Parker's take on the old AA and Labor

[La Li Lu Le Lo]

Contrary to what some of the newbies on the forum might want to believe, I've always supported you guys having either AMFA or AMP and breaking from the rest of the unlicensed TWU workers. That dates back to the days over on the PlaneBusiness forums.

This is where we disagree. In my opinion it is better for American Airlines employees to have a UNION of JUST American Airlines employees and not get mixed up with UNIONS that represent other companies. In my opinion it would be best to cover all groups possible rather than just the licensed AMT's. You come from more of a position of power when you represent more facets of the business.

 

[amtide]

Only a fool would think restoring concessions will fix labor relations.
 

 
Disagree, it can be a good start. When you have a labor group that is below industry standards and below non union airlines something is awfullly wrong. Airline that is making nice profits before implementing all the cuts that our so called union agrees to. Is going to be hard to get the respect of the labor and Im taullking about the people not the TWU leaders which obviously are in two different pages. So to restore the relationship with labor things need to be done in a different way.

 

[amtide]

Look who is taulking. A CEO that can even get a deal with his own IAM.

 

[RJcasualty]

Thought I'd insert this FWIW:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAgjII4CRi4

 

[WorldTraveler]

Kevin,
then I truly wish you all the best in being an agent of positive change.
 
Really.

 

[xUT]

Incorrect. The AMFA does use AMT's as negotiators, however they also have hired legal and financial professionals during negotiations.

"Contract Negotiations:

"AMFA hires professionals at the bargaining table to present and utilize their particular expertise. For example, in economic areas AMFA hires a financial expert; in the pension and welfare areas we hire a pension actuary. The contract language is reviewed by AMFA's legal counsel before presenting it to the company. During the course of negotiations, AMFA's legal counsel is present at the table or available by phone, fax, or email depending upon the need. Members have the ability to observe negotiations, which educates the membership and furthers understanding of what it takes to negotiate a contract."

http://www.amfanational.org/index.cfm?zone=/unionactive/view_page.cfm&page=About20AMFA

IIRC we had a team of negotiators that included the ALR, ACAC and AMFA Locals, plus lawyers and actuaries. I attended a few negotiations and side bars with the 'Team' in SFO.
Best eye opening experience a M&R can have.
Too bad few took advantage of 'open negotiations'.
B) xUT

 

[Kev3188]

Thought I'd insert this FWIW:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAgjII4CRi4

IMO, Levitt's book is required reading.
 

Kevin,
then I truly wish you all the best in being an agent of positive change.
 
Really.

 
Right on. Thanks.
 

IIRC we had a team of negotiators that included the ALR, ACAC and AMFA Locals, plus lawyers and actuaries. I attended a few negotiations and side bars with the 'Team' in SFO.
Best eye opening experience a M&R can have.
Too bad few took advantage of 'open negotiations'.
B) xUT

 
Eye opening is right! Anything that fosters engagement is a good thing...

 

[Bob Owens]

While its good to have Lawyers and financial advisors assist the most important thing is having everyone on your side of the table on your side. Having people that are more friendly with management than the people they are supposed to be representing is a recipe for disaster.

 

[Bob Owens]

Thought I'd insert this FWIW:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAgjII4CRi4

Thanks RJ, even more relevant advice than it was twenty years ago. Odd how the Jim Little ATD employed the very same Union Busting tactics on their own members. First they tried to convince us how worthless and easily we could be replaced, (hench Videtichs attempt to minimize the attrition rate). When Little pushed for the concessions in 2003 he said not to worry, they would open the contract in 2006 and get everything back, its now 2014 and we lost even more. Only the dispatchers were able to do that, Kudo's to John Plowman. When I got there in 2009 they had already been talking for two years, and shortly after that started mediation. I told them if in this stage of the process if they had not moved in two years they are not going to move, we have to go to the next step- we have to move towards release. that's when mark Richard started saying things like "Owens WANTS to go on strike" and "Owens wants AA to go out of business". I said I didn't want either but we have to move to the next step , yes there are risks, but that's what being in a Union entails, you collectively fight to get more than they want to give, and there is always risk, if you don't want to take that risk you don't belong in a union. In 2010 when the members rejected a substandard TA Little and his team delayed, delayed, delayed. In all my years I never saw where after a TA was rejected that the Union did not ask for a release, instead we did absolutely nothing for three months. To reward all the YES voters they no longer were expected to sit through the faux negotiations, they stayed home, the plan was to delay, delay, delay and hope the members would turn on us, but that didn't happen. Even after the Mediator walked away, even after the committee voted to ask to be released there was no request. Instead they brought in Larry Gibbons, a Union Buster, who Little presented as a friend of labor, to tell us that we should not ask because in his opinion we would not get it and we should just give AA everything they wanted. When Little told us Larry Gibbons was coming I told him that Gibbons was a Union Buster, former President of AIRCON and head of HR for Airbourne Express (no doubt his function there was to keep it non-union). , he claimed that Gibbons had done good things for labor and asked "Do you know him?"

I've had the book for twenty years. Maybe time to read it again, thanks again RJ.