LAX Maintenance Town Hall 2/24/15

[Hackman]

No he isnt a good guy, he is actually a jerk.

Albert Gonzalez is an AMFA supporter big time,then he supported the IBT.
 
He hates the IAM.

I guess he knows the IAm scab lovin' industrial union when he see's it?

Must be one of those "elitists" again.

Nobody (on the AMT side) wants the IAm or this "Association" of failed unions, but you have to work here to know that.

Don't let the facts get in the way.

 

[Rogallo]

Holy Crap! As I watch these Town Halls I don't believe I saw many mechanics under 50 years old. CLT looking the oldest so far, but TUL ain't had theirs yet! 

 

[bigjets]

Sounds like PIT, DWH, CLT and TULE will split the work as it does now. That's good news for all those guys. One scarey thing Isom said was, they'll put the money in the pot and see how the union wants to divide the pot, with lack of Maint reps in the union that scares me a bit.

 

[Hackman]

dfwgen,
I'm not saying anything about his character. I don't know him. I'm saying he brought up a valid point.
 
If he is an AMFA and IBT supporter it would mean he doesn't really have a preference about another union just as long as it's not the IAM from his viewpoint. As far as his critical thinking and who should represent us, we have a different opinion. As of late I am very disappointed in the current TWU leadership but I am not going to advocate tossing the union. Tossing the current leadership? Yes. They current TWU leadership seems to be good at either preserving their own positions or creating new roles for themselves. As a member I feel caught up in their BS and left holding an empty bag.

Let me ask another question Overspeed....

Your very disappointed in the the current leadership, but the past TWu sellouts that brought us down to our knees, Phat Don Viditich, Jimmy "Without Further Ratification" Dolittle, and Bobby "Lower Your Expectations "Gless.

Those sellouts are your friends right? Is that why you defend their years of failures? What exactly has changed with todays failures??

Isn't Phat Don suing the TWu to get his padded retirement the TWu stole away? Isn't that dandy huh?

The TWu membership has been left holding the bag for 30 F'n years!!!! Nothing has changed today has it? Nope....

What has changed currently? Can you give us a list?

TWu leadership in it for themselves. Nothing to see here....

Except the current leadership has actually sued the TWu and is going up against the AA/Northwest Management in court. That's a change. Phat Don would never upset the company like that would he? No....

How about the number of former TWu officers now in AA management positions?

Sure is a lot of them over the years. But that's ok with you I guess.

Face it, the TWu is broken, has been broken, and will remain broken.

There is not a "fix" for the TWu. It's been tried for years. Not possible.

The only thing you care about is getting back in TWu office and your cushy chair, your paper thin.

 

[bigjets]

Albert Gonzalez is an AMFA supporter big time,then he supported the IBT.
 
He hates the IAM.

Albert articulated what every mech wants, the right to vote for our representation. Whatever it is but what the majority wants. CLT mechs asked some good questions.

 

[dfw gen]

de
deleted

 

[Bob Owens]

Holy Crap! As I watch these Town Halls I don't believe I saw many mechanics under 50 years old. CLT looking the oldest so far, but TUL ain't had theirs yet! 

Dont know about CLT but LAX and ORD are Junior stations in the system, I believe NY is the most Junior station in the system and all you will see there is grey hair (if any) as well. 

 

[Bob Owens]

Albert Gonzalez is an AMFA supporter big time,then he supported the IBT.
 
He hates the IAM.

And why do you suppose he feels that way? Maybe because eight years after exiting BK, their second deal after exiting BK,  the IAM brought back a concessionary deal with a record profit making company that only brought their wages up to what we got coming out of BK? 

 

[700UW]

Albert has been like that since he worked in CLT.

 

[Overspeed]

Hackman,
Nope they are not my friends. I think they did better than what the other unions did fighting against company's that wanted to screw their employees. I am happy with maintaining my pension formula to 2012 versus frozen/terminated in a 2003 BK. I am not happy with the type of concessions that took place in 2003 and was very vocal about it every time I saw them.
 
What is occurring now in the ATD and with AA specifically. The rhetoric and fighting going on is hurting who? Not those in leadership positions. They voted themselves raises without a membership vote on the bylaws at 591. 591 is spending tens of thousands on lawsuits that benefit them not us as members and they are losing those suits while Seham gets rich off our dues money.
 
JCBA will be interesting under the current group of TWU leaders. 514 and 591/567 are not aligned within the TWU. If the Association goes through how will that dynamic work? GP will lose his dominant role and may not even end up on the Association Negotiation Team for all he knows. And current rhetoric from 591 is that we are going to place all these demands in front of the company like JCBA negotiations are like regular CBA negotiations. They are not. Our TWU CBA at AA is not amendable for years. We can demand whatever we want but management can continue to run under the current CBA for years. There is no demand for release from the NMB and threat of strike for years.
 
