TWU-IAM Finally Getting Ready for JCBA Negotiations

[NYer]

Then why are there NO MECHANICS in the atd? And why is a fleet service clerk chairing the maintenance negotiating committee?

 
Most mechanics wanted a change of the guard at the ATD, you got it.

 

[Vortilon]

Regardless of how FS feels about Maint. or how Maint. feels about FS, the bottom line is AMTs have voted in the TAs.  I think it is disgusting our international decided that Fleet and Stores deserve better benefits and lower pay cut percentages than AMTs.  I also think they owe us an apology with an assurance we will get these things restored before the other groups get a single penny, but that won't happen.  A majority of AMTs voted yes for these contracts so we must share the blame.  This does not absolve the TWU international and Jim Little for selling us out though.  They still get the lion's share of the blame for bringing back crap like they have.  Who's idea of unionism pays longevity pay to everyone except AMTs?  How about paying sick time to everyone but AMTs?  More vacation for Stores?  These so called "Union men" who are responsible for this crap should have been tarred and feathered.  Lombardo needs to fear the TWU membership more than he fears AA or the AFL-CIO.  He doesn't fear the membership at all by his conscious effort to snub the AMT profession and have non of us in the ATD.  How do we get our own union to respect us?  That won't happen.  We must make them FEAR us.  Just my opinion.

 
I disagree, I don't think it's the majority of AMTs voting these crappy contracts in, it's the "and related" sheeple.  The kind that actually believe what their TWU international leadership (sic) tells them.

 

[NYer]

First of all my post that triggered off this little firestorm was directed at NYer who happens to be in fleet service. He is quite outspoken against AMFA for someone who has no skin in the aircraft maintenance game. --Outspoken against? I've been encouraging all of you to get cards signed during all this time the NMB took to make they STS decision. I don't like the tactics used to get votes, but if you guys want to leave, there's the door. The problem seems to be that it's take over 50 years to try and figure out how to turn the knob. Now the IAM is coming over and the work to make a change will be virtually impossible. Looks like you guys missed the boat. Yikes.
 
When posters like NYer stop brining up AMFA, I will stop bringing up fleet. I challenge anyone here to disprove the fact that the TWU at AA for decades was dominated by fleet service. How would you like to  have had your local presidents and officers and negotiators dominated by mechanics? --Is this a riddle? You guys had mechanics as your ATD Reps., that also was not to your liking.
 
This is a public forum and everyone should comment. But posters like NYer spew venom against AMFA as if he or she's life depend on their getting in at AA. --Spews venom. I've encouraged you guys to get cards signed. I've told you guys to not wait until the NMB decision. Get those cards signed.....
 
What mechanics do is our choice, no other workgroup's. --Absolutely. Except when it doesn't go your way, then the fault lies elsewhere.
 
If you and others choose to support the TWU, then do so by all means. But defending them against an AMFA threat when it does not concern your group will get responses like mine.

 

[Rogallo]

Brothers looking out for Brothers.

"I don't care who ya are, that's funny right there"
 

My opinion, you don't care about anything but keeping your own gig. Whatever that may be.

 

[Vortilon]

 
Most mechanics wanted a change of the guard at the ATD, you got it.

 
What have you been smoking?  Not one AA AMT in the ATD.  Bottom line, the TWU International is corrupt from top to bottom.  I look at TWU International like a pyramid scheme, the popular parasites get enough votes at the TWU convention to get the holy grail positions: president, vp, etc..  Once the parasites are in, the only objective is dues collection at any cost.  Then, throw in some liberal causes that do nothing to promote AMT pay and benefits, and it's enough to make me vomit.  Only somebody directly benefiting from the TWU Internationals fleecing of AA's AMTs would hold your point of view!

 

[OldGuy@AA]

 
I disagree, I don't think it's the majority of AMTs voting these crappy contracts in, it's the "and related" sheeple.  The kind that actually believe what their TWU international leadership (sic) tells them.

