Mechanical And Related Update

[Bob Owens]

"If there is an election and less than 50 percent of the combined group participates, including furloughed employees, then no union will be certified and Mechanic & Related workers at both airlines will have no collective bargaining agreement and become “at willâ€￾ employees."

Hey at least i would get a raise. no union to pay dues to.

[post="286682"][/post]​

Please go Teamsters.

We are trying to get the Teamsters to agree to raid AA. If you guys go Teamsters we will be that much closer to uniting under one union. Something we should have done twentyfive years ago when the industry was deregulated.

Reasons to go Teamsters.

1. Its the only viable path towards uniting airline workers into one union. Now that the Teamster have left the AFL-CIO many workers at AA are hoping for the opportunity to rid themselves of the TWU and go Teamsters. If you guys are already there, the Teamsters will be that much closer to gaining the whole industry. Once we are in one union we stand a better chance against the courts and the airlines.

2. The Teamsters have 1.4 million members, unlike the IAM or TWU they have the resources to fight the courts and defend your contract.

3. The Teamsters do not cross picket lines.

4. The leadership of the Teamsters face real internal opposition. Hoffa can not sit back and do nothing like Buffy while you take massive pay cuts. Teamster leaders must perform or they will actually be removed, something that is very unlikely in unions like the IAM or TWU.

Can you really think of any reason to stay with the IAM? I cant think of any reason to stay with the TWU. Isnt it worth a try? Its the only chance you will have to demand accountability. If you are not happy you can always go back.

 

[Bob Owens]

August 8, 2005

US Airways Merger Update

To: All US Airways Mechanic and Related IAM Members

US Airways and America West Airlines have proposed a merger. It remains unclear at the present time when, or even if, the deal will be completed and what the full effects a merged carrier would have on employees. Information provided by the two companies thus far raises more questions than answers. However, some issues of concern to the membership can be addressed today.

If the merger is completed, US Airways would be the surviving carrier but America West’s corporate leadership is expected to manage the combined airline and the headquarters would be moved to Phoenix.

So in other words they are keeping the name. AWA management is taking over.

If the companies merge, the National Mediation Board (NMB) will determine whether the combined carriers constitute a single transportation system. Some of the criteria the NMB uses in determining single carrier status is the combination of published schedules, standardized uniforms and aircraft markings, centralized labor relations and management and overlapping ownership and Board of Directors. This process could take from a few weeks to several months after the final approvals of the merger.

Until such time as the NMB rules the combined airline is operating as a single carrier, US Airways and America West employees will operate separately represented by their current unions and working under their current respective labor contracts.

If the NMB rules that the merged carriers are a single transportation system, the Board should act in accordance with its prior decisions and certify the IAM because we have by far many more members. When the IAM is certified, our collective bargaining agreements will remain in effect for our current members and we will negotiate to bring America West workers under our agreement.


More members is not the criteria. When AA bought TWA the IAM could have filed despite the fact that there were more AA employees than TWA but chose not to. Its a shame, the IAM probably could have won.

It is important to note that if another union can show sufficient interest from US Airways employees, which includes active and furloughed employees with recall rights,

(furloughed employees that have found employment in a related industry are no longer eligible to vote.)

for representation election, the NMB may order an election. If there is an election and less than 50 percent of the combined group participates, including furloughed employees, then no union will be certified and Mechanic & Related workers at both airlines will have no collective bargaining agreement and become “at will†employees.

Therefore by signing a card requesting an election you could lose all union representation.

Very unlikely, but by not signing a card you are keeping poor representation in place.

This recently happened to Fleet and Customer Service employees when Piedmont and Alleghany Airlines merged last year. Less than 50 percent of Teamster and Communication Workers of America members participated in the vote, and the employees of the combined airline now have no union and no contract.

And how were they affected?

This is a very serious matter.

There are several other facts to keep in mind if Teamster organizers solicit your support by asking you to sign a card authorizing an election.

When US Airways entered bankruptcy last year, its primary goal for reducing Mechanic & Related labor costs was to modify the IAM contract to mirror the Teamster-America West agreement. The Teamsters negotiated an America West contract outside of bankruptcy that is the industry’s benchmark for low wage, low benefit, and low security union agreements. The Teamsters poor performance at America West lowered the bar so much for the entire industry that your IAM negotiators refused to agree to US Airways’ Teamster-modeled proposals.

America West is a small airline. Small airlines typically paid less than larger airlines. Perhaps their workers in the South West, where the cost of living is lower were willing to work for less. The fact is that AA lowered the benchmark. Teamsters also set the high mark for A&Ps over at UPS where mechanics earn over $40/hr and Teamsters set the rates airline A&Ps over at SWA which are $10/hr more than USAIRS.

Additionally, under the IAM agreement the heavy maintenance America West currently subcontracts to a company in El Salvador would be brought in-house, adding an additional three tracks of maintenance, requiring the recall of 300-400 furloughed Mechanic & Related workers.

Yea right, like thats going to happen. Didnt the IAM agree to contract out a lot of your heavy maint?

