This is a little long, but worth the read........ The foundation is shoring up !!!!
Beating the Red-Tailed Stepchildren
"It is sad to see what is happening to the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) represented Northwest mechanics. The first misconception many in the media and the general public have is that the NW mechanics are on strike. By the technical terms perhaps, we can argue the semantics of the situation, but the use of the word strike seems to imply there was a choice in the matter for the mechanics that were separated from their jobs. The proposals given to the AMFA mechanics right up to the last day of negotiations would have caused roughly 53% present of the AMFA group to become unemployed at the date of the signing. It would have been impossible to get its membership to ratify any contract by that would eliminate a majority the group. Both sides knew this. Ted Ludwig, the president of the AMFA Local 33 in Bloomington Minnesota, who said in a interview with Channel 11 in Minneapolis KARE, that the company hasn't given them any choice, "They haven't moved at all from their position on a contract that we can't get ratified. And they know that." Another article by the Associated Press on August 21, 2005 states that Northwest said it spent 18 months preparing for a strike by AMFA, arranging for about 1,900 replacement workers, vendors and managers. This AP story went on to report "The nation's fourth-biggest carrier switched to its fall schedule Saturday, a week earlier than planned, lightening the schedule by about 17 percent." What happened goes beyond even the term lockout. This was not just a calculated plan to eliminate 53% of the mechanics; it was an opening salvo in declared war on organized labor and a plan to remove the entire labor group.
Never Compromise Safety.
This has been the guiding principle of Northwest for years, at least until the recent labor negotiations with its mechanics. No one will suggest that Northwest is intentionally sacrificing safety, but how does the elimination of the NW maintenance force do anything to make the airline safer. The experience level of the AMFA mechanics on the picketline was measured in multiple decades. This has left Northwest defending the amount of experience of their replacement mechanics and vendors. "Eighty-four percent of our vendor technicians now in training have more than five years of major airline experience, and 63 percent have more than 10 years of such experience," CEO Doug Steenland said in the July newsletter for employees according an Associated Press article on August 2, 2005. This may be, but how much of this experience is in the jobs they are now being asked to do? Northwest may be defending the expertise of the replacements and vendors, but at least one group outside of AMFA would question this assertion. The Department of Transportation took a look at the use of vendors in a report titled "Review of Air Carriers' Use of Aircraft Repair Stations" stated in its conclusion. "We found that airlines are increasingly outsourcing maintenance to repair stations. Despite the increase, FAA concentrates its oversight of airline maintenance on work performed at the air carrier’s in-house facilities. Discrepancies in U.S. and foreign repair-station operations went undetected at 86 percent of the stations we visited. The discrepancies included using improper parts and equipment, and uncorrected repetitive deficiencies." A link to this report is provided below. Is Northwest's self-declared victory in managing to run an airline at roughly 70%, in the attempt to break AMFA as a union, risking the safety of passengers and employees. Only time will tell. What will be the true measure of success or potential failure, a breakdown of their flight schedule, or an air disaster? Just one week is certainly not a true measure.
One mission -- crush unions.
The fundamental misconception is that the AMFA mechanics went on strike over wages or even benefits. Certainly there were differences in the total amount of concessions both sides were willing to accept, but the fundamental issue was not over pay rates. The key issue is about AMFA mechanics continuing to exist as employees of the airline. On September 10th 2001 Northwest employed over 9000 mechanics, since then the total number of AMFA mechanics already was cut roughly in half. Northwest knew it could find replacement mechanics because they had already laid-off several thousand of their own mechanics and other airlines had also made deep cuts in their maintenance staff as well. The AMFA mechanics by no means are the only group that NW is planning to eradicate. They are only the first in what is pattern of heavy handed behavior towards all of its labor groups, Northwest has already geared up to implement similar action against its flight attendants. The airlines plan seems to revolve around the fact that it is easier to try and break the unions and replace employees with decades of service, than negotiate in good faith with them. Before one labor group's battle had begun the next already had been set up. On June 7, 2005 Consumer Affairs and other media outlets reported that NW was "advertising for replacement flight attendants, just in case the contract talks stall." This article went on to report "Individuals who successfully complete Flight Attendant training may be offered employment in the event of a labor dispute or strike." Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) reported on the PFAA attempts to stop the training of their replacements on July 22, 2005 stating "The flight attendants union filed the suit in U.S. District Court in the Minnesota, asking the judge to stop the airline from training replacement flight attendants." The MPR article went on to state "Currently it is pending a determination by the National Mediation Board". Links to these articles are below. In a message to its members in the PFAA states in its hotline August 22, 2005 that "Management's dictatorial approach to negotiations makes it apparent that NWA is declaring war on its employees...Now that management got the strike they pushed for with AMFA, they are focusing their eyes on us."
