Checking it Out
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- Apr 3, 2003
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Is that what you read?Checking it Out said:Received: 01/19/04 2233 EST
Name: Bill Schneider
E-Mail:
Employer: NWA
Location: IAH
Message:
It seems that this board has been bombarded with the old anti-AMFA arguments. This is exactly what happened when we were confronted with another IAMAW concessionary tentative agreement. We voted that T/A down. The AMFA grass roots drive then seemed to take hold.
The AMFA is no panacea. Just because you vote in the AMFA does not mean you can sit on your butt and expect miracles to happen. This is a democratic union. Get involved, be active, and most of all, be professional.
As Aircraft Maintenance Technicians the only way we will further our profession is to be the professionals we are. We must not portray the image of the industrial union thug. If we are to be treated as professionals, we must act as such. At NWA we have fostered a new image for the Technician and Related.
NWA has used every possible method to reduce our headcount. They will continue to reduce the rank and file employees who refuse to pull their own weight. They have violated the agreement at times and when they have the AMFA has had those violations overturned via arbitration.
Northwest Airlines will continue to try to shed the in house work that can be done by third party outfits. If NWA can have a seat overhauled by a contractor who pays their workers $12.00/hr, why would they keep that work in house? I believe NWA is following the Continental Airlines model. I can’t fault NWA for doing this. The executives are focusing on reducing costs. They feel that this is the best way to reduce maintenance costs. I disagree. I am not in the position to change the way NWA does business. The TWU and their OSM classification have prevented those jobs from ever being performed by AMT's again.
NWA has focused on the Airline customer. Aircraft maintenance is a cost center. Richard Anderson (NWA’s CEO) has said that we are in the Airline business, not the aircraft maintenance business. NWA wants to have only Line Maintenance and light check work done in house. As long as there is third party contractors to perform the heavy check work with unlicensed mechanics, all airlines will utilize the low wage option. As it stands, contractors for half the cost are doing most back shop work by utilizing unlicensed techs under a repair station license.
As professional AMT's we must unite and aim for a common goal. Certificated technicians must perform any and all maintenance done on aircraft and the parts attached to them. This will never happen under the catchall industrial unions such as the TWU/IAMAW. They want to keep the most dues dollars flowing. If that means creating b-scale, c-scale…. that will be the goal. The industrial unions would much rather have 2000 AMT’s and 4000 OSM’s than to have 4000 professional well paid AMT’s. That is because they need the strength in numbers for their finances. The greater the number, the more dues flow. -------
compliments of the-mechanic
The more you look the more you can see amfa's philosophy, let farmouts continue until all heavy maintenance is gone. Sounds like amfa is allowing all this to happen with no fight. Word has it that amfa feels the arbitration case has no merit and will cost the effected mechanic's millions of dollars.
Is that what you read?Checking it Out said:Received: 01/19/04 2233 EST
Name: Bill Schneider
E-Mail:
Employer: NWA
Location: IAH
Message:
It seems that this board has been bombarded with the old anti-AMFA arguments. This is exactly what happened when we were confronted with another IAMAW concessionary tentative agreement. We voted that T/A down. The AMFA grass roots drive then seemed to take hold.
The AMFA is no panacea. Just because you vote in the AMFA does not mean you can sit on your butt and expect miracles to happen. This is a democratic union. Get involved, be active, and most of all, be professional.
As Aircraft Maintenance Technicians the only way we will further our profession is to be the professionals we are. We must not portray the image of the industrial union thug. If we are to be treated as professionals, we must act as such. At NWA we have fostered a new image for the Technician and Related.
NWA has used every possible method to reduce our headcount. They will continue to reduce the rank and file employees who refuse to pull their own weight. They have violated the agreement at times and when they have the AMFA has had those violations overturned via arbitration.
Northwest Airlines will continue to try to shed the in house work that can be done by third party outfits. If NWA can have a seat overhauled by a contractor who pays their workers $12.00/hr, why would they keep that work in house? I believe NWA is following the Continental Airlines model. I can’t fault NWA for doing this. The executives are focusing on reducing costs. They feel that this is the best way to reduce maintenance costs. I disagree. I am not in the position to change the way NWA does business. The TWU and their OSM classification have prevented those jobs from ever being performed by AMT's again.
NWA has focused on the Airline customer. Aircraft maintenance is a cost center. Richard Anderson (NWA’s CEO) has said that we are in the Airline business, not the aircraft maintenance business. NWA wants to have only Line Maintenance and light check work done in house. As long as there is third party contractors to perform the heavy check work with unlicensed mechanics, all airlines will utilize the low wage option. As it stands, contractors for half the cost are doing most back shop work by utilizing unlicensed techs under a repair station license.
As professional AMT's we must unite and aim for a common goal. Certificated technicians must perform any and all maintenance done on aircraft and the parts attached to them. This will never happen under the catchall industrial unions such as the TWU/IAMAW. They want to keep the most dues dollars flowing. If that means creating b-scale, c-scale…. that will be the goal. The industrial unions would much rather have 2000 AMT’s and 4000 OSM’s than to have 4000 professional well paid AMT’s. That is because they need the strength in numbers for their finances. The greater the number, the more dues flow. -------
compliments of the-mechanic
The more you look the more you can see amfa's philosophy, let farmouts continue until all heavy maintenance is gone. Sounds like amfa is allowing all this to happen with no fight. Word has it that amfa feels the arbitration case has no merit and will cost the effected mechanic's millions of dollars.
If the coffin represents the job losses under AMFA's watch,mojo13 said:Maybe you could explain the meaning of the coffin, and then I will understand your defense of, what I perceive to be very unprofessional activity.
That coffin was representative of the jobs lost under AMFA's watch!
UAL_TECH said:If the coffin represents the job losses under AMFA's watch,mojo13 said:Maybe you could explain the meaning of the coffin, and then I will understand your defense of, what I perceive to be very unprofessional activity.
That coffin was representative of the jobs lost under AMFA's watch!
how large would the coffin be if it reflected the union job losses under the AFL-CIO watch (per member/per annum) ?
Please break that down by affiliation (IAM/TWU/etc...)
Can you graph that for us?
Thanks in advance,
What is wrong with being held accountable? It is not other people, it is the membership being held accountable to themselves. It will be you the member who will be deciding what is best for yourself. So if you cannot see this then it will be you as a member that will be the problem and held accountable.91import said:I've been watching these posts for a while and I thought I'd chime in. One way or the other I feel the vote is going to happen, whether or not AMFA gets the 60% is not the issue. It's a matter of waking up in the morning and allowing other people to decide what is best for us without an opportunity hold them accountable. This is the real problem....
How many ex-TWAer's out of NY,LA,STL and elsewhere expect to ever see another AA paycheck? Some are out almost 3 years already. Whose fault is this, TWU, IAM, AFL-CIO, or of course little AMFA and their 16 supporters.mojo13 said:Are we talking reduction in force (with recall) due to economic condidtions or are we talking permanent job loss (no recall) because they closed your facility?
Does that include lowering wages and benefits to make MCIE a Third Party Repair station? That is after September 2005.mojo13 said:I intend to do what I need to do to help keep MCI open. That means keeping amfa out.
It will indeed be interesting how low they will go after we file. My guess things will heat up in the next two weeks at AA.Rusty said:TeamTWU is beginning to sound like the IAM at United when AMFA was on the verge of taking over. It went something like this.
"I just received notice that UA will file chapter-7 (liquidation) if AMFA comes in!"
I will try and find the letter for you; it will make you Laugh your Ass Off.