The biggest concession is coming in the form of 40% outsourcing. The members rejected it because they were assured they would get better. We all know how that's turning out. 2/3rds vote no now on the TA, doubtful.
Maybe you are right, maybe the vote would be different now than it was then, but it would be because of what Informer says and not because of what you say. Informer would be the one proven to be right, not you. Either way we would still be where we are, the company would still be looking for language that would allow them to eliminate over 4000 more jobs than they can now, still be looking to take away the pension, they already would have taken around half the Retiree Medical so they would have and had to increase their ASK somewhere else to make up for it (another week of VC across the board? -new hires get 0 weeks for the first 5 years, who cares that nobody else in the industry, even non-union gave these concessions right?) Whatever, It would be because the members, as Informer has repeatedly said, that vote YES have no faith that their union will fight for them or lead them into battle, that if they vote NO the Union will help the company punish us by dragging things out even longer and still not take the steps necissary to get a fair deal. Tell me I'm wrong, then tell me why. I still say never let them off the hook for bringing back bad deals by voting YES.
So, you claim that the postion we find ourselves in today is because we voted no, and that now the company can ram whatever they want down our throats because now they are in BK. Well what they can and cant do is up to us. You say that if the Judge rips up our contract the company can impose whatever they want, well they can try, what they get away with is up to us. You say we cant do anything because its illegal, well just because something is illegal it doesnt mean you cant do it. Its illegal to drive faster than the posted speed limit but everytime I get on the highway people are going over 55. Its the guys who go 90 that get bagged. So OT boycotts, sick outs etc all may be "illegal" but with the way the courts have been treating workers should we really concern ourselves with what they have to say? The RLA says that once our contracts are abrogated that we can resort to self help as well. That law was written by the Unions and the industry, do you think that labor ever would have agreed that a company can impose terms but the workers could not defend themselves? Plenty of Rail Roads went BK before the RLA and Sect 1167 of the BK code says that because of the RLA contracts under the RLA can not be abrogated, they follow Section 6. Its obvious the courts are not impartial, the NWA ruling where they essentailly say through BK the company can resort to self help, workers under the NLRA can resort to self help, Railroad workers can resort to self help if the company changes terms and conditions, but airline workers, and airline workers alone, can not resort to self help even if the company changes terms in the contract or abrogates it, with no rational reasonable reason for the exception has put us in a position thats uniquely unfair, uniquely punitive, uniquely inequitable in its treatement of Aiorline workers as compared to all other creditors and workers. What the courts are doing is allowing the company to be released but tying the hands of the Union. We are as justified in disregarding his edicts as Rosa Parks was to sit in the front of the bus. Rosa Parks voilated the law, but the law was morally corrupt, just as the NWA -APA ruling is. (I still have not seen FWAAAs response on this) What will the courts do to you, the individual member? Will they fine your Union? Yes. Will they imprison or fine me for writing this? Possibly, if thats what this country has come to. Will they come to your house and haul you off to jail if you all decide to call in sick in Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Memorial Day or any other Holiday? Will they force you to volunteer for OT? Will they make you use equipment thats defective or not follow every safety policy? I doubt it. IMO the reason why things have gotten as bad as they are is because those Judges and those politicians and the Airlines themselves were confident that we would let them get away with it, and they will not stop until we stop them and we must do so regardless of what some appelate Judge decrees. Am I blaming them? No I'm blaming us collectively.
