kronan

In the NW situation, the mechanics knew going into their strike that the pilots and FAs were not going to support it. Both the pilots and FAs looked at the company's books and made the decision to accept some contract concessions. The mechanics did not, and furthermore, gave the company several months of advance notice that they were going to strike and that they were playing hardball. That gave mgt enough time to find and train replacement mechanics.
The mechanics elected to fight to the bitter end, and it sure ended bitterly. After Day 1 of the strike, when the impact on the NW flying schedule was so minimal, I was hoping the mechanics would give up the lost cause.

USATODAY.com - Mechanics strike at Northwest appears over

"You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run."
The Gambler

AerisArmis

For the record, JJ is a "Formally MD-11 Capt".

FDXLAG

Build a 1000 bridges, and do they call him "Peire the bridge builder"?

accumulator

Its reassuring to know that we have the moral support of our flight crews during our attempt to organize the mechanics class and craft . Having said that we definitely understand the reality of our undertaking and would not expect anything more than what is legal under the R.L.A.
I brought the topic up on your forum to hopefully shed some light on our movement and initiate some discussion, whether it be pro or con . I assure you all the comments were well taken, and I will pass them along to my fellow mechanics. The positive words will surely give us an energy boost as we try to overcome all the obstacles set up by the company to dissuade us.
Of course any positive words from the pilots group always carries much weight in our group, not only because you have already gone through this battle, but because you are a professional group much respected in our ranks.
We agree that contract language is everything, one of the strongest points the Teamsters make is that contract scope and language is everything. Northwest is a good example of AMFA gaining compensation while giving up scope and language to outsource maintenance. What good is pay with out a job.
Again thanks for the input and ongoing discussion, rest assured you have friends on the ground keeping you above all else, safe. Regards Accumulator

tennesseeflyboy

Although deemed illegal, the PATCO strike was ill conceived and executed partly due to PATCO bragging to the FAA that they were going to engage in a strike against the U.S. Government, about three years in advance of the actual strike !!! Don't show your cards until you are ready ..............................

BigWatchPilot

Accumulator...

I find when on a trip and the topic of mechanic unionization comes up EVERY crew member I have spoken with is morally supportive and enthusiastic about what you are fighting for.

Summer of 2007 we saw a lot of mechanics come on the plane after we land and discuss anything new that was going on. It really seamed like the ball was rolling. The positive reaction that the pilots would give gave an obvious boost to our mechanics. By winter last year things quieted down and we did not hear anything as to where you were at in the process. We received most all of our info this way and it was helpful. (This was my personal experience)

It wasn't until late in 2008 that I have heard much of anything and the line mechanics that we see after a flight haven't really said much.

Hope this helps...BWP

Underdog

JJ, I don't know if you were here in the late 80's and early 90's or not, but, I would have to raise the BS flag as to whether or not the pilots faced an uphill battle in our quest to unionize. Bringing a union on board was indeed a difficult journey. Even after ratification, we faced an uphill battle. That battle was amongst ourselves regarding support for our leadership. That lack of support led to years lost prior to obtaining our first contract.

Luckily, after nearly five years, we had our first contract. More importantly, the ground swell of support for our MEC grew exponentially. This support continued to the point where mantra's such as "my negotiating committee speaks for me" became the norm. That can be good. Unfortunately, the responsibility of the leadership becomes ever increasingly important to fulfill their moral and fiduciary responsibilities to their constituents, the membership at large.

Actions, or lack thereof, over the past two years by our leadership and key committee groups have caused this pilot group to regress years in our cohesiveness as a union, IMHO. Yes, we have to vote and ratify LOA's and the like. Hopefully, in the future, the membership will do their own homework, or demand accountability. If not, use caution when proclaiming your union speaks for you.

As for the mechanics quest, if my memory serves me correctly, they attempted to organize at least once before. I believe they were almost successful about 8-9 years ago in obtaining a vote for unionizing. The company offered a 27% pay raise, and with that, the push to unionize died overnight. Good luck in your quest.

⌐ AV8OR WANNABE

Yeah, no kidding...

⌐ AV8OR WANNABE

Accumulator - pardon my ignorance (I'm a brown guy) but are you guys part of the actual Fedex or independent contractors like the drivers are?

Wish you luck in whatever y'all decide to pursue...

FDXLAG

They are team players they get a pen and pencil set at the 5 year point just like the rest of us. The independent operators are mostly associated with FEDEX Ground not Express (literal meaning of term independent operator). What is renewing their interest is all non union FEDEX employees had their DB plans messed with a couple of years ago.