick together and not cross other Union pickets. If they do how in the world can they expect workers not to perform struck work! And the Union excuse "we were contractually obligated to perform the work"??!! IT SHOULD BE IN THE CONTRACT NOT TO PERFORM STRUCK WORK OF ANY KIND! Does it take a genius to figure out a Union should have that language in a contract??

NWA planned for a year and a half and were only able to get half of their target for mechanics. As was revealed on other threads some of those mechanics had criminal backgrounds and would have never have been hired under normal circumstances. Some interpret that NWA proves that the airlines could replace us, but, another way of looking at this is if NWA has already emptied the well of mechanics,and they only got half of what they were looking for, where would the next batch of replacement mechanics at any other carrier come from?

NWA planned for a year and half to replace AMFA when they went on strike, where are you getting your info?

Maybe you need to read the ESE contract at NWA, where they were all ready performing pushbacks and ancillary duties.

But hey don't let the facts get in your way.

Only in certain stations,when AMFA went on strike they took over mechanics work in the other stations, dont let the fact get in your way.

 

[700UW]

Gee maybe you need to read the NWA AMT CBA, the language is no longer there for that to be AMFA's work.

And the ESEs did it at more stations then the AMTs.

Don't let the facts get in your way.

 

[Bob Owens]

AP Tech,

Please explain how the IAM can be sued when the CBA was abrogated by a federal bankruptcy judge and per bankruptcy law the IAM was obligated to bring out the company's final offer to the membership for a vote.

Don't let the facts get in your way. There were over 700 utility laid-off.

Who says the IAM was obligated to bring anytyhing to a vote? Union members have sued unions for imposing terms without a vote and lost. The IAM , as the reprentative could have rejected changes and struck without any further votes. You dont have to have a strike vote to strike over a major dispute and to enforce a current agreement.

Gee maybe you need to read the NWA AMT CBA, the language is no longer there for that to be AMFA's work.

And the ESEs did it at more stations then the AMTs.

Don't let the facts get in your way.

What CBA? YOU NEED TO CHECK YOUR FACTS!!! There is no AMT CBA at NWA-THEY ARE ON STRIKE!!!

Do you recognize company imposed terms as a CBA? If so I take it back, you are not a business unionist, you are a company unionist!!!

 

[700UW]

The Courts have to rule it a major dispute in order for you to strike, we learned that with the Airbus Outsourcing.

 

[Bob Owens]

The Courts have to rule it a major dispute in order for you to strike, we learned that with the Airbus Outsourcing.

I believe that falls under the NMB and anything concerning rates of pay etc are recognized as major disputes, they could strike once pay rates are changed, its happened in the Railroads.

hey smack....it was what the membership asked for..........

Yea right, thats why less than half even voted the second time around.

The "membership" had already rejected it.You guys are confusing the membership with the leadership.