Now that Little is Gone. What is being done to give us our Locals back.

[The Truth Will Set U Free]

I would like to say Hello to everyone on this Board. I have been reading this Board for Years. This is my 1st Post. 
I would like to know if the same people that had a fit when Little took away the Locals. Is now in control to do something to put them back. 
There was a motion made out of Miami to put the Locals Back. If These Guys don't let this Motion pass and Allow us to vote on it. They have become the NEW JIM LITTLE. 
 
This is not a attack on the Guys running Local 591. It is just a chance to find out THE REAL TRUTH. 
 
P.S. I forgot to introduce myself. My Name is Larry Davis. I am a AMT out of Miami.

 

[robbedagain]

Welcome to the boards sir

 

[1AA]

Welcome Larry.
Love to see our locals come back. I have no faith in the new 591. It was all put together for a purpose to break up the strength of the line stations. The line stations were getting momentum in decisions being made since Tulsa was shrinking and AFW was shutting down. Don V. concocted this one local scam. Now him and Gless are gone and we are stuck with this crap. We will forever be living or working under the bad decisions that these appointed self serving so called union officers made. Even though we are out of BK in my opinion we will always be in BK for as long as we are employed at AA. The effects of the BK bestowed upon us will haunt us forever including retirement if we ever get to see it.

 

[Overspeed]

I would like to say Hello to everyone on this Board. I have been reading this Board for Years. This is my 1st Post. 
I would like to know if the same people that had a fit when Little took away the Locals. Is now in control to do something to put them back. 
There was a motion made out of Miami to put the Locals Back. If These Guys don't let this Motion pass and Allow us to vote on it. They have become the NEW JIM LITTLE. 
 
This is not a attack on the Guys running Local 591. It is just a chance to find out THE REAL TRUTH. 
 
P.S. I forgot to introduce myself. My Name is Larry Davis. I am a AMT out of Miami.

 
That would be an interesting development. I would pose a few questions back to you. 
 
How will the timing of the motion be affected by the TWU/IAM Association Vote?
 
Should there be a motion to have the TWU reconsider the Association?
 
If the Association goes ahead, many current TWU stations will become IAM and vice versa. Wouldn't it make sense to re-establish the line locals after the Association vote?

 

[MetalMover]

It is a good possibility that with little gone and Lombardo in, a return to locals may very well happen.
But one step at a time......I do believe Drummond is still in place as a member of the old guard.

 

[The Truth Will Set U Free]

I Asked this question and I kind of expected Bob Owens to have something to say. I see he is pretty involved in most of the forums. 

 

[MetalMover]

I understand that LOCAL 591's performance at the convention wasn't too well received by Lombardo.
So expectations of a return to locals may be a bit premature,

 

[Bob Owens]

To me going back to smaller Locals would be a mistake. While I didn't like the method, the structure or the motive that the Little Videtich team came up with I would not want to see us go back. We have been able to address most of the issues of Littles imposed structure and the Lombardo team has been more receptive to reforms than the Little team was. Title II remains a huge problem in the current structure, especially if we are headed towards any sort of negotiations.

There is little doubt that the intent of 591 was because the moons finally aligned and all five Presidents from the line were on the same page, but that situation is the exception not the rule, but even when we were all in agreement we still had line mechanics who were not in a Line Local such as RDU, DCA, ATL, MCO, SAT, TUL, and STL, so even if we were all on the same page we could not say that all line maint was. We were fortunate to have Brian McMahon out of DCA and the mechanics in RDU voted to have nobody rather than have their FSC President represent them but in the end that wasn't enough.

The fact is that we (the line Presidents) had met and spoken about consolidating the Locals to have a single local. However we would have preferred that we put together the structure, the bylaws and then put it to a membership vote. Let us make the arguments as far as the benefits and let the members decide. But the smaller Locals simply were not working as far as negotiations.

As small Locals we had very little authority and Larger Locals such as 514 would simply impose their will on us through a roll call vote. 514 had the money to finance bringing small locals that had one or two title II guys in there whose sole purpose was to either vote however 514 dictated or call for the roll call vote so 514 could dictate. Another problem with the small Locals is that it increases the odds that we will end up with at least one Todd Woodward type in there, I don't want to go back to that.

I really don't see any significant advantage to having us split into many Locals, just as I don't see any advantage to being split between two Unions. We already saw a couple of significant advantages to being consolidated, one being who sits on the System Board. When we were all split up the International picked who sat on the committee. So if a Local was 'out of favor"with the International they would simply let any grievances put forward by those Locals fail, if it resulted in a negative change in how the contract was interpreted that was even better because then they would slip it out there that the Local Leadership was to blame because they failed in arbitration. Now 591 picks who sits on the panel, so we know that the Union advocate will not only vote in favor of the Union but also make an honest effort to insure that the arbitrator gets a balanced input from the panel. We had cases such as the Santos grievance where the Union advocate, picked by Don Videtich, who could not stand Santos or Local 562, didn't even dissent to the Arbitrators decision against the Union even though the contract language was clear.

Another advantage, which is improving as we go is inter-region standardization and better communication between the regions. This way regions or stations cant be pitted against each other to the advantage of the company (another point against being split between two Unions). While we have a ways to go its getting better. Now there is more discussion between the regional VPs than there was between the five Local Presidents.

