TWU-IAM Finally Getting Ready for JCBA Negotiations

[Overspeed]

"the TWU has performed better over the years than most"???  Really? You really think this?? You have got to be kidding us???  The TWU has been FAILING for the past 30 plus years at AA.  Where the he!! you been?  The TWU has allowed lay-offs, disruptions, displacements, fired, or loss of jobs for the last 30 years plus. They have in fact had more disruptions to employees as a whole than any other union and airline out there.  Sure AA has recalled employees but they were recalled at a much less pay and bennies than ALL the other airlines out there.  AA and the TWU both agree to lower pay and bennies to allow to keep more employees retained.  I would much rather be able to return at a higher rate of pay than the way the TWU like to look at this.  AA was allowed to do both by the TWU. They took the jobs, they took the pay, they took the bennies, they took the pensions, they took the retirement, they took the vac, sick, and many many other premiums in order to "save jobs" then they took the rest at a later date. AA said they needed the pay and benny cuts in order to avoid BK and they would allow you guys to keep the pensions, only to later freeze pensions and get all of of what they wanted originally.  Hook, line and sinker, your wonderful TWU just agreed and sold it to the membership.  The TWU is trying so hard to work with the company again and sell this BS alliance/association to the membership.  You really need to wake up and get a clue.  The 2 unions trying to get this association thru are the 2 absolutely worst industrial unions out there.  Get a clue man...

Every TWU member was recalled prior to BK with the pension plan intact. No one at UA, DL, or NW was recalled still getting pension plan years in service. TWU better than everybody one else.

Every TWU member was recalled with retiree medical intact before BK. Same as above.

All the AO jobs lost at DL, NW, and UA never came back so that would be zero pay and bennies for those people. AA still has more lines of AO running than all the other US carriers. Much better making $35 an hour than $15 an hour like all the mechanics laid off permanently at NW, DL, and UA.

 

[Overspeed]

"Bricks in the backpack" sums it up pretty good!

Bricks? Of hash?

 

[xUT]

Every TWU member was recalled prior to BK with the pension plan intact. No one at UA, DL, or NW was recalled still getting pension plan years in service. TWU better than everybody one else.

Every TWU member was recalled with retiree medical intact before BK. Same as above.

All the AO jobs lost at DL, NW, and UA never came back so that would be zero pay and bennies for those people. AA still has more lines of AO running than all the other US carriers. Much better making $35 an hour than $15 an hour like all the mechanics laid off permanently at NW, DL, and UA.

I don't know of "ANY" UA/NW laid off mechanic making $15 an hour.
You should enlighten us with your 'facts'.
Many (such as myself) left the industry and I make "MUCH" more than $15 an hour.
You are just pissing in the wind (as usual)...
B) xUT

 

[La Li Lu Le Lo]

Bricks? Of hash?

That explains a lot of your posts Overspin.

 

[xUT]

Every TWU member was recalled prior to BK with the pension plan intact. No one at UA, DL, or NW was recalled still getting pension plan years in service. TWU better than everybody one else.

Every TWU member was recalled with retiree medical intact before BK. Same as above.

All the AO jobs lost at DL, NW, and UA never came back so that would be zero pay and bennies for those people. AA still has more lines of AO running than all the other US carriers. Much better making $35 an hour than $15 an hour like all the mechanics laid off permanently at NW, DL, and UA.

You nimrod, AAR is in Indy and can not find enough mechanics to work for $25 an hour.
B) xUT

 

[Overspeed]

xUT,
Read it in NPR
 
"These are very technically qualified positions. It isn't something that you can take an individual right out of high school and teach them how to do it," says Anita Brown, head of human resources at AAR's Oklahoma City facility for the past 28 years.
 
Brown says airplane mechanics at her company start earning between $12 and $15 an hour, while veterans who have their FAA Airframe and Powerplant licenses top out at $28 an hour.
 
With just his sheet metal training, Hendricks started at AAR making $12 an hour. But after five years he's already up to $21, because five years of working on airplanes has taught him a lot. "Unlike assembly line work, it's a team effort," he says. "Just knowing that I'm able to work on the plane and do the job well is satisfying."
 
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/13/143586152/airplane-mechanics-a-farm-team-for-everyone-else

 

[La Li Lu Le Lo]

I don't know of "ANY" UA/NW laid off mechanic making $15 an hour.
You should enlighten us with your 'facts'.
Many (such as myself) left the industry and I make "MUCH" more than $15 an hour.
You are just pissing in the wind (as usual)...
B) xUT

Doing what if you don't mind me asking.
 
Inspire your fellow mechanics.

 

[Bob Owens]

I don't know of "ANY" UA/NW laid off mechanic making $15 an hour.
You should enlighten us with your 'facts'.
Many (such as myself) left the industry and I make "MUCH" more than $15 an hour.
You are just pissing in the wind (as usual)...
B) xUT

What OS left out was that many who were recalled declined. We had around 300 guys on recall to NY at one time, all were called back, less than 20 did. The rest chose to stay where they were, either at other stations or other jobs. 
 
That was one of the things Sharon Levine cited during one discussion. I asked her to get me in contact with just one mechanic from NWA who regretted what they did and could only get a job making $15/hr, she never did. 

 

[Bob Owens]

 
 
The TWU Committee Members are Local Presidents/Officers

But the most powerful member of the Committee, the Chair, are not. 

