Most unions considered the strike ill conceived from the very beginning. AMFA had no strike fund
and, reflecting its separatist philosophy of mechanics acting alone, went on strike while the Pilots,
Flight Attendants and Machinists' Union were still negotiating under pressures of bankruptcy court
proceedings. AMFA bolted ahead of all the other unions, characteristic of their often-stated mantra
that "strength in numbers doesn't necessarily mean strength. " This was the wisdom offered by
AMFA Assistant National Director Steve MacFarlane on the eve of the August 2005 strike. He
couldn't have been more wrong.
Underestimating solidarity with other unions on the property was only one of AMFA's strategic
mistakes. Extremely damaging to unity with other unions was AMFA's negotiating proposal that
NWA take more concessions from IAM members and less from AMFA members. As reported by
Robert Roach Jr., IAMAW General Vice- President Transportation: "AMFA, as an institution, has
proposed and is actively advocating, that Northwest Airlines demand $150,000,000 more [from IAM
members] in concessions than the $107,000,000 Northwest has requested from our membership. "
While AMFA supporters dismiss these claims as slander, most 'unskilled' airline workers who have
been the target of AMFA's scorn since their formation in 1962, are not at all surprised by AMFA's
breach of solidarity at NWA during the 2005 summer contract negotiations. In fact, this breakdown
in solidarity is exactly what occurred only a few months earlier in an AMFA settlement with United
Airlines that directly led to 550 IAM jobs being contracted out. As a result of complex legal
proceedings between AMFA and the IAM over the jobs in question, AMFA negotiators demanded
and received from UAL financial 'credits' for this IAM job loss; thus increasing the hardship on fellow
workers, IAM members, but reducing concessions of AMFA mechanics.
The whole AMFA experience has been a bitter, devastating blow to airline workers. It has led to
division and defeat by an organization that claimed to be more militant and democratic than
established unions but was not. None of AMFA's major claims have stood up; they are neither more
democratic nor more militant than traditional unions they seek to replace.
AMFA suffers from the same political weaknesses as other unions only compounded by active
attempts to split unions and separate 'skilled' workers from other employee groups
Less than 3 years ago when AMFA won an election to represent 9000 UAL mechanics, AMFA's
major campaign slogan was that they would never negotiate concessions. They claimed to always
have rank and file observers at negotiations. They claimed to be the most democratic.
None of these claims have stood up; during NWA on concession bargaining for example, AMFA
members were never given an opportunity to vote on the 'Final and Best Offer' by NWA before the
strike was called in August 2005 and 'rank and file observers' were barred from the recent
negotiations with NWA on the tentative agreement.
