AFA to File for Election this Summer!

Following an interview with AFA organizer/spokesperson Danny Campbell (NWA flight attendant, former Teamster Local 2000 President, and former PFAA DTW Negotiations team member, and current or former AFA paid staffer), the Atlanta Journal-Constitution “Northwest flight attendants union to file for election” reported (Wednesday, March 25) that AFA now intends to file for a representation election this summer.

In the interview, Campbell declared: “One of the reasons we did not want to be pushed by management into an election as fast as they were trying to prompt it0Ato happen is … we’re finding that the more interaction between the two groups, the more it helps.”

This appears to be a marked shift in a campaign strategy that AFA has never fully communicated to us. On other occasions, AFA has claimed that they were waiting for the Obama administration to replace NMB Chairperson Read Van de Water with a democratic appointee, which happened last week.

And, as you may recall, at one point AFA claimed to be waiting until Delta/Northwest operations were fully merged, and even until the seniority list had been worked out (that is, until they changed their minds and decided that the election had to happen before the seniority list could be worked out).

Now, with the push from Campbell, AFA has agreed that the election must be filed by September 22 – the Autumnal Equinox, or the last day of summer.

Why does AFA continue to delay the election that will – by their own claims – begin the process to get much needed improvements to the contract that AFA imposed on us in 2006? What guarantee do we have that, come summer, they won’t delay this election again? AFA keeps touting the benefits of a legally binding contract. Where is our legally binding contract that dictates AFA to work for our best interests? Where is our legally binding agreement to hold Pat Friend and other AFA leaders accountable for their inaction?

AFA has completed their polling, and according to the 90 or so unelected campaign volunteers who met on our behalf in Baltimore last week, the numbers look good. Additionally, as noted in the Journal-Constitution article, these 90 or so people – whoever they might be, as apparently AFA does not believe that the dues paying members deserve to know – passed some sort of official resolution on our and AFA’s behalf, outlining a time frame for the election. So why all the mystery? And how legally binding is an AFA Resolution anyway? Pat Friend herself has violated several AFA Board of Director Resolutions with complete impunity. If Pat and AFA ignore resolutions passed by elected AFA officials, how binding is a resolution passed by a group of unknown volunteers?

It’s time to pick a date AFA – set the date to begin improving our contract, because until now, there have been no improvements and many erosions to a contract that you claim is “legally binding” We’re getting tired of the empty promises and rhetoric. We will no longer be bullied by intimidations, and fear campaigns. We deserve a concrete plan and a specific election date.

Let’s not end up like the US Airways/America West debacle: without a contract and without a merged seniority list more than 4 years after the merger. It’s time that AFA stop living up to its mistakes of the past and start moving forward.

Let's do it now!

Sincerely,
Jose Arturo Ibarra