 

[Bob Owens]

Buck,
It's not the structure entirely. No union structure is perfect however the TWU has performed better over the years than most. We did not lose all our most of our overhaul like our fellow mechanics at NWA, UA, and DL. While ours has shrunk it is nowhere near as small as those airlines and never will be unless we concede more. AMR lawyers were asking to get the ability to outsource like UA, DL, and SW and the TWU was able to prevent the carnage they were asking for.
 
Remember the chair doesn't have a vote. Regardless of what others say, even if DV was cutting deals like they say. The local presidents just had to vote it down. The fact is that they all had votes and even in a straight up vote the TA made it out of committee. And like the 2010 TA and the first LBO the members got to vote and they voted it down. The last one passed marginally but it passed. We don't have to like it but that was how the vote went down.

No we just lost most of our pay, work-rules and benefits to the point where we have less vacation than Non-union and can be forced to work more than 40 hours at straight time rates. TWU didn't prevent anything, the market did. AA clearly stated that we could not reach the ask through headcount cuts because if they moved that work out they would pay a premium. They asked for 45% man hours, we have them 35% spend which is even more. 
 
The chair does have a vote, in a tie the chair decides, the chair also selects who speaks, doesn't have to wait in turn to comment or counter and has the last word before every vote, so the fact is the chair is the most powerful voice in the room. In Negotiations all discussions are directed to the chair. So don't bother trying to BS people into thinking the chair has no power, thats like saying a Judge has no power because the Jury decides. 

 

[Bob Owens]

Every TWU member was recalled prior to BK with the pension plan intact. No one at UA, DL, or NW was recalled still getting pension plan years in service. TWU better than everybody one else.

Every TWU member was recalled with retiree medical intact before BK. Same as above.

All the AO jobs lost at DL, NW, and UA never came back so that would be zero pay and bennies for those people. AA still has more lines of AO running than all the other US carriers. Much better making $35 an hour than $15 an hour like all the mechanics laid off permanently at NW, DL, and UA.

Every TWU member gave up fifteen weeks of vacation ($21000), 3000 hours of Holiday pay ($105,000), 105 sick days( $29,400) and 1050 IOD days ($294,000),  to pay for the extra 10 years of pension credits but thats also not factoring in what we would have received in 401K monies (at least $70,000 based on 5.5% over 15 years).   I'll give you the IOD but thats still $225,000 just in some of the stuff we lost that others kept through BK, haven't even touched OT, training on straight time etc etc. 
 
How can you make the claim they went to ZERO pay and bennies? Who goes to ZERO pay? Even if we cant find a job we get Unemployment and then Welfare. In that case we get money while working zero hours. As I said we had around 300 guys laid off out of NY at one time, only around 20 came back and they have been hiring off the streets for years. Name one mechanic out of the thousands from NWA that only earns $15/hr today or that went to ZERO pay and bennies.  The hundreds from the NY area that had their jobs saved , but were still laid off found other options and chose not to come back when AA recalled them. 
 
I've been through layoffs, never had a problem finding work even during the Reagan Recession, most mechanics have no problems finding jobs even in a recession. 

 

[Bob Owens]

xUT,
Read it in NPR
 
"These are very technically qualified positions. It isn't something that you can take an individual right out of high school and teach them how to do it," says Anita Brown, head of human resources at AAR's Oklahoma City facility for the past 28 years.
 
Brown says airplane mechanics at her company start earning between $12 and $15 an hour, while veterans who have their FAA Airframe and Powerplant licenses top out at $28 an hour.
 
With just his sheet metal training, Hendricks started at AAR making $12 an hour. But after five years he's already up to $21, because five years of working on airplanes has taught him a lot. "Unlike assembly line work, it's a team effort," he says. "Just knowing that I'm able to work on the plane and do the job well is satisfying."
 
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/13/143586152/airplane-mechanics-a-farm-team-for-everyone-else

So we cant cite UPS but you can cite AAR? Thats where mechanics go to get experience. Should Doctors and Lawyers base their pay on what Interns make? 
 
In the meantime AA is short 100 mechanics on the line and cant get people, even at step 3.

 

[Rogallo]

But the most powerful member of the Committee, the Chair, are not. 

 
Yeah, he pretty much shut up when we called him on it!
 
Speaking of shutting up. Awful quiet from the TWU stooges NYer and Weaasels. Cat got your tongues?
Your drivel always gave me a laugh!

 

[La Li Lu Le Lo]

 
Yeah, he pretty much shut up when we called him on it!
 
Speaking of shutting up. Awful quiet from the TWU stooges NYer and Weaasels. Cat got your tongues?
Your drivel always gave me a laugh!

Eh NYer never bothered me but Weaasels......let's just say he lived up to his name.

 

[Overspeed]

Bob,
When you don't work for the airline you start back at zero but you do get unemployment. Soon you get another job and few make what they were making when they left. Pretty simple to see that keeping your job is more pay and bennies than not having a job even if it is for a little while.
 
There are plenty of reports that show most people who lost their jobs during the airline BKs never got paid what they were making before. Maybe it would have been better to have let AA go BK in 2003. More AMFA supporters would be out on the street. And you would still be here with me but I would be saying I told you so and you would be, "WTF happened??? I thought I had this figured out."
 
The militants are in charge now. Lead us and show us the way to the promised land. What can you do for me as member that is better than what the past leadership has provided? What's the plan? Sue the Int'l? Write more letters to the NMB? Hire Seham to slap a lawsuit on AA? I'm so excited to hear your plan. You are awesome at pointing the finger and laying blame. I have seen nor heard anything from you that leads me to believe we will not be more in years of false promises and more blame.
 
I want results. Knapp and Rojas for Local 591 President and VP! they got results for MIA, they can do it for all of us.