A little history. The first time the teamsters tried getting back in was soon after we fired them and brought in AMFA. While we were getting our officers lined up and voted in the teamster thugs went right to work trying to spread all kinds of lies, false and made up information, and doing everything they could to get the membership to go against AMFA. Then they went as far as trying to pull off a teamster drive, but they were sent packing in about a months period. teamsters were even going to members homes and threatening them and their families, refusing to leave properties and total teamster thug BS to try and threaten their way back in. Some time went on, maybe a couple of years, not really sure, and I believe an AMFA member was fired, suspended or something of that nature and the teamsters tried forcing their way back in again (with the same lies and thug teamsters ways) and they were sent packing in a matter of days, maybe a week. Then some fool made the suggestion that if we can't get AMFA out with the teamsters let's try with the TWU. So with the huge hard on TWU had with AMFA because of the entire AMFA drives at AA, the TWU was more than willing to participate in a card drive at SWA for the AMFA mechanics. Also at this very same time the F/A's were just starting to send a buzz out that they were looking real hard at replacing the TWU representing our F/A's. The TWU was also sent packing in a matter of a few days with no or very few cards signed at all. Not long after that a certain x-teamster union member was dying to get his way, way overly paid compensation back from the teamsters, and just mentioned to one of the x-teamster stewards that he was gonna go ahead with another shot at getting the teamsters in at SWA and the X-teamster steward flat out told him not to waste his time as everyone was extremely happy with how things were with AMFA, he told him that the membership has never been so well informed, sitting in on negotiations at the table, the transparency of unlimited information, the process of being able to remove officers at local level as well as at National level WITHOUT having to completely replace the union, and so on. He finally decided to let it go for the third attempt before it even got off the ground. Wasn't too terribly long after that that AMFA brought out a new contract with added maint, shops work, added headcount. Yea it was a rough start when we first went AMFA as they take a hell of a lot more membership involvement to even run AMFA and I think that is exactly what the mechanics needed at SWA was more control over the union, period. So I would have to say both the teamsters and the TWU are not getting in at SWA. That leaves the 3rd industrial union the IAM. Well just look over at AA and how the IAM is treating their members there. They will not support the TWU's info picketing. They keep switching who is in control of the union every 2 years which just drags out nego's as the 2 different unions keep changing priorities of nego's dependent on who is in charge at the time. Plus, it was the IAM who was the very first union on SWA property to represent the mechanics at SWA. They were the ones that set and allowed the 75% outsourcing ratio from the get go. So I would just scratch those 3 unions off the list. Who else could it be? There really is no other class and craft union out there within the mechanics class to represent. The only other suggestion I have ever heard in a possibility of representing the mechanics at SWA would be to go under the Pilots wings, and that my friends would just crush the company if that were to happen. I am very curious to who he responds with to my question, even if there really was a drive or discussion of a drive, please tell us all what union was being thrown out there to come into SWA to replace AMFA? That question not directed at you Hackman...
