I found this on FACEBOOK and wanted to share it with you. I took two paragraphs to highlight this person’s information.
Sincerely,
Jose Arturo Ibarra
“I agree that it would be a long fight for AFA to start another organizing campaign at Delta if they loose for a third time; however, it will be a breeze for a well qualified union to come in one year. Let’s not forget one little detail that drives AFA nuts, the PFAA took out the almighty Teamsters union in 2003 with only a card drive and five organizers. It is not about the union, it is about what the flight attendants want, and right now, there is an ever growing ground swell of flight attendants who are having second thoughts about their marriage with the AFA and are longing for a better choice of unions.”
Now if I Vote No to AFA, then in October, I will get:
A 14% pay and benefit raise.
No longer have to pay $43.00 in monthly dues for all the unnecessary drama.
The junior flight attendants no longer fly year round permanent reserve.
We all get to look forward to flying with each other sooner than later.
We get to fly all of the new routs.
We get to drop and trade trips much easier.
We start getting our downtown layovers again.
We get a better choice of unions to pick from in a year while Delta keeps us at industry pay and working conditions to keep a union out.
We will never have to hear AFA’s spokesman; Sgt Schultz, responding to our questions with, “I know nothing, I see nothing, I can do nothing for years to come!”
No Way AFA
Jack Rosso
Janette,
Let’s start by taking a rather arrogant line from a Pat Friend’s letter to Guy Meek back in 2005: (1)
“There is an ever growing ground swell from NWA flight attendants who are frightened for their future and desperately seeking the guidance and sanctuary of AFA-CWA.” (1)
(1) http://issuu.com/jackrosso/docs/2005_afa_raid_letter_pat_friend_to_guy_meek
It is now 2010 and perhaps it is beginning to sink into you senior AFA peeps that; there is an ever growing ground swell of PMNW/PMDL flight attendants who have serious doubts about AFA’s ability to get anything done.
At the moment they have open contracts with over 20 airlines. http://www.afanet.org/default.asp?id=5
The organization has yet to set it’s mental at Delta and perhaps never will. If you are unable to negotiate contracts at USAir and United in a timely fashion, then who is kidding who when it comes to Delta?
On behalf of the ever-growing avalanche of serious questions we are asking; we like to thank you for finally acknowledging that we exist by posting comments on the “NO Way AFA” web site.
On the thread called, “Small Sample of how afa elections work....” you made three posts in response to several questions ask of you and AFA.
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=17795&post=143280&uid=55660023326#!/topic.php?uid=55660023326&topic=17795
Post 83:
Average Joe and AFA?
In 2007 during the second set of elections for the LEC officers for the biggest AFA base in DTW, you were endorsed by a nasty email sent out by an operative of the Average Joe. You questioned whether this email even existed by saying,
“I would never write something like this and it unfortunate that "Jack" felt the need to spread falsehoods to defeat our chance for a legal contract at Delta.”
My response: I did not make up this email, it really existed and it was sent out on the following format:
http://issuu.com/jackrosso/docs/2007_lec_94_elections_vote
It was sent on 9/28/2007 at 5:22EST
The sender was Chris Joyce who is a DTW flight attendant.
The return email address was: Chris_Joyce_rqwqtrs@cmpgnr.com
The subject line was: LEC94 Elections--VOTE!!
Perhaps you should speak to your friends at Average Joe and Chris Joyce about the whereabouts of this email. Average Joe as you know, brags about the size of their ever-growing email list. Average Joe has fine-tuned the art of attacking anything or anyone who dares question the AFA mantra. Here is an example of one vindictive video made and posted about a dues paying AFA member:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbkDw5bi888&feature=related
Janette, you said in post 83:
“Just for the record, I neither wrote nor "endorsed" this letter or anyone like it”
Okay you did not write it; however in your post, you are coming off like you knew nothing. Letters are being written by Average Joe and you are like Sgt Schultz in the TV show, Hogans Heros, “I know nothing, I see nothing, I hear nothing.” Is this AFA’s position whenever Average Joe comes up?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34ag4nkSh7Q
Is this what we will hear a year from now when everybody is asking; “Where’s the contract?
Average Joe has been called a cesspool on this site and for good reason, yet you and AFA refuse to condemn their questionable actions. Instead, Pat Friend rewarded the webmaster of Average Joe and his side kick after the PFAA /AFA election in 2006 with the positions of MEC Vice President and LEC President of DTW. To this day, neither you, Daniel Grey nor the AFA have taken any position to condemn or distance yourselves from Average Joe.
On post 83 you said:
“We all know from this discussion board that some have strong feelings in an election and they are not always expressed in a helpful or professional way.”
Before you pass judgment on this “discussion board”, you should look at what your paid AFA volunteers are posting on your WC site.
“This endeavor has, arguably, killed some of us and has almost killed some others of us. Why would any individual work to his or her death for this endeavor? I will tell you why....unionism is worth it's weight in gold or whatever we deem, at this moment, worthy of death. I would fight to my death for this endeavor.” Kim Evasic http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=62602435887&topic=62708 Post 1
In another post Kim gave us a little insight about her feelings towards anyone who’s against the AFA:
“We WILL be successful because there are lots of flight attendants that are supportive. After we win anyone that isn't supportive is only hurting him or herself and is ignorant.”
