Delta-Northwest Deal Could Oust Unions

[Kev3188]

Kev I feel that we should have stayed with the TWU but the IAM thugs fixed that right away. At AWA our TWU contract was up and we were in negotiations for more pay, ect. But thats all gone now so we'll never know.

Ideally, the "new" contract should take the best of the old TWU cba and the IAM one. I actually used to have a copy of the HP one, but chucked it when I moved east... It'd be nice to have it now, so I could see what a lot of you guys are talking about. I remember the scope being decent, but the pay scale being ridiculously low compared to ours at NWA. In my old station, a lot of "senior" HP'ers would come over to NW, as even at part time, they were making more than FT at HP.

The two highest paid ramper groups are AA and WN and both are represented by TWU.

...And the guys at AA (at least on this board) tend to hate the TWU. I wonder why the 141 hasn't looked to it's "peers" at NW and UA for a comparison? Maybe they have- I don't know.

I dont really know how to answer your first question about the insurance. I only pay for single coverage and if the new TA goes thru, the cost of that is going up also!

I hate to sound like a broken record, but I'm stunned that Canale and the NC didn't make this a huge priority. At NWA (even in BK) we were able to negotiate a monthly premium that is almost half of what US's is (I'm comparing family coverage here). This alone helped offset a lot of wage issues, IMO. UA was able to the same, I believe.

My point in all this is that it seems like it's not an IAM issue per se, but rather a "IAM at US" issue. It speaks to a massive failure-or lack of initiative on Canale & the NC's part.

That's not to discount your feelings/opinions of them of course, I'm just sayin'.....

I feel a union is the lesser of two evils, however the IAM is just a business in it for themselves and the worst choice of a union.

Sadly, all of them are a business these days... However, as you say, the option of no union is even worse. For those of us at NW, the latter would be an unmitigated disaster.

And before some DL fan boy comes on here to spew reasons why I'm wrong, please back your answers up with fact and/or numbers, and not rhetoric. Pass travel doesn't count.

 

[lineguy43]

I'm still waiting for answer (or at least an opinion) from you on my last question.

In the meantime, here's another honest question: Would you prefer to still have the TWU with it's poverty wages?

That aside, this thread is about what will happen to DL & NW workers depending on the outcome of a representational vote.

If no union is voted in: Status quo for DL'ers, loss of the following for NW'ers:

*Loss of 2 weeks vacation (back down to 4 max-sound familiar?)

* Increase in medical benefits

*7 days max annually for sick time (currently there's no cap at NW)

*Only 15 locations for ramp instead of 40


If the IAM is voted in: DL'ers can expect to reap the benefits that we at NWA currently enjoy. It might take awhile to get a joint CBA-as I'm sure the newly merged company would be in no hurry-but it'd be worth it. Period.
That's just 4 to start. I'm not sure USAviation has enough bandwidth to list everything....


Again, I respect your opinion towards 141; you're right to be pissed at what Canale has done to it. However, 143 is a whole different animal (again, not perfect, but much better).



Good! It should be.



Yeah, I know. I've seen it before. Looks like being a bartender at Placid Harbor is a well paying gig as well...

LOL... I like that Kev...Yeah I always could understand why some mechanics still wanted to stay in the iam....It is because they made a career out of being a "permanent union official" in the iam. Definitely a better paying gig than most airline employees have.. Where can I get a "flaccid harbor" bartender job????.

 

[Kev3188]

LOL... I like that Kev...Yeah I always could understand why some mechanics still wanted to stay in the iam....It is because they made a career out of being a "permanent union official" in the iam.

Yup. These are also the guys who are the most out of touch with the masses (regardless of which union we're talking about)...

This is something that needs to change everywhere.

It's no secret that I'm no fan of AMFA, but one thing I've always been vocal about is how I respected the fact that almost all of their officers also worked their "day jobs."

Definitely a better paying gig than most airline employees have.. Where can I get a "flaccid harbor" bartender job????.

The line starts right behind me.

