MCI transplant
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<_< ---- First Teamsters cards showed up on the floor here at MCI yesterday! More to come I'm sure!-- 
Teamsters Making Moves on American Mechanics
- Thread starter brokenwrench
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MCI transplant
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- Jun 4, 2003
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<_< ---- Sorry FM! But I can't tell if they were blessed by the Pope, or not!---
777 fixer
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- Jul 21, 2004
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Saw a letter from the Teamsters stating that any drive is an unathorized one. Sounds unofficial to me.
No, it's not about me. If you've read my posts (both here and at the predecessor PlaneBusiness board) since 2001, you'd know that I, just like you, have "stood up" for the TWA employees.
Problem is, when business people and lawyers and unions get together to finalize business deals, what SHOULD happen is rarely what DOES happen. Add to that the 80k+ employees at AMR prior to the TWA acquisition - no way would they want to slot ex-TWA employees ahead of them. And I can't blame them. The TWA employees hitched their wagon to a loser instead of a winner. If you wanted seniority at AA, you should have been working for them prior to April, 2001, when the TWA employees came on board.
It is shameful that thousands and thousands of good people at TWA were involuntarily retired early (let's face it - they're gone forever). But I place the blame for that squarely on the shoulders of the terrorists who caused AMR to furlough over 20,000 employees in the days after September 11, 2001. As evil as management can be, I'm confident that massive furloughs weren't part of the initial plan. Had they been, Carty would have never offered employment to them in early 2001.
MCI transplant
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<_< ---- FW, A lot of what you say is true, but life goes on, and so does this thread!--- Fixer, I saw that letter also. And I have no doubt it's the real thing, but a lot of people feel if enough cards are signed, that that might change. In fact the first card I saw was stapled to the back of a copy of that letter! But if nothing else comes of this, at least it will put some pressure on our TWU negotiating team!---- And that's exactly what we need right now!!!
TWU informer
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So do I, like Carty, Arpey, Segal, Tilton etc.
Getting back to the IBT.
I would say fill out and send the IBT cards in, we have nothing to lose.
If they get enough cards they would likely start a drive.
There are approximately 700,000 airline workers out there, what union leadership with half a brain would turn down the opportunity to gain a group that large and that economically strategically placed?
For the unions that left the AFL-CIO the potential to prove the benifits of their theory of industrial union consolidation is unmatched anywhere else.Airline workers, despite what some say, could be in the best position of any group of workers in the country to make substantial gains, if they were unified and properly lead.
The IBT should start an industry wide drive to get every airline worker into one union.
An industrywide drive to unite all airline workers would be an easy sell. It would be a fresh strategy, something that nearly every airline worker would go for. If the TWU or IAM tried to argue that the IBTs performance has been nothing to crow about the IBT could answer with the fact that its the structure of unionism in the industry thats at fault and they are the only ones that are trying to bring real change. They could attack the TWU and IAM with the facts about how these organizations leaders have not shared in the pain that has been inflicted upon their members nor have they created any sort of a plan to get back what was lost. They could truthfully criticize those unions leaders for putting their self intrests ahead of their members. They could easily show how the only union people that benifit from having us all divided up between many different unions are those who hold very high paying jobs in the administration of those unions.
Despite all the BS and paper losses this is an expanding industry that continues to see remarkable productivity improvements. Normally, Capitalism promises that with growth and increased productivity workers see improvements in wages and benifits. Airline workers have seen the opposite. The more productive we are the less we get. For example AA has less employees today than it had 15 years ago, but brings in over $20billion a year in revenue. Growth and productivity improvements have resulted in fewer workers and lower real pay for those workers.
Some would argue that its the upstarts that drive down wages, well thats bull. If there was a union that could be identified as "the union of the airlines" outfits like JetBlue would either have to pay union rates or see their workers join the union. The only reason why Jet Blue isnt organized today is because the unions they have to pick from havent done a good job. Which union should they pick? Why go union if the company can pretty much do anything they want anyway?
The fact is we all know that unionism simply is not working in this industry and if it doesnt work in an expanding industry that continually sees increased productivity then there isnt much hope for any union anywhere in this country. The IBT should make a move and make it now. We dont simply need a new union, we need a new strategy, a new structure, a new movement. The question is "Was Unite to Win" real, or BS? Did the IBT leave the AFL-CIO to chart a new course for Americas workers or did they simply want to pocket the AFL-CIO per capita?
I agree with MCI, TWA did not close its doors, the unions should have merged senority, AFL-CIO turned thier backs on the issue.
Show me where the AFL-CIO had the authority to impose a different outcome.
The fact is the IAM sold out their members. They were more concerned with being left liable for the pension monies and the IAM engine leases that TWA was threatening to default on than protecting their members.
I am not defending the AFL-CIO, the fact is thats its not what members are led to believe it is. Its a paper tiger.
The most the AFL-CIO can do is throw a member union out.
Hopeful
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- Dec 21, 2002
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Once again!
Get over it!
TWU and IAM agreed to binding arbitration!
The courts ruled on the flight attendants and passenger services.
It is what it is!
Get over it!
ch53D
Senior
- Jan 21, 2007
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For the sake of this tread I will drop it, but I will always disagree on how the seniority issue was handled.
MCI transplant
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----You couldn't leave it alone could you Bob? O.K.!--- First, the only dealings the IAM had with our Pension founds were with our old "B" plan, which was a lump sum of cash that was paid out to us when TWA folded. They had no control over, or liability for, any other pension founds! And are you saying the IAM somehow had control of "engine leases"? I'm not saying your wrong on that! I'm merely saying I never heard of such a thing! As for TWA management threatening anyone, let me point out that during the time frame your referring to, TWA's management was nothing more than a puppet for aa! aa said jump! TWA management would ask "how high"! So if any "threatening" accured, it was in fact aa doing the threatening!--- Bob, let's get one thing straight here. First, I'm not a big fan of the IAM! But they were "Light Years" ahead of this piss poor excuse for a Union we have now!----- So let's put our differences aside for now, and get on with the task at hand!IAM officials Ed LaClaire and Sito Pantoja mentioned the fact that TWA owed the IAM several hundred million dollars for the pension that the IAM had taken over, they also mentioned an engine that was owned by the IAM and leased to TWA. This was in the Spring of 2001 in Nashville Tenn at the Hotel where the TWU negotiating team was staying.
The IAM should have called for a vote, seniority issues or not they may have won.
Did you send in your IBT card yet?
