Transport Workers and Machinist Union to Jointly Represent Ground Workers at the "New" American Airl

[Thomas Paine]

What are you saying CIO? ----- That half a pie (dues) is better than none at all?

No, he is saying "this whole pie is mine, I'll keep mine and you keep yours".

 

[TWU informer]

No, he is saying "this whole pie is mine, I'll keep mine and you keep yours".

CIO and High Speed Steel both used to claim that AMFA is an "association", not a Union. Now they will both defend the "new ASSOCIATION" without concern. Forked Speaking Kool-Aid Drinkers.

 

[acmech]

Just when you think it can't get any worse...

 

[Kev3188]

Yes, and No. Yes those who wont sign cards yet complain are full of BS, No the law really isnt impartial, they erect barriers and people are denied the representation they deserve. Sure its legal to climb Mt Everest, but its not easy and most who try will fail. By including people who are not on payroll the "law" makes it that much harder for the people who are on the property to determine what representation they will have. In 2004 AMFA had submitted over 9000 cards yet were still denied a vote. In reality the majority spoke, and legally they were ignored. When USAIR gets added into the mix it will be even harder because they have lifetime recall and many are from stations that will never reopen. These workers will likely never return yet they are counted.



This deal between the TWU and IAM is about two unions wanting to keep all their structures and dues flow intact. Keep in mind that the structures they want to preserve have brought their members to the very bottom of the industry, below non-union and locked one group in that position for at least six more years.

Unions preach to members that in the end its better to put aside your immediate self interests and collectively form one efficient organization to represent the members as one, but here we see two unions that are more concerned about keeping their inefficient and ineffective structures, and people they removed from the misery of working under the substandard deals they negotiated, in place, to continue to produce horrible contracts for their members to the benefit of what will likely emerge as the most profitable carrier ever (arent you glad Jim Little gave away your six years of profit sharing for a two year increase in pay?) .

If its OK for the members to be split between two unions then why didnt the TWU argue to allow the Line guys, who have been dissatisfied with the TWU for decades to go to AMFA and just keep Overhaul? Instead they agreed to not only keep us divided and split up between members in maint locals with some in Fleet locals, with still yet others in OH Locals and still others such as sim tech and tech services in their own Locals but now they want to split us all up geograhically, with some in the IAM and the next city over some in the TWU.

The Unions need to practice what they preach, if they dont want to fight over the members then give the members away to someone who may be willing to fight for them. One needs to bow out and do what is best for the members for a change, or both need to be removed. We dont need to be all split up even more than we are. If this is the only option they can come up with we may be better off to choose no union at all and save the $600 bucks. While it may be considered very risky the fact is with no union there is no contract, no six years till we get another shot, the company can no longer blame the union for offering their workers substandard deals. At this point what exactly does the contract give thats advantageous over our non-union peers? Just cause? OK, how many people here think they would be fired if we had no union? Less pay, less vacation, less sick days, Less Holidays than Non-union, sure it could get a lot worse, then a new union would come in and start off at square one. If it would be worse without a union then why arent things worse at Delta and Fed Ex than at AA? Obviously, sometimes the threat of getting a real Union can be better for workers than having a fake one.

^This^

The above post just about covers everything that's gone wrong w/organized labor over the last couple of decades.

We know what's wrong; now it's time to work to fix it...

 

[1AA]

So if I am at a TWU station I am under the TWU constitution. If I am at a IAM station I am under the IAM constitution. If I am under the IAM does that mean I can get in on the IAM pension plan? If a IAM guy is under the TWU constitution does he still have his IAM pension and will it still be accruing? Many questions to be asked and answered. This was not well thought out. They put this together rather quickly to avoid a run off election and losing members or should I say Dues Money. Will union dues be the same for both? Will dues go up or stay the same? Is there a constitution drawn up for this new Association? What happens if I have a grievance pending under the TWU and transfer to a IAM station? How much of our dues money will be used to fund this association? Now we have to fund the TWU, the IAM, the Association and the AFL-CIO. I see a dues increase coming.

 

[Deleted member 14439]

No worries. Vote AMFA @ AA.

 

[JFK Fleet Service]

USAirways guys at LGA are like "WTF just happened?" I'm sure the AA guys at DCA are asking the same thing.

 

[paul1]

Interesting that Little and Buffenbarger signed the agreement on the 9th, yet Peterson put out a letter on the 10th basically saying that we hope to have our questions about representation answered soon. Am I to believe Peterson didnt know?

yes that's how the twu works

 

[MCI transplant]

So how is this supposed to work with two differant Contracts? Will there be a fence between IAM (US) and TWU (AA) stations? ------- So now you'll have an east/ west/ AA issue? ----- LOL!!! Right! I can see where this is going!----- Yea! Getting interesting!------- Wake up people and sign a AMFA card today!

 

[dfw gen]

so ho does the lifetime recall at the iam apply to our maybe we will call you back system?

 

[Frank Szabo]

Yep, Let me introduce our new "APPOINTED" Association Director Don Videtich"

God help us all!!

Not to worry - Don is a good Christian boy ...
[/snark]

 

[swamt]

CIO and High Speed Steel both used to claim that AMFA is an "association", not a Union. Now they will both defend the "new ASSOCIATION" without concern. Forked Speaking Kool-Aid Drinkers.

Yes CIO was one of the worse slammers on the AMFA being an association, claiming they were not a "real" union. Now the TWU (who had many bashers claiming the same) and the IAM are wanting to mirror the likes of AMFA and call themselves an association, how ironic...

 

[TWU informer]

Now we can fund two full sets of overpaid appointed sellouts. First they were broke so combined line locals, now we can afford two full sets of Union Leadership, Staff, and Assistants. Glorious day for the Fockers that Fock us daily.

Stupid is as Stupid does.

Stupid is as Stupid allows too.

 

[Barfbag]

^This^

The above post just about covers everything that's gone wrong w/organized labor over the last couple of decades.

We know what's wrong; now it's time to work to fix it...

Too late for that buddy... Americans want cheaper products.. it's why we have children dying in factory fires in Bangladesh. It's also why you buy at Walmart and finally it's why tens of thousands of your brothers in aviation are out of work today, deregulation.

 

[TWU informer]

Too late for that buddy... Americans want cheaper products.. it's why we have children dying in factory fires in Bangladesh. It's also why you buy at Walmart and finally it's why tens of thousands of your brothers in aviation are out of work today, deregulation.

Yep, the powerful AFL-CIO that we have funded with millions from our paychecks does not have the political influence to reverse deregulation, stop foreign aircraft maintenance, stop right-to-work laws, stop negative changes in Workmans Comp Laws, but they do seem to have political influence to keep you from changing unions or getting a ballot to vote on your choice in representation and they did get a payraise for the non-union illegals in the path to citizenship negotiations.

What part of "this picture is wrong" does the common union member not see or understand and why?