It’s
a sad and shoddy day when a union willingly agrees to flush away the jobs of
its dues paying members out of weakness, ineptitude, and what appears to be a
general lack of interest for the well being of its constituents at smaller,
regional airlines.
But
it’s especially alarming when the airline that is doing the outsourcing has
just raked in a multi-billion dollar profit, and the union representing the
workers has rolled over and played dead.
WHO SAYS YOU CAN’T GO BACKWARDS IN
NEGOTIATIONS?
As
reported last week by the Associated Press, and in a number of other media
outlets, an IAM spokesperson noted that the Machinists have NEGOTIATED to outsource nearly 1,200 jobs mostly
at United’s regional carrier United Express (but also at United mainline); mostly a cavalier dismissal of dues
paying members who must somehow count less, because they mostly wear
United Express uniforms and not United’s.
What
remains unexplained is what must have gone so dreadfully wrong in negotiations.
How
did the IAM capitulate so easily? Where is the “Voice” and the “Mature
Relationship” that they keep touting in the Delta campaign? Never mind
“industry leading”. Thanks to IAM, these employees
are no longer even IN the industry!
Why
would the Machinists abandon so many jobs, with oil plunging and airline stocks
soaring? Why would they let down so many of their hard-working, dues-paying
members? With negotiations skills like this, it’s no wonder their membership
rolls are plummeting. IAM KEEPS OUTSOURCING ITS
MEMBERSHIP!
United
Continental Holdings, aka United Airlines, reported a nearly $2 billion full
year profit for 2014 – clearly there’s plenty of money to pass around over at
the friendly skies. Meanwhile at IAM, all a union spokesperson could muster was
that the all but certain OUTSOURCING “is
truly unfortunate.”
Just think: for $14 million per year, the Delta
flight attendants can hire the same IAM spokesperson. Now, THAT would be “truly
unfortunate”.
IAM will now force its members (at each airport) to vote
to OUTSOURCE their own JOBS. And again, just
like Machinists did with the NWA ground employees, they have pitted union
members against each other with this contract. They have ganged up the larger
workstations against the smaller ones. Members in these cities will actually be
voting on a contract that will COST
them their jobs:
Atlanta, Anchorage, Boise, Fort Myers,
Greensboro, Hartford, Jacksonville, Kansas City, McAllen, Miami, Nashville,
Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Ontario, Providence, Raleigh-Durham, Richmond, Sacramento,
St. Louis, Spokane, West Palm Beach.
IAM + Delta flight attendants =
Dead End