There is one big structural issue that still needs to be resolved that would likely never be addressed if we were all split up again, and thats Title II. Since the very beginning back in 1999 we all knew that the structure was deeply flawed, just as with 591 the motives for the five line Locals was not to help us mechanics, it was to help the International break up a rare alignment of Local Presidents who would not fall in line with the Internationals pro-company agenda and try and thwart an AMFA drive. Early on there were proposals to fix these structural problems such as the Line guys in Local 510 (DCA, ATL, MCO) and the totally disorganized structure of Title II, which resulted in more representatives ostensively from Title II than from Title I, in some cases Fleet service clerks, but or course they were rejected. We have a better shot at finding a resolution to the structural problems now as a larger Local than we did in part because as smaller Locals there wasn't a consensus on how to approach the Title II issue.

Those structural divisions cumulatively, are the reason why we are the worst paid mechanics in the industry, Videtich, Little and the company leveraged those structural division to get the Yes vote in 2003 and 2012. Structural divisions that they exploited should not be put back in place, we need to eliminate more of them. This structure only exists in M&R, it doesn't exist with the Pilots, Flight attendants, stores, fleet or Dispatch and M&R is the only group that went into BK significantly lower than the rest of the industry and came out even lower. Its why we have less vacation than Stores and are the only group that loses two half days of sick pay per occurrence as well.

We dont need to go backwards, we need to move forward, the next big issue is restructuring Title II. We cant allow it to stay as it is if they are to stay with us, but the choice should be theirs, either they all come with us and stay in our book, they all go into their own Local and stay in our book or get their own, or they go with fleet and get their own book.

 

[1AA]

^^^^^
Sounds like we really need to get rid of the TWU and move on with a union that has a truly democratic platform. Bob your explanation is really complicated and has many avenues of potential disaster. We need to keep it simple and just for the M&R group. This is what we have for now but we need to make a change to remove the TWU.

 

[The Truth Will Set U Free]

Bob Thanks for giving your opinion as to why you want to keep things the way they are. But I am sorry that is not what I asked. I wanted to know if anything was being done to give us our locals back. I was told that there was a motion made from Miami  and I would like to know if anything is going on with that motion. There is all kinds of rumors in Miami that the 591 Board is going to find a way to not except that motion and try to keep things the way it is. You have already gave a very long detailed reason that you would like to keep things the way they are. but I want to know if the Board is going to address the motion and let the PEOPLE decide if WE want our locals back. We have lost a lot of stuff. such at Monthly Meeting and being able to walk up and read the Union Boards. That was done without letting us Vote on either issues. It seems as the new board is becoming the NEW JIM LITTLE. Please prove this to be wrong. I don't know you personally but i have been told that before you became part of this New Local. You always believe in letting the People wants and needs come before what the international wanted. I would like to know if any other board member is on this site. When I set up myself on this site I let EVERYONE know my real name. I see you did the same and I commend you for that. I am asking that if any other board member are on this site to do the same. 

 

[OldGuy@AA]

Truth...  Although Bob did not answer your specific question he did give you lots of information as to why, in his opinion, the local 591 is superior to what the small locals were.   He was president of one of the small locals and dealt with all the issues he has mentioned.  I do not have a dog in this fight as I am a Tulsa 514 guy and on the outside looking in it looks like the bringing back the smaller locals would be the thing to do, after reading Bob's thoughts I would have to say that since he has dealt with both scenarios and prefers this one I would trust his judgement.  Now as to if it will ever come to a vote or not remains to be seen, but please re-read Bob's post and see what he is trying to tell you.  I would trust his judgement.  

 

[The Truth Will Set U Free]

OldGuy, I understand everything that Bob said. I have been involved with the Union down here in Miami many times. I have Served as Vice President 3 years and 2nd Vice President 3 more years. Also Exec Board Member for 2 years and Chief shop Stward and so on and so on. So I do understand What Bob is talking about. But that has nothing to do with the Motion that was made down here in Miami. I think it is very important to have the members make that decision not just a few people that may have self interest. Please note I said MAY. If the motion is just blown off because the new local don't like it. 
 
As for the small locals having problems, You can always make a motion to keep those locals together. Miami has always been able to take care of Miami. I also think Chicago and Dallas also have been able to take care of themselves.
 
By putting all the Locals together and only having a union meeting every 3 months is a VERY big problem for the people on the floor. It will take 3 to 6 months to get a motion passed or even longer. To do that just to make it easier for the new local is not fair for the members on the floor. To get rid of all the union boards and go to just putting thing online is easier for the new local but not fair for the members on the floor. People stand in line to punch in and out can look up at the board and have been doing that for YEARS. 
 
To change something that is so important to the people on the floor without even giving member a chance to vote on it just seem VERY unfair. I understand all the problems that have come about because of the New Local. I just think people should have a say of all these new changes. 

 

[OldGuy@AA]

Looking at your experience you know much more about this than I do.  I hope you do get to vote at least.

 

[FWAAA]

I would not expect the worthless union to do anything to undo the decision to consolidate the line locals into one local.
 
The only treatment for the cancer that is the TWU is removal, just like with any other tumor.   

 

[The Truth Will Set U Free]

FWAAA . I have been reading this forum for about 2 years. I wanted to join but it was closed to new members up until about a month ago. I have one question for you. Why do you and the rest of the people post things like
 
 
I would not expect the worthless union to do anything to undo the decision to consolidate the line locals into one local.
 
The only treatment for the cancer that is the TWU is removal, just like with any other tumor.   
 
I understand that everyone has a right to there opinion. But it gets old having people post negative stuff over and over. I am on here to try to get answers to what is going on within American Airlines and The Union that happens to be TWU. If at some time that changes then so will I.Can you PLEASE try to not be so negative. I did say Please and TRY.