Spend time with your families!

[strikeforce]

Brothers & Sisters,

Over the last 8 years my friends and co-workers have endured significant financial hardships in order to keep American Airlines afloat and out of bankruptcy. Over the same time period, WE exchanged family time with our children for working countless hours so our families can have some financial stability at home. These hardships have placed an enormous burden on members and their families, I recognize it. Unfortunately, American Airlines senior management and the leadership at the TWU, DON'T! We are now entering the 40th month of information(less) and progression(less) negotiations with no settlement in sight. The company continuously shows it's appreciation of OUR sacrifices by offering regressive and concessionary proposals. Folks, WE cannot sustain or endure financial hardships for a company that doesn't appreciate OUR contributions the last 8 years, and continuously shows disrespect towards our profession.

I know it would be asking a lot for members to throttle back a few hours a week because WE all have bills to pay, but understand that WE also have an obligation to our children and I think it would be beneficial to ALL members if they spend more time with their families in lieu of working overtime and going on field trips for American Airlines. I therefore ask that ALL members refresh themselves by spending some Quality time with our families during the next several weeks and during the holiday season. I understand this will place a burden on the company's operation because WE provide a vital service to AA in maintaining their aircraft, but I'm sure management will adjust their manpower requirements accordingly. I'm absolutely sure that management will fully appreciate OUR contributions to their operation and will hopefully alter their negotiations stance at the table, and reward US with a best in class agreement, along with restoring our wages and benefits lost during the last 8 years! Enjoy your time with your families!!!

Sincerely & Fraternally

Carmen Ricciardi
Member in Good Standing
TWU Local 563
ORD

 

[tech2101]

Brothers & Sisters,

Over the last 8 years my friends and co-workers have endured significant financial hardships in order to keep American Airlines afloat and out of bankruptcy. Over the same time period, WE exchanged family time with our children for working countless hours so our families can have some financial stability at home. These hardships have placed an enormous burden on members and their families, I recognize it. Unfortunately, American Airlines senior management and the leadership at the TWU, DON'T! We are now entering the 40th month of information(less) and progression(less) negotiations with no settlement in sight. The company continuously shows it's appreciation of OUR sacrifices by offering regressive and concessionary proposals. Folks, WE cannot sustain or endure financial hardships for a company that doesn't appreciate OUR contributions the last 8 years, and continuously shows disrespect towards our profession.

I know it would be asking a lot for members to throttle back a few hours a week because WE all have bills to pay, but understand that WE also have an obligation to our children and I think it would be beneficial to ALL members if they spend more time with their families in lieu of working overtime and going on field trips for American Airlines. I therefore ask that ALL members refresh themselves by spending some Quality time with our families during the next several weeks and during the holiday season. I understand this will place a burden on the company's operation because WE provide a vital service to AA in maintaining their aircraft, but I'm sure management will adjust their manpower requirements accordingly. I'm absolutely sure that management will fully appreciate OUR contributions to their operation and will hopefully alter their negotiations stance at the table, and reward US with a best in class agreement, along with restoring our wages and benefits lost during the last 8 years! Enjoy your time with your families!!!

Sincerely & Fraternally

Carmen Ricciardi
Member in Good Standing
TWU Local 563
ORD

I hope for your sake (the membership) that this guy is not an elected TWU rep. He just gave the company fuel for the next job action lawsuit.

 

[FWAAA]

I'm all for encouraging people to spend more time with their families, but my cynical nature has me thinking that the OP couldn't care less about "quality time with families" and is primarily concerned with encouraging co-workers to refuse overtime in a futile attempt to disrupt the company's operations. Negotiations haven't produced a raise in pay so let's try some extra-legal (not permitted by the RLA) self-help. As tech2101 wisely said, this ain't what you want to post unless you're gunning for a legal fight.

 

[Bob Owens]

I hope for your sake (the membership) that this guy is not an elected TWU rep. He just gave the company fuel for the next job action lawsuit.

Yea they are real skittish about that. A few months back I made the observation that from what I hear lots of guys throughout the Industry are working a lot more than 40 hours per week, some of the extra hours being OT, some at a second job in Aviation and our willingness to do so masks the shortage. Some guys work both commercial and General Aviation. I'm told there are stations at AA where guys already have over 1000 hours OT. Pilots hours are recorded, mechanics are not. If a mechanic works two jobs he more than likely is not falling within the Duty Time limits as intended in the FARs however there's no way for the FAA to track that. What I said that set them off is if every mechanic in the industry just decided to work only 40 hours in the industry that thousands of planes would probably be grounded. It would affect the entire industry, not just Commercial Avaition. The company complained and said that I was calling for a job action. I've told my guys "work the OT and put it in your strike fund". IMO there's no doubt that our willingness (need) to work all these hours only helps the industry keep wages low and spares the industry from suffering the effects of the shortage they created. I was very dissapointed when the TWU ATD, without even consulting us, sided with the company in opposing a more stringient interpretation of duty time limits by the FAA, sure it may be hard medicine in the short term but over the long haul it would increase the need to attract more people into the profession and give us more leverage at the table.