Think the past TWU Negotiations was long...you ain't seen nothing yet.
 
Now about fixing the TWU, I think it is time for new leadership. I agree we need a new direction and AMFA isn't going to happen. What happened to the card drive? It's non-existent. So how about a new direction for our local? Which reps get stuff done for their members? My friends in MIA say things are heading in the right direction there. I hope Knapp and Rojas make a run for the top spots.

 

[bigjets]

Albert has been like that since he worked in CLT.

 
You mean totally reasonable comment, that most mechanics agree with? Or do you mean, a guy not willing to sit there and be FORCED TO PAY a union without the majority of members VOTING for that entity. 
 
I don't recall Albert saying anything about AMFA or IBT, just wanting to take a vote, I wonder why the IAM, and TWU are so scared of a vote?  

 

[700UW]

Have you worked with Albert?

Have you talked to Albert one on one?
 
I have, he is an elitist and has been pushing AMFA at US for over 20 years.

 

[CMH_GSE]

700, I have a question.

Do you think the TWU/IAM should have first asked the membership through a vote if they approve of an Association?
Or, do you think it's totally cool that they try and get the NMB to make the vote Association or nothing, which, I repeat, has NEVER been done before, without first balloting membership on the forming of an Association?

That's all this guy was saying.

 

[700UW]

The IAM and both the TWU stated their will be a membership vote.
 
Please show me where either union has stated different?

 

[Bob Owens]

Hackman,
Nope they are not my friends. I think they did better than what the other unions did fighting against company's that wanted to screw their employees. I am happy with maintaining my pension formula to 2012 versus frozen/terminated in a 2003 BK. I am not happy with the type of concessions that took place in 2003 and was very vocal about it every time I saw them.
 
What is occurring now in the ATD and with AA specifically. The rhetoric and fighting going on is hurting who? Not those in leadership positions. They voted themselves raises without a membership vote on the bylaws at 591. 591 is spending tens of thousands on lawsuits that benefit them not us as members and they are losing those suits while Seham gets rich off our dues money.
 
JCBA will be interesting under the current group of TWU leaders. 514 and 591/567 are not aligned within the TWU. If the Association goes through how will that dynamic work? GP will lose his dominant role and may not even end up on the Association Negotiation Team for all he knows. And current rhetoric from 591 is that we are going to place all these demands in front of the company like JCBA negotiations are like regular CBA negotiations. They are not. Our TWU CBA at AA is not amendable for years. We can demand whatever we want but management can continue to run under the current CBA for years. There is no demand for release from the NMB and threat of strike for years.
 
Think the past TWU Negotiations was long...you ain't seen nothing yet.
 
Now about fixing the TWU, I think it is time for new leadership. I agree we need a new direction and AMFA isn't going to happen. What happened to the card drive? It's non-existent. So how about a new direction for our local? Which reps get stuff done for their members? My friends in MIA say things are heading in the right direction there. I hope Knapp and Rojas make a run for the top spots.

 
Dont see where you make any sort of an argument to support your allegations that someone other than the membership is benefitting from the lawsuits. Don't like the raises, make a motion, or start a recall. This Local allows recall. Motions are easier to make than ever and it goes to an electronic vote so you don't even have to go to the Hall and vote. How much OT has been available to you? You know what I made last year, care to post what you made with OT? Guarantee I put in a lot more hours than you did. 
 
I agree that these talks are not normal negotiations, and thanks to you we still have three more years until we get to Section six, unless we rush into a bad deal like the flight attendants and push it back to five years. If a JCBA is supposed to be a "bridge contract" then it should not extend any longer than what we have now. Flight attendants had "industry Leading" for less than six months, now they get 2% per year for the remainder of the contract, just below inflation and are already way behind Deltas FAs. So we could rush into another five year deal, and likely miss the entire "golden Era" of profitability for the industry, by 2020 no doubt they will be crying the blues about the aircraft debt and Pension catch up payments due. Don't want to do like we did  in 1995, we need to use our heads and go for as short a term as possible and profit sharing, which is sort of like gain sharing, except get language and not give the company another blank check like you did when you voted for Gain Sharing. IIRC the Gain sharing was valued at several thousand dollars per member, that money, now lost, would have paid for restoring some Holidays, or vacation, but you supported your buddy Don who said this was a good deal, and look at what you have to show for it. Six years you signed on for and three years into it you want to jump into another five with a deal that leaves us 7% behind Delta after PS is added. Are you sure you aren't management?