I fail to see how moving to AMP would preclude any kind of community involvement.
Is this deja vu All Over Again? In September 2003, the AMFA Organizing Committee spondored a full day of organizing meetings at the Sheraton (now it is the Radisson)Hotel. At those meetings TWU AA members were told that AMFA never gave concessions, provided full democracy and accountability. In addition they informed those in attendance, that they had negotiated the best outsourcing and job protection in the industry at NWA. At that time AMFA represented close to 20,000 mechanics at NWA, UAL, Horizon, ASA, SWA and etc.
Several TWU supporters in attendance inquired as to why, if AMFA was so skilled at protecting against outsourcing, how did close to 3000 NWA get furloughed when half the heavy checks had been outsourced? The AMFA lead officer said in clear and precise language that those layoffs had been grieved, that AMFA would prevail in arbitration and would win back all those jobs. The TUL chair of the AMFA Organizing committee then said, when winning the arbitration and getting those jobs back he expected to receive signed cards from all of us in attendance.
The prediction did not come to pass. After a series of failed arbitrations a mere 75 of the 3000 furloughed AMTs got their jobs back in the summer of 2004. Furthermore because of the AMFA/NWA contract more jobs were lost because of the ironclad contractual language on outsourcing that was bragged about during the meeting. A year later only @ 4400 active mechanic and related were still employed as compared to @ 9200 a year earlier. When AMFA struck NWA in 2005, the rest of heavy maintenance was outsourced, along with Plant Maintenance and cleaning. Few AMFA members returned to work at NWA, or were given the right to come to work at Delta. After being de-certified at UAL, AMFA rpresents @ 2500 members at 3 carriers.
The AMFA organizers from NWA who spoke that day are not working in our industry to my knowledge, but the Chair of the Tulsa AMFA organizing committee (who is protected by the TWU/AA agreement) is gainfully employed at AA. He is now a spokesman for AMP (Don Rodgers), works at DFW is a member of the AMP steering committe. He was quoted in the Tulsa World on 8/17/2010 that mechanics at the base had returned about half the cards. He also added that, as in 2003, promising if we just sign a card we will have a more democratic union than the TWU and more militant ----one that not gives concessions and will protect our work. However AMP has filed no forms with the Dept of Labor or the IRS, has no contract with any carrier, represents no-one, and has no bank account or resources or working relations with other unions.
AMP has no track record, but it's creators and supporters do. They were almost ALL former AMFA organizers and every prediction and promise made to mechanics about AMFA's performance turned out to be false. As we are all aware or should be all heavy maintenance has been out sourced except AA. AMFA signed on to agreements that outsourced work which did away with good paying jobs.
In 2003, AMFA and it's Tulsa Organizing Committee told us that AMFA supplied the best outsourcing and layoff protection in the industry. In 2010 the overwhelming majority of mechanics AMFA represented in 2003 are no longer working under an AMFA contract. Yet, the same people who told you to trust their judgement and put your faith in AMFA are now telling you to trust them once again, but with a new entity.........AMP........think back to to previous promises made in 2003, how are those working for you?
When you ponder whether to sign a card or not think of this comparison, as a mechanic you have a logbook in front of you or some other maintenance document, someone else did the work you are told, would you sign for that work, most likely not. Know what all the facts are before you trust someone else who might be promising you the moon, but can't deliver on the promises you have heard before.