The Final Word

[gatemech]

The IAM really keeps us informed.
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December 1, 2002

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

District 141-M representatives are meeting today with United Airlines management to discuss issues that led to the membership's rejection of a tentative agreement to participate in United's program to avoid bankruptcy.

Discussions are expected to continue late into the evening. We will keep the membership advised of any progress made in these discussions.

Sincerely and fraternally,

Scotty Ford
President
IAM District 141
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I'm so glad they posted this information. Now we can all sleep tonight.

 

[UAL777flyer]

The high degree of irony here is humorous. For the last couple of years, everyone, especially mechanics, has whined and moaned and complained about the lack of leadership at this airline and kept asking when it was ever going to change. Well, now that we have a true leader for a CEO, there are some who don't seem to want to give him the tools he needs to effect meaningful change at this airline. He is the type of no-nonsense, take no BS, hold everyone accountable type of leader this airline has needed for years. But now, when it's time to literally put our money where our mouths are, only some appear willing to step up to the plate, while others appear hell-bent on sabotaging any efforts to restructure this airline out of bankruptcy court due to feelings of resentment towards past leadership failings and exacting some payback. That makes little sense. But you don't garner much respect for your cause when you finally have a chance to give the new CEO the tools that he needs to restructure the company and fix the very things you've complained about for years, and instead you opt for a little revenge. The ERP's suck for all of us. Nobody wants cuts of any kind. But they're necessary for our survival. These ERP's are the best we're all going to get.

 

[Bob Owens]

[blockquote]
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On 12/1/2002 7:00:43 AM totobird wrote:

Well the mechanics have spoken the final word for everybody and now the BK judge will have the final word for all.
I hope the 57% of one of the smallest groups will be happy with what they've brought on all the employees.
I work for USAirways. 22 years with the company and I'm about to loose my job in a month or so. I had hoped to take some money out of my pension fund to help me get through the tough times ahead but I found out that leagally USAirways can take our money to fund their reorganization under bankruptcy.
Just think by next week at this time your stock which was worth 100 dollars at one time will be delisted and trading for pennies on the OTC market.
Thanks to the mechanics who voted NO.
I'm not so sure I would want to fly on United anyways if your mechanics are so unintelligent.
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[/blockquote]

Well how smart are you? You could have been banking that extra money that you gave in concessions that you will need now that your going to the unemployment lines but instead you gave it to the company so they could give $6 miilion in bonuses to its top management. Gee that sounds bright!

 

[Bob Owens]

[blockquote]
----------------
On 12/1/2002 12:53:46 PM HI-LOCK wrote:

I like it when people outside the mechanics work group sling insults at us.It demonstrates their ignorance and arrogance.The Majors will grab all the concessions they can get,fly for a while and still file Chapter 11.Remember TWA,Eastern,Braniff,Pan Am,ect.Was that a DoDo Bird that flew past or what?
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[/blockquote]

I think I agree. The more concessions they have in place before going into bankruptcy just lowers the baseline of where they will start after going in. Vote No, again and again until you get a new union- AMFA.

 

[Bob Owens]

[blockquote]
----------------
On 12/1/2002 1:46:01 PM novaqt wrote:

Just a little FYI folks. Along with the pay cut, the Bush planned tax cut will put the lost dollars back in your pockets when it passes. All this appears to be is another account maneuver. Get labor to reduce pay in all labor intensive industries, and return it in the way of a tax cut. How original!!!
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[/blockquote]

What a deal give up $10,000 a year in wages for a $300 tax refund!

 

[wts54]

Anybody hear about a bar room brawl at ORD cafeteria yesterday
between a pilot and a mechanic??

 

[novaqt]

I totally concur with UAL777flyer's above comments. I would further add the following message to D-141-M members.

I understand your anger at the previous management of this company and the position we find ourselves in today. The state that United finds itself in today is not of Mr. Tilton's making. In case you have not been noticing, Mr. Tilton is personally working 7 days a week. Witness the newsreals that come out on Sunday's. Please support Mr. Tilton and his leadership in saving OUR company and keeping is out of bankruptcy court.

Having worked for many years in large pretigious lawfirms, once the court case is filed, everyone one loses except the lawyers. The bankruptcy judge will cut your wages even more so that the lawyers will get their legal fees. We all know how much they get paid or do I need to tell you that a partner in these large corporate law firms now earns over $600-800 per billable hour. Multiply that amount by the number of hours spent on the court case which will take years to emerge from and you can figure it out. The lawyers will make out like bandits at your expense. You do not serve yourselves any favor by feeding your anger and resentment, when you have the opportunity to lessen the impact on you and your families by staying out of bankruptcy court. Do not assume that what is going on at USAirways will be rubber-stamped in a United filing.

As far as changing your union, timing is everything. NOW IS NOT THE TIME. If you do not like the current IAM, get involved and change it from the inside out.

 

[Bob Owens]

[blockquote]
----------------
On 12/2/2002 909 AM UAL777flyer wrote:

The high degree of irony here is humorous. For the last couple of years, everyone, especially mechanics, has whined and moaned and complained about the lack of leadership at this airline and kept asking when it was ever going to change. Well, now that we have a true leader for a CEO, there are some who don't seem to want to give him the tools he needs to effect meaningful change at this airline. He is the type of no-nonsense, take no BS, hold everyone accountable type of leader this airline has needed for years. But now, when it's time to literally put our money where our mouths are, only some appear willing to step up to the plate, while others appear hell-bent on sabotaging any efforts to restructure this airline out of bankruptcy court due to feelings of resentment towards past leadership failings and exacting some payback. That makes little sense. But you don't garner much respect for your cause when you finally have a chance to give the new CEO the tools that he needs to restructure the company and fix the very things you've complained about for years, and instead you opt for a little revenge. The ERP's suck for all of us. Nobody wants cuts of any kind. But they're necessary for our survival. These ERP's are the best we're all going to get.
----------------
[/blockquote]

Why is it necessary for the 13000 mechanics to accept more in concessions than the 24000 other IAM members or the flight attendants? How were these numbers arrived at and what were they based upon? If these other groups feel that their concessions will save the company and are neccissary they can always take the $600 million that the mechanics were told to give and make up the difference. Then you could also get their share of the "profit sharing" and "stock options".

