planejane said:
Why would they? Not all workers are unionized.
If they vote no the company can rip up the contract, including check-off.
The members would no longer have to pay dues if there is no contract, thats what the IAM is afraid of.
If they vote YES the IAM can continue to collect dues tilll 2011 and they dont have to do a damn thing for the members. Kind of like the last two years.
Look at what has happened to these workers over the last two years. Do you really think that this will be the last cut? If they get this they will come back again, and again, and again, until all Fleet is at minimum wage and till the mechanics leave.
Now compare these guys to what non-union Jet Blue gets.
So tell me where is the IAM Union Advantage? You get to pay for someone to tell you things like "we dont endorse these concessions" but "The consequences of voting No are so grave". What about the consequences of voting in a fourth round of concessions that will not become renegotiable till 2011?!!!!!
Hey 700, if "concessions are not solutions" why the heck are you pretty much telling everyone to vote yes by not coming out strongly against it??? Because the company is making threats?
If you vote Yes they will be back for more because the company knows that the older workers will agree to anything to tide them over till retirement and after the YES vote who will be left? Older workers.
I would not be suprised if they turned around after this gets in and demand a twenty year contract, with a few raises up front.
Then the union will just be there to handle grievances. Obviously they wont be able to get and keep people so union scale will be a thing of the past even though you are paying dues, instead the lowest rate that the market will bear will determine your pay.
For all intensive purposes your union has been busted, however there are some advantages for a company to have unions in place so they will not need to deliver the coup de grace and simply get rid of them.
Having a toothless union in place still deters real unions from coming on the property, that will be the IAMs sole function, to deter the workers from getting a real union.
If the IAM was out of the way only a third of the workers have to fill out authorization cards, with the IAM in place they need over half. By laying off so many workers they made it nearly impossible to get a new union.
Lets say you vote NO. The company tears up the contract. You no longer have a contract and you no longer have to pay dues to the IAM. The company lays off half the workers and you are working without a contract. You now only need to get one third of the members working (no contract-no recall rights) to fill out cards and you could be rid of the IAM and vote in the AGW and AMFA, at least your dues would be less.
The fact is that often the road that appears to be safer isnt, remember who designed the appearance. The same company that has repeatedly lied to you and the IAM, then ask yourself a question, you have followed their advice for the last two years, do you think that you made the right choice then? Do you still think that they are making the right choice for you now?
