700UW said:
They arent any better in reality, they have the same problems and issues that every other airline and its unions have.
They dont have a stellar record, yes they got great wages at NW, they won the battle and lost the war.
They got voted out at UA and promised to be their savior and accomplished nothing really.
They screwed up at ACA and lost a major status quo lawsuit, and failed at Independence Air.
And they abandoned their members at the Trump Shuttle after it was sold to US Air and they had to hire their own lawyers as AMFA abandoned them.
And they have never negotiated a new CBA at WN, only extensions of the old IBT CBA with improvements in pay, and got a fourth line to let WN outsource a line overseas.
Every union in the airlines have had their issues due to turmoil in the middle east, sars, fuel cost, 9/11 and chapter 11.
IAM Failures:
Alaska Air: allowing company to outsource SEA ramp, ramp workforce fewer than 700 in a few stations located in the state of Alaska (all hubs, including ANC are contracted out). COPS members are at a small number of stations, overwhelming majority handled by vendors and OALs. Meager pay and weak job security.
Commutair: unsuccessful negotiations since 2008 membership kept in the dark with minimal information provided.
Continental Airlines: decertified by large margin, weak work rules and job protection, but high base rates and a contract that gave the company ultimate flexibility which imposed lower overall cost than AFA sUA agreement work rules, job protection and benefits.
El Al: company prevailed locking out US based employees
NWA: helping, facilitating and encouraging their members to bust AMFA by assuming ancillary suitors. Large scale station closures replaced by Air Wisconsin (still paid dues to 143 and GL). Decertified by large margin at DL, some groups 70/30 against IAM.
TWA: thousands of jobs lost, wages and benefits cut multiple times, members lost seniority due to union prioritizing Union funds over members they represented.
UAL: station closings, wage concessions, elimination of paid lunches, scope whittled down to 7 stations by 2018 with highest healthcare contributions in the industry.
USAIR; bottom of the industry pay and high health care costs, closed stations in 2008-2011 time frame, allows company to make extensive use of part time and formerly contained ready reserve language (2008-2014)
Am I missing anything?
Josh