 

[Bob Owens]

[blockquote]
----------------
On 12/2/2002 9:56:55 AM novaqt wrote:

I totally concur with UAL777flyer's above comments. I would further add the following message to D-141-M members.

I understand your anger at the previous management of this company and the position we find ourselves in today. The state that United finds itself in today is not of Mr. Tilton's making. In case you have not been noticing, Mr. Tilton is personally working 7 days a week. Witness the newsreals that come out on Sunday's. Please support Mr. Tilton and his leadership in saving OUR company and keeping is out of bankruptcy court.

Having worked for many years in large pretigious lawfirms, once the court case is filed, everyone one loses except the lawyers. The bankruptcy judge will cut your wages even more so that the lawyers will get their legal fees. We all know how much they get paid or do I need to tell you that a partner in these large corporate law firms now earns over $600-800 per billable hour. Multiply that amount by the number of hours spent on the court case which will take years to emerge from and you can figure it out. The lawyers will make out like bandits at your expense. You do not serve yourselves any favor by feeding your anger and resentment, when you have the opportunity to lessen the impact on you and your families by staying out of bankruptcy court. Do not assume that what is going on at USAirways will be rubber-stamped in a United filing.

As far as changing your union, timing is everything. NOW IS NOT THE TIME. If you do not like the current IAM, get involved and change it from the inside out.


----------------
[/blockquote]


Well you must have been sweeping the floors at those prestigious law firms because the BK judge does not set new terms. He will uphold the contract or abrogate it. If he abrogates it the mechanics are free to Self Help. Get your facts straight.

 

[Bob Owens]

UAL777Flyer;

I beleive that the only "cause" that the mechanics are really concerned about is providing their families a decent standard of living. The 6 year concessionary contract will put mechanics right back into what they were just able to leave. In order to make up for their losses they will once again have to become "airport gypsies" working two jobs to just get by while the company prospers. 6 years is too long. Its not about exacting revenge, its about not committing the same mistake over and over again. In 94 UAL claimed that their survival was in doubt, they got concessions in exchange for stock thatthe employees could not sell. Now they come back again, once again 6 years of concessions in exchange for promises of profit sharing and more stock that they can not sell. By the time this contract becomes amendable they most likely will have lost 20% of their purchasing power. Yea maybe sometimes their fustration may come out as anger but its more about economics than personal animosities.

 

[AAmech]

[blockquote]
----------------
On 12/2/2002 10:52:27 AM Bob Owens wrote:


[/blockquote]


If he abrogates it the mechanics are free to Self Help. Get your facts straight.
----------------
[/blockquote]

Whooopeeee, Mechanics are free to Self Help! Its a really great time to do that right now isn't it? I guess everybody can sleep better at night with that info!

 

[ualdriver]

*****Why is it necessary for the 13000 mechanics to accept more in concessions than the 24000 other IAM members or the flight attendants*****

I love that statement Bob! Because you make more money than fellow IAM members! And you make much more than the flight attendants! Certainly you expect us overpaid pilots to take a larger paycut than you, and those flight attendants and other IAM members expect those overpaid mechanics to take a larger cut than them! The logic is beautiful in its own special way......

 

[UAL777flyer]

BobOwens,

I continue to be amazed at how you've become the quasi-spokesman for the UAL mechanics. I suppose the fact that you're an AA employee and don't want to see paycuts at UA because they will trickle down to your employer wouldn't have anything to do with it? Nahhhhhhhhhh, I must be hallucinating again.

Like you and most everyone else, I don't know how the numbers for each group were arrived at. But I suppose it has to do with the wages they earn relative to the other groups. No matter how it's done, some will always find it unfair. That is how it goes with everything.

Free to self-help? What are they going to do, strike? Let them. All they will be doing is guaranteeing the liquidation of this company and they will lose everything in their efforts. But hey, it worked at Eastern, right? Charlie Bryan did real well for himself afterwards. I think he's out mowing the12th green right now! Bob, you sound so confident of how bankruptcy will go. Have you been through one before? The same individuals who are defending their stance as trying to enhance their quality of life are the same individuals advocating what could amount to the destruction of this company. How is being on the unemployment line enhancing one's quality of life? But then again, that scenario would work out real nice for you and your employer, wouldn't it? At least your agenda is quite clear.

 

[airknocker]

To all the "Nos" at UAL: If you are still firm on your no vote, we "Nos" at U strongly suggest you station observers at all polling locations. Vote counters of our first ballot were asked to leave the second vote count and the final results were never released by actual count or by station, just a total percentage. This is the IAM we're dealing with, so if you are not "confused" as we were labeled, beware!

 

[novaqt]

Bob Owens:

You obviously do not have a clue here. You are only trying to undermine and incite UA employees. When you create bad karma in the universe, it comes back to you 10-fold.

You must be a paid basher on Yahoo's message board. Since you work for American Airlines, you should definitely NOT want UA the way of BK court.