Like I said it is just my opinion but I do know there were lots of yes votes from AMTs in Tulsa for these TAs.  I held a Vote No sign outside the base and got feedback from lots of people.  Honestly it went about 50/50 as to yes and no voters I thought.  The TA passed by 48 votes from AMTs.  The "Related" as in MOC had their own voting numbers.  I often wonder if I had spent a few more days out there with the sign if I could have convinced 25 more people to vote yes.  Probably not but I still wonder.  But I think our own group did it to us by either voting yes or not voting at all.  Our local pushed the fear that the international wanted them to.  Too many were scared and voted yes.  If by related you are referring to OSMs many were yes votes but some like BigMac voted no and tried to convince others.  In the end there should have been enough AMTs to vote it down.  We really are our own worst enemy.  But this is just my opinion.  

 

[OldGuy@AA]

 
What have you been smoking?  Not one AA AMT in the ATD.  Bottom line, the TWU International is corrupt from top to bottom.  I look at TWU International like a pyramid scheme, the popular parasites get enough votes at the TWU convention to get the holy grail positions: president, vp, etc..  Once the parasites are in, the only objective is dues collection at any cost.  Then, throw in some liberal causes that do nothing to promote AMT pay and benefits, and it's enough to make me vomit.  Only somebody directly benefiting from the TWU Internationals fleecing of AA's AMTs would hold your point of view!

You make some very good points here.  No AMT representation at the international level and butt kissers appointed to V.P. positions.  Sean Doyle is very proud that, as a fleet service clerk, he was elected president of a fleet service local.  In his mind that makes him qualified to represent AMTs and he is allowed to do that because Harry Lombardo has absolutely no respect for AMTs.  We should have kicked the TWU out long ago but by now they know that won't happen so they don't care how badly they treat us and give us no representation at the international level.  Too many Sheeple as you call them and not enough who research and educate themselves.  I, like you, are sick and tired of paying dues to an international that does what it wants no matter how badly it affects the membership.  The TWU is supposed to work for us, but it seems we work for them and they dictate to us.  We either take this union back or we kick them out.  It looks like we won't kick them out so we have to take it back.  At this point I don't know if that is possible. 

 

[La Li Lu Le Lo]

Once the parasites are in, the only objective is dues collection at any cost.  Then, throw in some liberal causes that do nothing to promote AMT pay and benefits, and it's enough to make me vomit.  

Now your getting it.
 
I have been saying the same thing for over two years.

 

[swamt]

 
I disagree, I don't think it's the majority of AMTs voting these crappy contracts in, it's the "and related" sheeple.  The kind that actually believe what their TWU international leadership (sic) tells them.

Which is exactly why you guys should fire the TWU and IAM and get a class and craft union in---HELLO...

 

[MetalMover]

 
Brothers looking out for Brothers.
 
You guys should have started collecting cards 8 months ago....the day the Association applied for the STS. Wasted a lot of time.......you'll be stuck with the Association. Awwwwww man.

You mean FLEET SERVICE looking out for FLEET SERVICE...Which is perfectly fine..
Then don't knock the mechanics when we desire to separate from you.

 

[MetalMover]

 
Most mechanics wanted a change of the guard at the ATD, you got it.

Yes, but as is usual with the anti MECHANIC TWU......mechanics got screwed once again..
 
THREE CHEERS FOR THE BUS DRIVER UNION!

 

[MetalMover]

 
Whatever was may be lost in TUL are regained with the IAM mechanics, seems like the majority is growing rather than shrinking. The window of opportunity is quickly closing......shouldn't of procrastinated with the card collecting.

The drive to rid ourselves of the TWU is a window of opportunity  that will never completely close. You wouldn't understand the need to rid yourself of a union that has misrepresented your group because FLEET has done better by the TWU than the mechanics have. 
Aside from the procrastination problem, that is only part of it. Now you have TULE shaking in their boots about their future and will be more willing to sell out the rest of us to perserve their arses. But their majority status is just about a distant memory.

 

[MetalMover]

 

First of all my post that triggered off this little firestorm was directed at NYer who happens to be in fleet service. He is quite outspoken against AMFA for someone who has no skin in the aircraft maintenance game. --Outspoken against? I've been encouraging all of you to get cards signed during all this time the NMB took to make they STS decision. I don't like the tactics used to get votes, but if you guys want to leave, there's the door. The problem seems to be that it's take over 50 years to try and figure out how to turn the knob. Now the IAM is coming over and the work to make a change will be virtually impossible. Looks like you guys missed the boat. Yikes.
 
