Top AA executives visit Tulsa base. AA/USAIR Committed to staying in Tulsa.

[Real tired]

Boy if I was at any of the LUS heavy stations like PHX CLT PIT I'd be wondering how this OSM crap is gonna be worked against Them or pushed on them. If I was them I'd be signing a card. Does anyone know if they have unlicensed people there working on A/C?
Steve Goeyvaerts
SFO A/C Maint.

Until the merger with America West, we have never had unlicensed people working on our A/C's.  America West brought the "interior" Mechanic into the mix.  I don't know how many of them there is, or what their function is.  I think they are all based in PHX, which is not a protected heavy base like PIT and CLT.

 

[Kev3188]

Is this the thread about AA staying in Tulsa?
I remember executives at NWA saying the same about Duluth, Hibbing, and MSP.
Good luck.

I don't care how one feels about AMFA, getting rid of DLH was a huge loss...Great facility, great talent pool.



  

Unfortunately, NO thread stays true to it's title, and we are ALL guilty. A little bit of hypocrisy in all of us.

Truth!

 

[blue collar]

Until the merger with America West, we have never had unlicensed people working on our A/C's.  America West brought the "interior" Mechanic into the mix.  I don't know how many of them there is, or what their function is.  I think they are all based in PHX, which is not a protected heavy base like PIT and CLT.

Not only the interior mechanic, but repairmen working line avionics also.
Edit- not to mention that their 1 certificate pays the same premium as 2 licenses.

 

[Buck]

Not only the interior mechanic, but repairmen working line avionics also.
Edit- not to mention that their 1 certificate pays the same premium as 2 licenses.

Now that is another subject, the compensation for ones License.
 
At AA we have those with A&P, A or P, OSM's ( Licensed A&P Mechanics, that the TWU has negotiated away their premium pay ) Machinist of various trades who are compensated at a Skill Premium rate, I believe $3.00 and other various compensations. It will be interesting to see how the contractual merger handles this issue.

 

[jimntx]

My experience at AA and before in the oil industry and state government tells me that if they (management) comes for a visit and say "Your job is secure.  Your station/office is included in our long-term plans.  You have nothing to worry about."  then...
 
A.  You should have started worrying the day before they arrived.
B.  Start sorting your personal tools so that you don't take the older, obsolete ones (that only worked on the DC-10) with you.
C.  Start packing at home.
D.  Consider what's the worst station you could end up in, and start looking for affordable housing (if any) in that station.
 
Not judging.  Just saying.  

 

[swamt]

Bull.

Classic.  Just goes to show you no nothing about how AMFA really works. It is not "Bull" it is 100% FACTUAL.  Please keep posting your ignorance about AMFA and how it works you are helping the cause. The AMFA membership 100% controls what is brought to the table and is also nego by mechanics for mechanics along with hired outside help to assist not control the nego's. You really do need to get a clue...

 

[Bob Owens]

Steve what happens here is TWU 514 just works with management to uphold the unions theory of keeping the most employed vs. better compensation. I guess it is not just the Local, it is an AFL-CIO theory. more people unionized. But here locally these a lot of these mechanics live in fear of losing there job, because that is what happens at contract time here, the last time 4000 were going out the door and when it was over it was about 40. Today I am not sure how many unlicensed mechanics are on the docks, but the OSM ( SRP ) has just been redivided where some were sent to the back shops with no license pay and others were kept on the dock but " re" upgraded with their license pay being restored and there work scope being reinstated.

Its not really an AFL-CIO theory, not even a TWU theory, its a management tactic thats been around since the early days of the Industrial Revolution and even predates Unions. Companys wanted a way to exploit economic downturns to lower wages, first get them to agree to concessions to lower the wage, then eliminate the jobs anyway because even at lower wages you arent going to pay people when you dont have work for them. Sadly in the ATD at AA this tactic was adopted by appointed International leaders who were rewarded with Pensions from AA based upon what the Union reported and A5 travel for them and their families. In fact Local 100 was told a few years back that they needed to accept concessions or the MTA would lay off 100s of workers. Local 100 told them NO CONCESSIONS The MTA laid off hundreds of workers, who were all hired back within a year. Lets compare that to what happened at AA, in 2003 we had 18000 in our class and craft, we agreed to concessions to save jobs, our headcount dropped to 12000, 6000 jobs lost, then in 2012 we agreed to more concessions to "save jobs", and now we are down to around 9000, in total over 9000 jobs gone, retiree medical gone, pension gone, double time gone, seniority gone, etc etc etc. 7000 jobs eliminated and 9000 jobs ruined.

 

[1AA]

That's odd.
 
They just told us here in PIT, that PIT is going nowhere.  And if we work real hard, they might bring some sort of 737-800 check here.  "Trust us".
 
I'm so confused.  
 
Vote yes, vote no.  PIT's staying, PIT's going.  
 
Who to believe?

