Northwest, Unions Need New Flight Plan

[Raptor]

I got an email from Jim Little he says that he fully intends to move the TWU forward and make whatever changes are necessary, :unsure: I guess we will see if it is true or not, he also says the openers in 2006 is a full section six opener under the RLA not sure what that is but basically he said the full contract is open not just wages he says that we do have the ability to strike at that time also, I am not sure if that is true as that is technically not the amendable date of our contract which is Jan. 1 2009 but he says we do have the ability to strike if that is really the case we could get something back in 2006.
I am very sceptical of anything I hear from the International but I am sure that sometimes they do tell the truth and this could be one of them, I guess someone will have to look into the section six openers in the RLA to see if we really do have the ability to strike. :unsure:
It would be nice if it is true.

Also I got some letters from AMFA National present officers that want to be re-elected and are asking for my vote, that is kind of cool being only an associate member and getting to vote on AMFA National officers maybe the TWU should make that change. Voting on National officers <_< Hmmmm

 

[Buck]

Buck are you working with the RO committee to ensure the parts your having your crew install is being done in-house? Or are you just complaining?

The comment was intended to show that at NW and United amfa represented employees are on layoff due to work being allowed to be outsourced! What is it? 11,000 thousand posiions lost and counting?

Actually as a non-member of the TWU I work on a daily basis to correct the RO issue. The TWU has failed in this effort so I believe we as individuals need to step up and give it a try. Even today after attempting to order a door assembly for a galley light, where the door assembly was not available in the AA parts system and I had to order the whole light assembly from MCI. This part which was worked inhouse and was missing a latching mechanism and had some wiring errors. I sent this back to my vendor (MCI) but I used one of the piece parts to save my aircrafts part. I therefore saved the company the cost of a new part at $3800.00.

What I am complaining about is your attempt to hide your concessions in the RO committee.

Individuals can and are successful at bringing work inhouse and even repairing some of our own work right on the aircraft dock.

Again if the outsourcing numbers are as claimed at AA, at 20%?

then someone is on layoff. I did not attack the TWU nor did I favor the AMFA in my post. You on the other hand have nothing better to do than to instill fear into the membership.

I suggest that you read the Dallas Morning News and focus on the loss by AA and that they are not going to ask for more concessions, that only leaves one area for labor. The membership is not as naive as you think.

 

[Bob Owens]

Bob, AA is the largest Airline in the world and No Member is on Layoff due to outsourcing of work.

Oh really? So do you mean to say that if AA brought all that work back in house that those on layoff would not be called back? Thats rediculous. The difference is that AA was already contracting out more than other carriers prior to the current economic downturn, in other words those jobs were lost a long time ago.

Bob, when was the last time you made the local aware of a part which had a serviceable tag from a third party vendor when you know the part was normally done in-house?

And how would we know which parts are normally done in house? Does your local provide the line locals with a list to post on the BBs?You also have to remember that we often see borrowed parts out here on the line. Do you want us to delay aircraft while we research where the part was overhauled and whether or not that is work we normally do in house? I remember shipping engines to Germany for overhaul, it was brought up. Our Local at the time, 501, could care less. They also could care less about the fact that foreign carriers were bringing in other maintenance to work their aircraft on AAs ramp. Apparently Local 514 didnt care either. When was the last time you guys made a stink about the fact that we dont do R&D? How come you guys never helped the line push through anything that would help the line like a station staffing formula that specifically included maintenance?

It takes all of us to police AA to ensure our work is being done in-house! Without the eyes and ears of ALL of us we are doing our fellow TWU Brother or Sister an injustice!!

"Police AA"? Do you mean that you no longer trust the company? That they might be feeding you misleading numbers and hiding things from you? Speaking of injustices what are you willing to do for the line? You want us to keep an eye out for you but what are you willing to do for us BROTHER? We just took a bigger paycut than you to supposedly save your job, not ours. We took that cut because you were not willing to fight. Now you want us to watch out to make sure that your work, the work that you are not willing to fight for, is not being snuck out the back door to other venders? Even if you do catch them, what are you going to do about it?

 

[Nightwatch]

You want us to keep an eye out for you but what are you willing to do for us BROTHER? We just took a bigger paycut than you to supposedly save your job, not ours. We took that cut because you were not willing to fight.

Just a quick question Bob. Have you ever noticed how thick that line is that you draw between O/H and the line. You wreak of it man.

 

[Bob Owens]

You want us to keep an eye out for you but what are you willing to do for us BROTHER? We just took a bigger paycut than you to supposedly save your job, not ours. We took that cut because you were not willing to fight.

Just a quick question Bob. Have you ever noticed how thick that line is that you draw between O/H and the line. You wreak of it man.

Ah yes, and your comments braging about how good you have it thanks to our concessions really help diminish that line. Bragging about your disposable income.Not to mention your company orientated responses saying to get another job. I shouldnt need to remind you that the purchase of TWA did not help AAs bottom line and that you guys recieved a big raise when you came under our contract. Nor should I need to remind you that if you guys at MCI were not included in the contract vote it would have failed. I'll admit that you guys did not have that much to do with the sale(even though your union waived all their rights to facilitate it) and that most of the conditions existed prior to your arrival but AFW has been sensitive to the needs of the line and they were always willing to fight, your arrival tipped the scales in favor of the 514 "I got mine" crowd.

You seem to think that the line should just keep quiet and accept whatever the Tul and MCI locals deal out.

The fact is that this union has created a situation where the line guys are told that they have to go out and work second jobs to get by so guys like you can live like kings. Then instead of grattitude we get arrogance and entitlement from the likes of people like you.

This union flat out said that we had to take all these cuts to save overhaul. Fine, I dont want to see overhaul outsourced either, but the cuts that the union put in place reduced our pay more than it did those who work overhaul (unless you had to downgrade to OSM). It hit those who could afford it the least and whose jobs were not at risk the hardest. Then on top of that we get people like you, CIO and TWUer with your arrogant "We are the majority and I got mine attitude".


The division between the line exists because of the conditions this union put in place. Not because I reveal those conditions. We would be willing to fight, it seems that the Locals in Tulsa and MCI think that all the rest of us exist solely for their benifit, if they can live well there, then who cares about anyone else? Then after displaying such an attitude they will start preaching solidarity. It is pure hypocrisy. You guys could care less about us. Now you are saying that we should sacrifice even more by going out of our way to save the jobs of the same people who could care less about us. The same people who are forcing us out of our jobs. Where is the outrage from Tul & MCI about the contracting out of line work? Where is the outrage from Tul and MCI over the transfer of work from maint to other departments?

Is there a line between TUL, MCI and the line? You bet, and the blame lies with the leaders of those Locals and the International who fail to inform the members of the difficulties we face because of the sacrifices we made to save their jobs. If the members were to hear our side they would recognize the inequality that exists and realize that with such an inequality we could never have solidarity.

Answer this if you can. If the company were to announce the closing of MCI and/or Tul what action should the line guys be willing to take and why?