More telling? Yeah, it tells that they are still negotiating and inching closer to a last minute deal.
Yeah and they're really close on job security issues, which is what any strike will be about.
From May 5:
"This deliberate disregard of the number one issue identified by the AMFA membership causes one to wonder.
This latest Company offer casts grievous doubts about any chance for
member ratification. The members have overwhelmingly identified job
security as one of the few things that could induce them to vote yes. Instead
of offering language to all technicians as of the date of signing the Company
chose to strike a division within our ranks—those with some hope for a
future with UAL and those left without that hope.
The most disturbing thing about the senior leaders at United—Tilton,
McDonald, Brace, Hacker, and Tague—is their failure to fully appreciate the
importance of the goodwill of its entire maintenance workforce. Even in the
midst of eleven years of failed management initiatives, our members take
pride in their work and consistently deliver superior support to the airline.
We approach, however, a tipping point. If the Company and legal system
attempt to force this group of talented technicians to accept a court mandated
contract, then we will all find ourselves in uncharted and dangerous territory."
From May 9:
"The Company continues to resist the top two priorities of the Negotiating Committee.
The Company doesn’t feel that it needs to offer any more job security than it already has
offered. Its 4% DC replacement plan offer also remains well below the union target of
8% and also below the pilot deal at 6%. Tomorrow starts the last day before the
beginning of the 1113© trial. The next 24 hours should tell a great deal about the
direction of these negotiations."
The company says they'll contact AMFA by 9am, that was today...wonder what happened.
Until I read that they have made progress on that issue, I'll remain cautious at best.