They said the same thing about Kansas City and after they voted yes for the contract, guess what happened? No one would have ever seen the newest state of the art overhaul facility shut down, that would be AFW. Trust me they will lie to you to make you think your not going anywhere. How coincidental all this in the middle of a last desperate shot at getting AMFA on a ballot.

 

[Bob Owens]

Until the merger with America West, we have never had unlicensed people working on our A/C's.  America West brought the "interior" Mechanic into the mix.  I don't know how many of them there is, or what their function is.  I think they are all based in PHX, which is not a protected heavy base like PIT and CLT.

Some would argue that led to the closure of MCO. To the credit of the IAM they never had SRPs or OSM in MCI and with headcount shrinking anyway there was no way to introduce them either. Either way MCI was doomed the day AA bought TWA but they sure did jump through a lot of hoops for AA, helped pass the 2003 Concessions, in fact if you took out MCI there were enough NO votes out of Tulsa to shoot it down.

 

[787nightmare]

Correct Bob. Only works that way with AMFA.  With AMFA the membership runs and controls how and what will be at the table during nego's.

 
What'a fricken concept.........................;-)

 

[swamt]

Bull.

Allow me to help educate you a little.  Before every amendable date AMFA sends out notices to form "ELECTED" contract cmtes by the membership.  This cmte then poles the entire membership of what they want brought to the table. Once all suggestions are in , then the cmte list them in order from most suggestions to least suggestions.  AMFA contract cmte then sends out the list to the members again to vote which top 10-20 will get to the table. And others will get added at the proper times of nego's. And let's see, the folks nego the contract at the table are ALL mechanics nego for mechanics, hmmmm, what a theory, huh?  The entire nego team consist of about 16 representing the group.  ALR's from each local (all mechs), A National chief nego (also a mechanic), Sometimes National Director will attend and participate as well (also a mechanic), outsourcing liason (mechanic), local presidents (mechanics), some attorneys and outside hired help like the top in the country professional analyst and economist.  Only the attorneys and outside hired professionals are not mechanics.  The nego cmte will also bring in experts to help the cmte with and while nego the added groups that were added to our contract by the NMB and these guys are members from each and everyone of those groups to assist in nego's.    What a concept huh 700?  The members control 100% what will be nego at the table period.  You don't have that with any of the industrial unions, including your beloved IAM, and they will NEVER have this at the new AA if this BS association gets thru.  Now please try and say I am lying or I am completely wrong.  It's all in the constitution and by-laws under our locals.  Just by your post of "BULL" after me telling you that the mechanics control and nego everything at the table tells me you have never had this, and is still not being done by the industrial unions, what a shame I tell you, what a shame.  And BTW, AMFA is also the only union that permits members to observe at the nego table to make sure their suggestions are being nego at the table.  Then if some one totally screws up at the table or an ALR really screws up during his roles and representation as an ALR or any officer within AMFA rather local or at National level will and can be and has been removed from his duties fully done by the membership 100%.  WOW! What a concept huh 700?  The members can remove any officer within AMFA.  Transparent and democratic way to represent your membership, with ALL officers held accountable for their every move, you just cannot do these things with any of the other industrial unions and YES this includes the IAM and TWU or this combined IAM/TWU association they will not allow any of the above mentioned.  Would you like me to answer any more questions how AMFA works for you?  

 

[1AA]

WOW, that is what I have been saying repeatedly, Democracy in unionism. We on the TWU side get a short form pre printed survey. The IAM side can not even tell the negotiators what they want or feel they should negotiate. Both unions appoint who they want. We have a fleet service guy chairing our negotiations. That is almost as bad as having 700 doing all the talking for the elitist mechanics. LOL..  I do believe that we as TWU members are owned by the TWU. The Association will be a continuation of this. What is it going to take for all of us to wake up and finally have a say for ourselves? We are all grown adults and we should have a say in negotiations. Funny when negotiations go slow or the company wants something the TWU will swing the contract to benefit TULSA and then persuade the president of 514 to pull a roll call vote. The rest is all history. Watch out PIT, CLT and PHX. Promises made to pass contracts. They give you that good ole warm and fuzzy feeling in your tummy to get that YES vote. Then when the layoffs or classification downgrades come you ask yourself how could they do that. Word of caution, Our contracts in the past were voted on with open articles to be discussed later AKA TBD. Being in denial over this whole association will bite you in the rear. I tell that to guys at work that openly admitted not voting on contracts or local officers back in the day when we had locals, If you don't vote and take part don't be bitchin about anything. This time lets get those cards signed so we can have a vote. The association is steam rolling over us and they will tell you and me what they are going to do. We are grown men and woman paying dues to be treated like minors.
If for any reason you do not want to sign a card think hard about your PENSION. There has been no official letter from the TWU International that they will not touch our Frozen Pension with the company. We asked repeatedly to put out a statement and they refuse. That alone speaks volumes.They will go after it and the payouts will be drastically reduced under the IAM. It will be lower if the IAM Pension goes belly up and gets handed over to the PBGC. SIGN, SIGN, SIGN.