All labor groups at all airlines must either step up or step aside.
What is happening now to the employees of Northwest will soon be happening to the employees of other airlines. It doesn't matter whether the airline is a legacy carrier, low cost carrier or a regional carrier. Recently, United and US Air have become leaders in reducing and restructuring their labor force through the bankruptcy process. Northwest has just raised the bar in the attacks against employees deciding to sweep aside entire labor groups before contemplating bankruptcy. Concessions at one carrier become justification for concessions at another and as this happens labor groups are pitted against each other, one after another. In perhaps the best newspaper article anywhere regarding labor's struggle in the airline industry, Dan Reed in an USA Today article dated August 21, 2005 (a link is provided below) captures the essence of labor's struggle " The outcome of the (AMFA) strike also has implications for a struggling industry." In his article Dan Reed quotes Minneapolis-based airfare-tracker Terry Trippler who says the current strike is "a watershed moment. If Northwest wins this battle, it will set the tone for the whole industry for a long time to come." The USA today article continues by stating: "Flight attendants at United Airlines, who are resisting proposed concessions, are watching closely, for example. So are some of the pilots and flight attendants groups at the low-cost carriers. Their dissatisfaction over pay and benefits is growing, along with their carriers' relative success." Mr. Reed’s article also quotes Ted Ludwig, of AMFA Local 33, who agrees that his members are fighting for something bigger than their own paychecks. "There's a big shot being taken here at the labor movement," Ludwig says. If Northwest prevails, he says, "Then God help all the other unions."
Choose to continue to take a beating or not.
There are options beyond divine intervention and besides God helps those who help themselves. Labor unions of all airlines and of all labor groups must begin to unite to stop the downward spiral of this industry. The union movement has allowed itself to become fragmented, focused on the differences between labor groups airlines and affiliations. Whatever the differences between the groups there is enough common ground to find ways to stand together. If the labor movement itself is to survive in this industry, the focus must be put on ways to defend the careers of people who work in this industry. No single labor group at any single airline can stand-alone anymore. Renewed effort must begin on organizing and fighting for those who work at every airline whether legacy, regional or low cost. Airline unions and employees have too often dismissed those working at other airlines, or in other unions, as somehow below them. Maybe there will always be some friction among the various groups, but every employee in this industry must begin to realize that each of us are being used as leverage against the next group. The cuts at United and US air will have management at Delta and Northwest seeking the same or more.
Unions must unite to become a louder voice against how these airlines conduct themselves also. An example of this would be all groups speaking out against and demanding action on issues, like the fact four Northwest Airlines executives received $1.1 million in cash because their "phantom stock" units have vested just before the AMFA strike. (This was reported in the Minneapolis Star Tribune August 9th 2005 a link is provided.) The economics of the NW situation was apparently not that bad for them, while the company was on the edge of a strike and a potential bankruptcy. There are many other issues like this at all the carriers. All airline employees understand that the airlines have all engaged in questionable management practices, and have focused on labor cuts in lieu of running good airlines. It is time to make the general public, the news media, our elected officials and the management of the airlines understands this too. We can continue to stand-alone and continue to take the beating one group at a time like the red-tailed stepchildren of Northwest. Or we can begin to put unity into the union ideal and begin to fight together. This is the choice now facing all the employees of this industry."
Have you had enough yet?
Please visit www.pfaa.com or www.amfanatl.org.
author Unknown........