 

[NewHampshire Black Bears]

"In the representation elections likely to follow a merger, unions could very well be ousted. "We think part of the thinking here is that they could de-unionize the transportation labor movement," says Robert Roach, general vice president of the International Association of Machinists, the largest airline union and a key opponent of the merger."

http://www.thestreet.com/story/10414553/1/...ust-unions.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If There is NO "screwing around"(By anderson/steenland) with REAL/ACTUAL/Honest employee numbers of the 2 airlines, in their present state, ..the article will be proven WRONG.

For example,

(for both company's


Pilots.........................Totally unionized !
Mechanics.....................Vastly NON-Union :down:

F/A's...........................If every NW union f/a, joined forces with the number of DL f/a's..WHO voted for union representation...the last time a vote was taken,..........WOULD TIP the SCALE..in favor of a UNION !!

Rampers....................A match up of REAL NWA union rampers, "not a subsidiary"....OUTNUMBER the REAL."Below the wing" DL rampers(excluding DL subsidiary DGL or DLG or Whatever T F they call them)


But look for Andersen to TRY to DILUTE the numbers in a FINAL representational vote, with DGL
It will be SQUARELY on the shoulders of the IAM, to take DL to court over this matter.

It is my understanding THAT, in the last representative DL ramp election(which the Union LOST) that DL management..tried AND FAILED to say that DL rampers are cross utilized, which technically they are, however DL catagorizes the rampers with a different code, when they are working below the wing, as opposed to working above the wing. Anyway, the Judge ruled against DL, and there is now a ALL IMPORTANT PRESEDENCE SET, for future elections.
IF, anything that I've stated(from hearsay) is wrong, I'M SURE I'll be justifiably corrected !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LET THE "GAMES" BEGIN !!!!!!!!!

 

[getitgoin]

A union is only as good as it's members. Truth is you guys voted in those POS contracts.

Now you have a chance to change all that. Hopefully, your current T/A will be voted down, and you will have a chance at getting something decent if/when Canale gets voted out.

BTW, not to "cross-pollinate" threads here, but our medical costs at NW are about 1/2 of what yours are at US ($177 for family coverage vs. $300). Why is lowering that not one of the top priorities of the NC?

Kev according to friends from both UAL and NWA the IAM had a nice cozy relationship with both companies. "Companies" not employees.
I say there are, more than likely, reasons for the ouster of the IAM, by employees, from both companies.

 

[Kev3188]

Kev according to friends from both UAL and NWA the IAM had a nice cozy relationship with both companies. "Companies" not employees.
I say there are, more than likely, reasons for the ouster of the IAM, by employees, from both companies.

AMT's at NW & UAL chose to go with AMFA.

No other group has left.

As far as 143 goes, it is my opinion that former president Bobby DePace was *much* too friendly with mgmt.... Thankfully, the masses spoke (the beauty of a union), and he's gone.

Your friends at UAL will hopefully now make the same intelligent choice and depose Canale.

 

[700UW]

AMTs at UA voted AMFA out and now are part of the IBT.

 

[Kev3188]

AMTs at UA voted AMFA out and now are part of the IBT.

I know.

I should have been a little more clear and said, "AMT's at both NW & UAL left the IAM and chose to go with AMFA. "

 

[LukeAisleWalker]

On the one hand, the pro-union forces complain every day on this forum about how ineffective their union has been the last six and a half years, unable to stop the tidal wave of pay, benefit and work rule concessions.

Yet on the other hand, the pro-union forces continue to post nonstop about how much better life is when you pay a couple hours of pay each month to the union overlords.

Representation may very well benefit the workers enough to be worth those two hours of pay each month.

But I can understand how some may be skeptical.

1 hour of flight pay for FAs. It's like insurance...and tax deductible (if you itemize). I pay more in auto insurance and I'm a very good driver w/ nothing on my record (knock wood!). I think I need insurance for my career as much as my auto...seeing as oil is $122/barrel and former NW execs who hatched the idea of outsourcing Int'l flying are going to be sitting on Delta's apres-merger board.