Members Walk The Floors In Tulsa!

RUM@AA said:
In all these posts from CIO, Steve Conell, twuer and so on I always notice one thing missing. We can argue that it could have been worse in bankruptcy and AA held a gun to the TWU's head etc. But the bottom line for me is this.
This contract was not ratified by a legal or valid vote of the membership! 3200 members in good standing were unable to secure PIN numbers (per TWU Informer). Jim Little called the vote "tainted" and said we must re-vote. Never did. It just got jammed down our throats!TWU violated the President's Council Bylaws by not providing a T/A and 30 days for the membership to review it prior to voting. :down:
Not to mention the fact that the company's first offer was 10% pay cut for M&R but heavey outsourcing of Fleet Service (like most of the competition), to which the TWU said NO WAY! (too great a dues loss).
I have survived the TWU's 1989 sell-out, 1995 sell-out and 2003 sell-out.
I don't want to experience another and that is why I don't "participate". It is a total waste of time. You'll never remove Sonny Hall and I'm not willing to just wait around for him to die or retire just so the next suck-up sell-out good ole boy can step into that dicatator's shoes.
You'll never change the TWU for the betterment of M&R. Fleet Service comes first, M&R gets sold-out.
AMFA NOW!
What a load of amfa CRAP!!! This contract was ratified! Did you forget that it was even taken to court and the Judge completly agreed as he tossed the amfa supporters and their silly arguments out on the street. And where's this "so-called" first offer of a 10% paycut with heavy Fleet Service outsoucing? Stop Lying!! Fleet Service did suffer the heavy outsourcing! Thats what they gave up! Your amfanuts are scary. Your so quick to surrender our scopeclause and give our work away for some short term gain. We can see how well that stratagy worked for amfa at NWA and ALaska. Its going to be much easier to get our sickdays and holidays back than it is for amfa to recapture the work being done at Sasco and Haico!
 
AMFABOY...you're next mah bruddah...I see ya love the management line, which is OK for a wannabe as you are. My trip to Dallas was great and the only sucking sound I heard was caused by an AMFA organizer returning to his tools. You insist the TWU walk the line and play by the rules..so will you, rest assured. Let me guess...if AMFA would get in you'd run for president of our local due to your time and money spent , you are still and will remain my best ally in my anti-AMFA campaign, all I do is mention your name and the masses agree TWU has it's good points...keep up the good work, makes my job a whole lot easier. Oh..and I'm still waiting to meet ya...I know why you use an alias...I'd be ashamed too...
 
Lets just get one thing straight. Del Femine and his cronies has spent over 300 thousand bucks trying to raid AA and he wants a return on his investment. He's loosing his ass at NWA with their 50% layoff and his other airlines where mechanics flat out refuse to pay dues! He does not want to lose his six figure salary! He desperatly needs the dues money the AA mech's can provide him!
 
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McCormick Advisory Group


Kevin McCormick on September 12, 2003 admits his current income from AMFA is $800,000 Thousand Dollars, if successful at organizing AA McCormicks total per year: $1,300,000 Million!


Full story:Concened Aviation Technicians

The TWU members are doing a great job and deserve a lot of credit, Under the current circunstances they have been repeatedly under pressure and stand strong behind the TWU. I commend them for their efforts and glad to see MCI, AFW and TUL for fighting back to dispell the lies that continue to circulate.
:up:
 
and might I suggest this..after looking at AMFA's action at airlines AMFA reps and the outsourcing that AMFA is allowing could it be possible that it is directing itself away from aircraft overhaul and heading to support the line station mechanic only, thus attaining industry standard pay for a few.

This is an item mechanics need to realize could be reality unless ALL outsourcing is brought back in house through your R.O. Committee.

I have heard peeps here state the TWU is a company union...look again where AMFA is heading..what has changed? What was outsourcing at NWA prior to AMFA...I know they had no 38% cap, in fact, with no cap in the language there was no gauge for the company to stop at, but all putting the cap in the language accomplished was to allow the company to reach that cap ASAP and use that same language to fight the outsourcing complaints. Is AMFA the answer here? Resist the nectar...tell them you will not drink.
 
Checking it Out said:
McCormick Advisory Group


Kevin McCormick on September 12, 2003 admits his current income from AMFA is $800,000 Thousand Dollars, if successful at organizing AA McCormicks total per year: $1,300,000 Million!


Full story:Concened Aviation Technicians

The TWU members are doing a great job and deserve a lot of credit, Under the current circunstances they have been repeatedly under pressure and stand strong behind the TWU. I commend them for their efforts and glad to see MCI, AFW and TUL for fighting back to dispell the lies that continue to circulate.
:up:
$800,000 thousand dollars is eight hundred million dollars dummy!