You "encouragement" is nothing but false smug cocky comments about our failure to get AMFA in yet. Don't try to pass it off as genuine caring.
 
When posters like NYer stop brining up AMFA, I will stop bringing up fleet. I challenge anyone here to disprove the fact that the TWU at AA for decades was dominated by fleet service. How would you like to  have had your local presidents and officers and negotiators dominated by mechanics? --Is this a riddle? You guys had mechanics as your ATD Reps., that also was not to your liking.  Oh you mean TWU lapdogs making $180000 a year? Telling us to lower our expectations? You mean APPOINTED ATD reps I wasn't allowed to vote on?  You think this is a riddle?  IT'S A SHAM!
 
This is a public forum and everyone should comment. But posters like NYer spew venom against AMFA as if he or she's life depend on their getting in at AA. --Spews venom. I've encouraged you guys to get cards signed. I've told you guys to not wait until the NMB decision. Get those cards signed.....Again, cocky smug replies. Why doesn't fleet service petition to have the mechanics removed from the TWU since many of us are anti TWU? Why not help us out? Try negotiating a contract without mechanics? Give it a shot.
 
What mechanics do is our choice, no other workgroup's. --Absolutely. Except when it doesn't go your way, then the fault lies elsewhere.  I have blamed the failure of our getting rid of the TWU on fellow sheep mechanics who like to complain about how the TWU has mistreated them because they are afraid of change. And yes fault lies with the TWU for treating its mechanics the way they have for decades. If they had treated us better, there would be NO need by ANY mechanic to want change.
 
If you and others choose to support the TWU, then do so by all means. But defending them against an AMFA threat when it does not concern your group will get responses like mine. Forget a reply to this one, NYer?

 

 

[Rogallo]

You wouldn't understand the need to rid yourself of a union that has misrepresented your group because FLEET has done better by the TWU than the mechanics have. 

 
He understands completely. There is an agenda.

 

[TWU informer]

[SIZE=medium]Why do I continue to ask you to sign an AMFA card and support having an election?[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium] We are going to get new representation like it or not. [/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium]The NMB has been asked by both the TWU and the IAM to certify new representation. While doing so they have politically maneuvered to attempt to get either a certification without a vote, or a vote that only give you a choice of the TWU/IAM Association or No Union, as if that is really a legitimate choice or fair to you the member. And TWU and the IAM has used money from your dues to politically maneuver this issue to insure what they think is best for you is your only choice. This is wrong, it is indication of a weak union, an organization that fears the membership does not support them.[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium] How strong can your union really be if they exist only by avoiding a true vote of the membership? When your negotiators sit across from management at the table, the company needs to know that the majority of the membership supports them and has their back. For years now the company has known that we keep signing the cards to remove the TWU and we are denied an election. The company doesn’t love the TWU, the company loves knowing that the TWU is only at the table by avoiding a direct vote of the membership. That isn’t a union with any backbone or real ability to fight. That is a union that is weak, operates in fear, and is only on the property by some miscarriage of justice, or some illegitimate politically wrangling.  We need a union that the membership, the company, and the public have no doubt that the majority supports.[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=medium] Even if you support the TWU/IAM Association, sign the card to guarantee a proper election. If the Association is the majority choice, then we can rally behind that choice and stop the constant attempts to verify who and what the membership wants to support. If there is a proper election and the Association wins, then I commit myself to stop pursuit of union change. If any of you believe that we can support and have unified strength by either certification without an election or an election that forces us to accept the Association or NO Union, you are sadly mistaken and your representation will remain divided and weak.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium] [/SIZE]
[SIZE=medium] All I ask is that you help us all to insure that we put this dispute to bed once and for all, by having an election and vote after a real debate of the choices and a legitimate vote. Only then will the company garner respect for your union and only then will your membership rally behind your leaders.[/SIZE]