Ultimately accepted by the membership after the bankruptcy judge abrogated IAM contracts, your current IAM-US Airways agreement still provides significantly more job security than Teamster members have. The fact that US Airways has 9.1 Mechanic & Related employees per aircraft, compared to only 6.6 at America West, demonstrates the IAM’s superior scope and job security language in spite of two bankruptcies.

Or it could be that USAIR has a diverse fleet type that drives up the headcount.

If the America West employee-to-aircraft ratios were imposed at US Airways, 660 Mechanic & Related employees would lose their jobs.

The time frame for combining the two workforces is not yet known, but it also raises the question of seniority integration. The IAM’s policy on seniority integration is clear, consistent and unambiguous. The Machinists Union merges employee groups based on the individual’s date of entry into a particular classification on the merging carriers. In our opinion, this recognizes the seniority of employees at both airlines and is the only fair way for everyone involved.

Because America West Mechanics are generally less senior to their US Airways counterparts, the Teamsters are promoting a seniority integration scheme that would unfairly benefit their members to the disadvantage of IAM members.

The Teamsters have not put their seniority integration proposal in writing for fear of angering IAM members in the event of a representational election, but their allegiance is clearly to their current membership only.

The sacrifices you have made through two US Airways bankruptcies are significant. Only the Machinists Union will defend your investment and seniority throughout the proposed merger and beyond.

And beyond? Maybe you should ask the ex-IAM members from EAL and TWA about that promise.

The Teamsters are not pure as the driven snow but now that they left the AFL-CIO they may offer airline workers the opportunity to unite under one union. If you go Teamsters then maybe AA and other carriers can follow. Then instead of being all divided up thus allowing the courts and the airlines to pick us off one at a time we can unite and gain back what we lost. At this point, after massive concessions, can you really say that the hundreds of dollars that you fork over to the IAM are monies well spent? Do you really feel that they would have taken more away from you if the IAM was not there? How have non-union and management fared through the last few years? Dave Seigal did very well for himself didnt he? In fact three years ago I said he would do exactly what he did.


Sincerely,



William O'Driscoll
PRESIDENT-DIRECTING
GENERAL CHAIRPERSON

 

[av60]

Please go Teamsters.

We are trying to get the Teamsters to agree to raid AA. If you guys go Teamsters we will be that much closer to uniting under one union. Something we should have done twentyfive years ago when the industry was deregulated.

Reasons to go Teamsters.

1. Its the only viable path towards uniting airline workers into one union. Now that the Teamster have left the AFL-CIO many workers at AA are hoping for the opportunity to rid themselves of the TWU and go Teamsters. If you guys are already there, the Teamsters will be that much closer to gaining the whole industry. Once we are in one union we stand a better chance against the courts and the airlines.

2. The Teamsters have 1.4 million members, unlike the IAM or TWU they have the resources to fight the courts and defend your contract.

3. The Teamsters do not cross picket lines.

4. The leadership of the Teamsters face real internal opposition. Hoffa can not sit back and do nothing like Buffy while you take massive pay cuts. Teamster leaders must perform or they will actually be removed, something that is very unlikely in unions like the IAM or TWU.

Can you really think of any reason to stay with the IAM? I cant think of any reason to stay with the TWU. Isnt it worth a try? Its the only chance you will have to demand accountability. If you are not happy you can always go back.

[post="286716"][/post]​

Take your ibt garbage elsewhere.
id rather stick with the crooks i know than the crooks i don't know.

 

[BottomFeeder]

It is nice for the coach to show up after the game is over, thanks Mr. O'Driscoll.
at least the teamsters have shown there face , We would sign a ballet union card if they came around. Your membership only knows what the Lavman (700) tells them.

[post="286662"][/post]​

Would that be the same Lavman that was banned from this site?

Listening to him preach the IAM reminds me of Jim Baker and the PTL.
Wonder if Mrs Lavman looks like Tammy?

 

[700UW]

Cross any picket lines lately?

Gonna go volunter to help out at NWA when their mechs walk out?

 

[repeet]

Unfortunately, the M&E at US Airways is exactly where the union breaking management led them to.

The membership doesn't give a damn about the union, because the union won't rally the troops and lead.

The leadership doesn't give a damn about the membership, because they know the membership is a bunch of self centered cowards.

So how does one break out of this circular argument?

(Hmmmmmm......., let's see, Lead-er-ship)

 

[delldude]

Please go Teamsters.

We are trying to get the Teamsters to agree to raid AA. If you guys go Teamsters we will be that much closer to uniting under one union. Something we should have done twentyfive years ago when the industry was deregulated.

Reasons to go Teamsters.
IAM will lose the in house maintenance function now guaranteed by contract language....

 

[The End]

I can assure you that the iam contract isn't worth the paper it's written on! They will give the company anything just to keep dues payers. When all the heavy is farmed out and U employee's are laid off the dues will be made up from AWA people. Also did you know that Air Canada HMO is iam? They will recall several hundred mechanics to do the work on our acft. Thus no dues money lost. So it dosen't matter to the iam. They still get the dues. The End