Here's a great FB post from an F/A that gets it:
"Suzi Pettit: One of the things I can't understand is why would anyone be an "undecided"? Why would our fellow flight attendants doubt anything we have to say when our collective experience represents at least what? 8 different airlines, many mergers, wonderful management, horrid underhanded management, and many negotiated contracts. Yes, the one constant in our vast experiences (experience which the New Way is very threatened by and will forever try to discredit)
is the unions. This one I won't sugarcoat. There have been those who have had bad experiences with representation. I can think of 3 different situations in my 30 year career. As much as I would have literally risked my life for any of my brothers and sisters, I had to do some impartial and honest thinking. All three flight attendants in all three cases would have been found guilty in a court of law. The union isn't in the business of exonerating anyone who violates a binding contractual agreement. Always keep in mind that if a union can't fix it, in almost every case the flight attendant was the one who irreparably broke it. The union is there to protect you whenever corporate is trying to violate your rights under your negotiated binding contract. The unions have fought for and won what was most important to us. We had a big voice. What is your fear? You have nothing to fear from being protected by law via a binding contract. You don't have to worry about disciplinary actions being dictated by the mood your supervisor is in that day, you don't have to worry about your retirement being taken away, nor what it will unexpectedly turn out to be because of the tiny print the company slipped in that no one noticed, or that your health benefits and your pay and your work rules will be eliminated, turned against you or forced on you. This is historically an industry whose roots are steeped in the military tradition. We look upon our coworkers as comrades, as brothers and sisters, as our family. We are an entity. Unless you are a crew member or are very close to it's members, you're not going to understand the band of brothers (and sisters) mentality. It's an entirely different life from anything on the ground. We live by codes, our own language, our own time, abbreviations, all very military. Except we are also caregivers, EMT 's at 35000 feet, police officers enforcing laws, peace keepers, entertainers, sales people, and we are to look polished and professional while wearing each hat. More is expected from our group of professionals than any other employee group. We are the saving grace for a passenger who feels he has been mishandled from revs to kiosk or check in to security to a crowded gate area where he's just another face with another complaint. We make it all go away so by the time he lands we have personally, single handedly kept a revenue passenger from defecting. We are hired based on our profile. We are extremely bright, but our fierce work ethic, our desire to please, our loyalty makes us vulnerable. Those traits can be interpreted as weaknesses and subservience. Now add a corporation that uses fear to control us, and here we are - professional do gooders who have no voice. We all deserve security. We all deserve to be held in high esteem. We are all this, we do all this without supervision, we are the company's most valuable front line employees who have the most time with the revenue. Most of us are nothing but loyal to each other. Most of us can't slide into that gray area between being your loyal crew member, and a crew member who will manipulate their brothers and sisters because they crave attention from the people who manipulate them. They actually believe their treason will secure them a position with corporate who is using them. So what is OUR agenda when trying to convince our brothers and sisters to vote in a union? We care. We keep caring long after we leave the position behind. Because our profile, our loyalty and protective nature is who we are even without the uniform. We had unions who listened to us and fought so very hard to get the benefits we enjoy today as retirees. We want the same for those who follow in our professional footsteps. That's it. We care. Now what's in it for flight attendants who are representing corporate, the ones who limit your questions on their site, the ones who may be all smiles but will never answer a question with a direct, honest, complete response? The answer: Whatever benefits them by betraying you. A feeling of accomplishment when management gives them a pat on the back for deceiving their peers, for defeating the union, with promises for a career in management, who knows what motivates those who are hopelessly self serving and can deliberately lead you to a place where you will lose what you have. What benefits are you expecting if we remain non union? If the least you wish for is for things to stay the same, you are in for a big shock and a short career. They can replace you with cheaper labor. They will. They can replace your schedule with a sharing program - two people sharing one block. They will. Oops, there go your benefits because you're not full time. This isn't some futuristic gloom and doom. This has all been tried before, and it would be your reality had we not had union representation at the time. Both sides will be amping up the action soon to convince you to vote yes, or no. It's not always going to come from a fuzzy warm place because sometimes with passion and urgency some of us get blunt. We are good, honest, very intelligent, highly experienced team players.,We were involved with our unions in every battle and we fought together to make it a better profession for us AND our future brothers and sisters. The emotion is frustration that we can't help get you the protection of a union if you won't believe. You won't get another chance. Wouldn't you rather choose iron clad contractual language, protection of a union, work rules that are negotiated according to YOUR input, a retirement that isn't created to take more money from you when you do retire, health benefits that can't be taken away or schedules that you won't have to share? We are all in this together and now is the time to protect the career we love. Don't throw it away with a "no" vote. Usually doing nothing produces as much. In the case of getting a union to work for us, doing nothing will result in a career you won't be able to live with."