God help us!


the $800,000 that the McCormick group gets is less than the rent for Sonny's offices.

What would most members rather have their dues spent on, a service to the members or high priced rents on Broadway,NYC?
 
AAmech said:
Lets just get one thing straight. Del Femine and his cronies has spent over 300 thousand bucks trying to raid AA and he wants a return on his investment. He's loosing his ass at NWA with their 50% layoff and his other airlines where mechanics flat out refuse to pay dues! He does not want to lose his six figure salary! He desperatly needs the dues money the AA mech's can provide him!
Let me get this straight. The TWU Intnl spent $350,000 on cars last year. How does that help us pay our bills?

AAmech are you slated or have you recieved your TWU paid for car?


CIO stated earlier that "Most members are happy with the job the TWU is doing". What does he base this on? The results of the survey? Doubt it. His interaction with the membership? Doubt that too. How about his E-mail messages? No, they disconnected them because of all the abuse they were getting. So how does CIO come to the conclusion that most members are happy with the TWUs performance?


Thats a question for which there is no logical answer.
 
Thomas Paine said:
Let me get this straight. The TWU Intnl spent $350,000 on cars last year. How does that help us pay our bills?

AAmech are you slated or have you recieved your TWU paid for car?


CIO stated earlier that "Most members are happy with the job the TWU is doing". What does he base this on? The results of the survey? Doubt it. His interaction with the membership? Doubt that too. How about his E-mail messages? No, they disconnected them because of all the abuse they were getting. So how does CIO come to the conclusion that most members are happy with the TWUs performance?


Thats a question for which there is no logical answer.
Thomas it really paines me to see the name of a very famous man misused so.

You keep forgetting that there is more to the TWU then just a bunch of aircraft mechanics mechanics. I have yet to see you post anything more than allegations of allegations about the cost of cars, office rental etc.The facts so far are that AMFA at NWA has given the company the green light to outsource a minimum of 38% of the work. That seems to have taken care of most of the overhaul. You guys are crying a storm about the dangers of overseas maintenance, the low quality MRO work in the US.

You forget that you are the ones who won't say all WORK BELONGS IN HOUSE. It so much easier to point the finger, and complain.
 
Wow Steve, your talking like a management RAT again. How do you live knowing you sold your soul for some cash from the twu? You go ahead and mention my name all you want, and if you like to meet, come to our next meeting in KC. I know you won't be able to make it because you will be back in management again bythen. Goodbye Steve, you have 25 years of believing and nothing to show for it, keep up the good work. :up:
 
Steve Connell said:
Thomas...you need to look out of your small AMFA circle of friends....
Steve;
you need to remember that when you are on this board -You are not just in Kansas anymore!
 
"I have yet to see you post anything more than allegations of allegations about the cost of cars, office rental etc."

Well if you want to see for yourself pull up the TWU LM-2. Its on the Dept of labor site http://union-reports.dol.gov/olmsWeb/docs/formspg.html. Not an allegation, its right there in the report.

"The facts so far are that AMFA at NWA has given the company the green light to outsource a minimum of 38% of the work. "

Wrong again. Its a maximum of 38%. We have no such maximum. Instead we just keep lowering our wages to keep it cost effective to keep the work in house.

"You forget that you are the ones who won't say all WORK BELONGS IN HOUSE. It so much easier to point the finger, and complain."

You should not generalize. ALL WORK BELONGS IN HOUSE. There I said it, but that does not mean that we should be willing to work for less to keep it that way, instead we should be willing to fight to keep it that way.
 
"Seems funny that no one has ever blamed the company, or anybody's company, for the state of the union. They are the ones that outsource, they are the ones that furlough and then rehire part-time..they are the ones that request OT during furlough ,,,,,"


Thats like blaming the wolf for being a wolf. The fact is if things worked like you seem to want we would not need Unions. We need unions because companies are greedy by nature and workers need protection from their unchecked greed.

Please think about your statement a little more. By design the relationship between the Union and the company must be adversarial to some degree. The company seeks to make you produce more for less while we seek more money and more time off.When a union seeks to make its members work more hours for less money they are no longer serving its members.

If you expect companies to help unions, real unions that is, then you must not know the real purpose of unionism.
 
Thomas Paine said:
"Seems funny that no one has ever blamed the company, or anybody's company, for the state of the union. They are the ones that outsource, they are the ones that furlough and then rehire part-time..they are the ones that request OT during furlough ,,,,,"


Thats like blaming the wolf for being a wolf. The fact is if things worked like you seem to want we would not need Unions. We need unions because companies are greedy by nature and workers need protection from their unchecked greed.