 

[strikeforce]

I hope for your sake (the membership) that this guy is not an elected TWU rep. He just gave the company fuel for the next job action lawsuit.

I'm a member in good standing and I have elected to forego voluntary overtime for the next several weeks and certainly during the holidays. I'm throwing out a recommendation to the rest of the membership....they don't have to abide by my letter, but I hope they do because family time is much more important than helping a company that doesn't appreciate our sacrifices. Now, if you consider that grounds for illegal job actions....so be it, but WE are not required to work overtime per the agreement. Period! There is an avenue in the contract for the company to solicit MANDATORY overtime and I'm suggesting that management use it if they need mechanics to fix their airplanes.

 

[strikeforce]

I'm all for encouraging people to spend more time with their families, but my cynical nature has me thinking that the OP couldn't care less about "quality time with families" and is primarily concerned with encouraging co-workers to refuse overtime in a futile attempt to disrupt the company's operations. Negotiations haven't produced a raise in pay so let's try some extra-legal (not permitted by the RLA) self-help. As tech2101 wisely said, this ain't what you want to post unless you're gunning for a legal fight.

Not gunning for a legal fight, but I am making an observation where mechanics have put countless hours of overtime or work in some instances 3 doubles a week.....in other words, WE are living at work in order to survive and that obviously places additional stress on the family. failure to secure a decent contract does have a profound affect on our lives. I'm posting this because it's just another way to communicate with other members throughout the system. Nowhere in my communication did I indicate that members were required to abide by my letter. If they do, great....if they don't, great.

btw....what the hell does (extra-legal) mean???

 

[FWAAA]

Not gunning for a legal fight, but I am making an observation where mechanics have put countless hours of overtime or work in some instances 3 doubles a week.....in other words, WE are living at work in order to survive and that obviously places additional stress on the family. failure to secure a decent contract does have a profound affect on our lives. I'm posting this because it's just another way to communicate with other members throughout the system. Nowhere in my communication did I indicate that members were required to abide by my letter. If they do, great....if they don't, great.

About the bolded portion - that's irrelevant. Liability doesn't hinge on a union requiring compliance with a suggested work slowdown - strong recommendations to refuse overtime have been sufficient in previous cases.

 

[strikeforce]

As tech2101 wisely said, this ain't what you want to post unless you're gunning for a legal fight.

There are other means to self-help in order to impede AA's operations......a simple letter to my co-workers is not one of them and I didn't distribute the letter on company time or on company property.

 

[strikeforce]

About the bolded portion - that's irrelevant. Liability doesn't hinge on a union requiring compliance with a suggested work slowdown - strong recommendations to refuse overtime have been sufficient in previous cases.



Like I said, I'm not working overtime for the forseeable future, if others follow, great, if they don't, that's great too.

 

[Bob Owens]

About the bolded portion - that's irrelevant. Liability doesn't hinge on a union requiring compliance with a suggested work slowdown - strong recommendations to refuse overtime have been sufficient in previous cases.

I think he said to not volunteer, as he also mentioned contractually the company can force people to work OT . Another example of how accommodating the contract is to the company for all those who claim that our work rules hold the company back.

 

[strikeforce]

He just gave the company fuel for the next job action lawsuit.

Fuel, No. I basically put the company on notice that I'm tired of working like an animal for peanuts, and I'm pretty confident that my union brothers feel the same way.

 

[Barfbag]

Easy credit is what has eroded family time in the USA.

American wallets are filled with plastic and not much in the form of cash. We should not have bailed the banks out, and the entire credit system would have failed. The system then would have been given a good enema, and flushed out all the toxic credits, leaving a cleaner and more regulated system. Overnight the days of Ozzie and Harriett, of Lucy and Ricky would have returned to the American household.

Anyone for fresh baked cookies and homemade lemonade?

 

[Observer]

There are other means to self-help in order to impede AA's operations......a simple letter to my co-workers is not one of them and I didn't distribute the letter on company time or on company property.

you have a naievete beyond belief.

 

[strikeforce]

you have a naievete beyond belief.

Naieve, absolutely not! Tired of the BS, Yes! Tired of helping the company, YES! Tired of the non-sense on this forum, YES!

If it doesn't concern you, don't answer my post!

 

[mevo]

Naieve, absolutely not! Tired of the BS, Yes! Tired of helping the company, YES! Tired of the non-sense on this forum, YES!

If it doesn't concern you, don't answer my post!

Hey Strikeforce, I am right there with ya brutha!!!