UA's CBA negotiations info website...put yer boots on!

[Larrs]

Has anyone read SKYNET today? UA came out with a website to give Union members up to date info on the upcoming negotiations here's the LINK

Obtaining the industry leading CBA's are about infomation and leverage. UA seems to be trying to beat the Unions to the punch on each. No matter what kind of bleeding-heart / skewed pro-UA routine management tries to pull, remember we (the Unions at UA) have the best cards to play (strike) and the company knows it, hence their insubstantial website. And don't worry if you have weak leaders at the helm of your Union, the best contracts are because of the members not the leaders. UA's website will most likely try and divide Unions against each other but stick together Union Brothers and Sisters. Keep in mind when reading UA's site how UA's management unfairly asked Union members to make sacrifices while management got bonus after bonus.

What's the old pro Union button with the picture say..." Provoke me and I will strike!" Seems like UA is trying to provoke us.

I wonder if the Unions knew UA's negotiation site was coming out???

 

[UAL_TECH]

Has anyone read SKYNET today? UA came out with a website to give Union members up to date info on the upcoming negotiations here's the LINK

Obtaining the industry leading CBA's are about infomation and leverage. UA seems to be trying to beat the Unions to the punch on each. No matter what kind of bleeding-heart / skewed pro-UA routine management tries to pull, remember we (the Unions at UA) have the best cards to play (strike) and the company knows it, hence their insubstantial website. And don't worry if you have weak leaders at the helm of your Union, the best contracts are because of the members not the leaders. UA's website will most likely try and divide Unions against each other but stick together Union Brothers and Sisters. Keep in mind when reading UA's site how UA's management unfairly asked Union members to make sacrifices while management got bonus after bonus.

What's the old pro Union button with the picture say..." Provoke me and I will strike!" Seems like UA is trying to provoke us.

I wonder if the Unions knew UA's negotiation site was coming out???

Dude, you all have another 3 years of 'negotiating' before a 'strike' can even be considered.
'IF" UA can weather this economic storm without another CH11.

Thanks for the laugh though!

B) xUT

 

[boxer]

You laugh, you cry, you laugh again and move on.

 

[Larrs]

You laugh, you cry, you laugh again and move on.

Yes boxer I have laughed and cried at this situation but I do not believe it is a laughing matter anymore and neither do my co-workers. You are right it is time to move on, move on to getting serious about how unions face these negotiations.

Tech stated his pessimistic view that the negotiation process would take up to 3 years. I disagree and so does the leadership of the union I belong to, the IAM. The IAM DL 141 website states in regards to upcoming negotiations that their goal is;

" It is the hope and intention that a replacement agreement will be reached by the end of the year but we will not be bound by any timetable that sets limits" http://www.iam141.org/news/contractNews.html.

Hopefully the IAM accomplishes this goal, but if not their timeline for negotiations only expedites our right to self help under the RLA.

Tech further stated that the negotiation process may not occur at all because of the ecomonic turmoil the Country and the airline industry is in. He said that the company could possibly go into Chapter 11 again, I disagree. If the company were to go back to Chapter 11 bankruptcy it may be near impossible for them to find the financing to continue operations. I do agree that the economics do not favor our position but if we do not seriously start to plan this out based on facts and reality and not the "what ifs" as Tech mentions we the unions are giving ourselves a disadvantage at the bargaining table. Again the facts are the company is not currently in bankruptcy or persuing that avenue and the reality is UA is still currently in business and will be through the negotiation process.

With that said every union member reading this should ask yourself this, Why would the company go to such lengths to set up a website like this now if they believed the company was heading back to Chapter 11 or the process of negotiations would take up to three years? The facts are they dont believe either of those outcomes will occur. The company's plan is to get the upper hand in its leverage with the unions of UA.

Also the United Airlines Negotiations website is attempting to show that the company will be taking these negotiations very seriously and wants to be able to persuade the perception to union members that the sky is falling and that UA unions should not plan on getting back the concessions made to our contracts lost through bankruptcy. The perception that industry leading contracts would place the company in financial peril. Perception is critical in negotiations. Perception is a part of the negotiation process and with this website UA is using text book HR strategy to gain support in this aspect. There is a book called Leverage. I would hope that union leaders read this book and understand the strategies the company will use in these negotiations. This website is just the beginning of negotiation strategy at UA. I say lets be optimistic and plan on a strategy that will work in our favor to regain the concessions lost and gain industry leading CBA's. Let the unions dictate preception because if you look at the depth the company went to to develope this website, ie; each unions own tab, numbers of represented employees in each group, industry news and opinion, market environment, and video interviews from the senior vice president of labor relations and his explainations why the website is needed, etc, it shows that they are planning a battle to win perception.

The IAM would like to have the negotiations completed by the end of the year with the disclaimer it may take longer. Nine months is not a long time to get the membership of any union ready for a strike and it's my opinion that striking is the only leverage we have against the company. The preparation time is now.

The best way for me to end this comment is to remind union leaders and members of recent negotiation history, the strike that occured at Northwest Airlines with AMFA represented mechanics. The lesson is is that NWA management prepared for 18 months in advance to replace the striking workers of AMFA and succeeded in winning that battle do to NWA's preparation. Below is a pro management reference to that situation;

"For years, Northwest Airlines had been saddled with the highest labor costs in the entire airline industry. Needing to cut those costs in order to stay competitive, they hoped to bring them closer to the industry average through union negotiations. As a contingency plan in case the talks failed, Northwest made sure they would be able to effectively execute a backup plan to force the union’s hand. By training a group of replacement mechanics for their fleet while they were stuck in the fruitless negotiations with AMFA and then effectively bringing in the replacement workers as soon as the strike began, Northwest has changed the union negotiation battlefield for the entire airline industry". http://primarysource.typepad.com/main/2005...commentary.html

I believe that UA is more than likely planning the same type of back up plan and if the unions at UA don't make the similar strategic plans to battle this history may repeat itself.

 

[UAL_TECH]

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No need to get your panties in a bunch. 😛
FYI, I've lived through a few contract negotiations under the RLA myself and after much delay, threats, more delay, PEB, etc... it just takes time and you'll just vote yes to whatever it is (at least once if not twice ) anyway.

What I find comical is that the contracts are not amendable until the end of 2009 and you come out of the gate with that 'strike' BS.
IMHO, the time to strike has long since passed (last contract) and UncleUnited knows it as well.

Just be happy you have a job...

B) xUT

 

[gatemech]

There will be no strikes. Obama will step in. IAM is in Tiltons pocket just as is the IBT. You will get what
they want you to have and like it. These are the times we live in. Don't like it get another job. Remember
this. When it is all over I bet I am right.