Please think about your statement a little more. By design the relationship between the Union and the company must be adversarial to some degree. The company seeks to make you produce more for less while we seek more money and more time off.When a union seeks to make its members work more hours for less money they are no longer serving its members.

If you expect companies to help unions, real unions that is, then you must not know the real purpose of unionism.
You keep forgetting that there is more to the TWU then just a bunch of aircraft mechanics.

I am glad that you finally admit to the problem!

The mechanic craft and class is what we are trying to acheive. The socialism the TWU adheres to is pathetic at most. Fleet Serivce has the ability to negotiate for themselves. Since Fleet Service is compensated #1 in their craft and class, I wonder who negotiated for them?
 
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Tulsa World



Tuesday, September 9, 2003

Rival union seeks inroads at American



Support for the mechanics' incumbent union is dropping.

Salary cuts and loss of vacation time and other benefits among American Airlines' unionized mechanics are inciting the most significant challenge to the incumbent Transport Workers Union (TWU) in 56 years, officials say.While the majority of American's 7,000 mechanics at its Maintenance & Engineering Center in Tulsa support the TWU, there have been major defections to the insurgent Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), union members and organizers say.And, they say, AMFA support is much
stronger in outlying line stations than it is in Tulsa.AMFA organizers say 7,700 TWU members have signed cards supporting an election to replace the TWU with AMFA, which represents mechanics at Northwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and several other carriers.Organizers said that when they have 10,000 signed cards representing about 60 percent of eligible union members, they will ask the National Mediation Board for an election."TWU members who called us names the last time are out
here wearing a (AMFA) shirt and bannering for us," said Don Rogers, chairman of the AMFA organizing drive at American. "A lot of TWU guys have signed cards also."On Monday afternoon, Rogers and a dozen AMFA supporters stood across the street from American's driveway at 36th Street North and Mingo Road with banners urging support for the insurgent union. As they drove to or from work, American employees were reminded by AMFA representatives of AMFA informational meetings at 8 a.m., noon and 3:30 p.m.
Friday at the Sheraton Hotel at the intersection of 41st Street and U.S. 169.But some TWU members aren't buying the idea of a new union. They say AMFA's rise coincides with the most turbulent period in airline industry history. Bankruptcies and job, pay and benefit cuts have devastated the industry and left workers facing an uncertain future that still could include the unemployment line."In 2001, when we signed the best contract in the industry, AMFA was nowhere to be found," said TWU spokesman
Rick Mullings. "Historically, AMFA has moved in where there is any kind of upheaval."Mullings said there were no winners in the concessionary agreements reached in April between American and its unions.In an effort to avoid a bankruptcy filing by American, the TWU and unions representing American's pilots and flight attendants agreed to a five-year contract calling for $1.8 billion in wage and benefit concessions and layoffs of 7,000 people, including 718 mechanics in Tulsa."They know that in a concessionary
agreement half your members are mad at you," Mullings said. "But there's not a financial analyst or bankruptcy lawyer who would tell us we would be better off to fight this in court. Once you get in bankruptcy, you lose a lot of your rights as a union."Dave Stewart, a 20-year American mechanic and co-chairman of the AMFA organizing drive, said TWU conceded too much and still couldn't save thousands of jobs."The mood has changed. People are interested in hearing what we have to say and looking at
alternatives," Stewart said. "If we gave concessions to save jobs, why have 6,000 TWU members lost their jobs?"O.V. Delle-Femine, AMFA's national director, said unions such as the TWU and the International Association of Machinists are run by union officers who are not accountable to the rank and file."Your livelihood and future are too important to allow a small un- elected, decision-making group of national TWU officers to negotiate your contract without any accountability or democracy," Delle-
Femine said in a recent letter to American employees.TWU officials remind workers that AMFA has made major concessions itself at United Airlines and Northwest.At United, a unit of bankrupt UAL Corp., mechanics were powerless to stop management from closing both its Indianapolis and Oakland, Calif., maintenance bases.At Northwest, AMFA leaders agreed to a contract that permits the company to outsource up to 38 percent of its mechanical work."You can wish for whatever you want, but there's a difference
between reality and perception," said Jerry Sowells, a 22-year Northwest mechanic and former AMFA supporter. "AMFA promised the world and delivered nothing. We got some money, but half of us lost our jobs."AMFA knows how to manipulate discontent, but they don't know how to represent anyone."If the present rate of card-signing holds up, a union election could be held in late fall or early winter, AMFA's Rogers said."We would like to have all aircraft mechanics in one union," he said. "That way, there's
only one agenda, and that's the mechanics' agenda."


Just note amfa's intentions are to eliminate all classifications except AMT's, I here this was their favorite pitch at USAir also. It shows at other Airlines.
 

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