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=55660023326&topic=17052 Post 17
I can assure you Janette that we are not a bunch of “ignorant” fools, nor are we a bunch of frightened children desperately seeking the sanctuary of the AFA-CWA. What does frighten us a little is trying to figure out what job Pat Friend promised Kim if AFA wins? I for one do not want her sitting at the negotiation table bargaining for my future; but wait, I have no say in that decision!
Further down on post 83 you said in regards to getting a new union if AFA looses:
“…starting all over again is not simple and its not easy - it never has been and it never will be. Those who don't want us to have a union want to lead us down this false path because they know we'll have to fight long and hard to get one back.”
I agree that it would be a long fight for AFA to start another organizing campaign at Delta if they loose for a third time; however, it will be a breeze for a well qualified union to come in one year. Let’s not forget one little detail that drives AFA nuts, the PFAA took out the almighty Teamsters union in 2003 with only a card drive and five organizers. It is not about the union, it is about what the flight attendants want, and right now, there is an ever growing ground swell of flight attendants who are having second thoughts about their marriage with the AFA and are longing for a better choice of unions.
In post 87 you talk about the on going fiasco at USAirways and how the flight attendants are waiting for the pilots to get their contract and seniority settled. You are quick to point out that we’re nothing like USAirways, which leads us to believe that AFA has a better relationship with the pilots at NWA. Excuse me, Delta pilots now. If we have such a close relationship with the Delta pilots, then why did we not hear a peep from ALPA when AFA filed the Scope Grievance in the spring of 2010? You remember that pesky scope grievance to stop the Delta pilots from mixing with the PMNW crews on the same aircraft and vise versa. What ever happened to that grievance? Did it go the way of the Red Dress grievance or the failed Letter of 35 pay “Me Too” grievance?
Why did AFA not file that grievance a year earlier in 2009 when the company first announced that they were going to cross train all the crews while the pilots were negotiating their combined contract? Back then the grievance might have had some merit, as it would have affected something that was at that that time, not implemented. When this scope grievance finally goes to an arbitrator, just how are they going to rule? On one extreme they could just throw the grievance out as unenforceable. On the other extreme, they could rule that the PMNW flight attendants can only fly with PMNW pilots on the 747 only. If that happens, then we will be laying off over half of the PMNW workforce and displacing most of the rest to other bases. Let’s hope that does not happen, but who knows, the future is a little uncertain, and AFA thrives on fear and uncertainty.
Finally on post 91 you said:
“Again, just to be clear in regards to this issue - Delta flight attendants will NOT pay dues at all until a new joint contract is negotiated and ratified by the members.”
This is something that I take major issue with.
It’s totally unjust that while we spend three to five years to negotiate a “World Class Contract,” the PMDL flight attendants pay nothing. What a deal for them! Now think about this for a moment. PMDL wants to get rid of the Social Security offset and if that provision is not there with the first contract, then they will send it back to negotiations. Meanwhile we PMNW continue to live under a bankruptcy contract with bankruptcy pay and working conditions. How many PMNW flight attendants have been enjoying their long domestic layovers at airport hotels this summer while the pilots go downtown.
The consensus on the web is that starting in October, the PMDL flight attendants will be making 14% more than we PMNW bankruptcy flight attendants. My flying average is 83 hours a month, which works out to a pay difference of over $7000.00 a year. So if three years go by and PMDL, who are the majority of the voters, turns down the first contract proposal, then I am out $21,000.00 and a lot of downtown layovers. If in five years the PMDL flight attendants turn down another contract because they did not get what they wanted, then I’m out $35,000.00. Until a combined agreement is reached, Delta is free to do whatever they want with the PMDL pay. So they may get more pay raises over the years while we’re stuck at bankruptcy wages.
Personally, I have no faith in AFA’s negotiating abilities based on their track record at United and USAirways, so don’t even pander to me that AFA will negotiate retroactive pay for the PMNW flight attendants. It will not happen. What will happen is that in three to five years, we will vote on a Delta like contract and PMNW will come up to PMDL pay and benefits and AFA will get their true goal of $43.00 a month times 22,000 flight attendants or $946,000.00 a month or $11,352,000.00 a year. This is all great for AFA, but I’m not sure it is great for me.
Now if I Vote No to AFA, then in October, I will get:
A 14% pay and benefit raise.
No longer have to pay $43.00 in monthly dues for all the unnecessary drama.
The junior flight attendants no longer fly year round permanent reserve.
We all get to look forward to flying with each other sooner than later.
We get to fly all of the new routs.
We get to drop and trade trips much easier.
We start getting our downtown layovers again.
We get a better choice of unions to pick from in a year while Delta keeps us at industry pay and working conditions to keep a union out.
We will never have to hear AFA’s spokesman; Sgt Schultz, responding to our questions with, “I know nothing, I see nothing, I can do nothing for years to come!”
No Way AFA
