Recently, AMFA began distributing an email and posting it on their website titled “How much more can we give up?” The email and corresponding inaccurate editorial are an attempt to willfully deceive the mechanics and related at American Airlines about Teamster representation at United Airlines. There are two points brought up in the email. The first point is that IBT leadership gave away work during bargaining and the second point is that the IBT failed to address blended “low-tech” work in Los Angeles. Now let’s look at the facts.

It makes sense to address the second point first because in fact, AMFA is responsible for this outsourced “low-tech” work. Around 2006, the company began outsourcing interior work done on overnight aircraft in LAX, having the vendor work side by side with AMFA-represented mechanics.

The point of this, according to United, was that they wanted mechanics to do mechanic work and to outsource work such as arm cap replacement and tray table adjustments because that made sense to them. And it apparently made sense to AMFA, too. AMFA agreed and made a back door deal to allow this without a vote by the membership. At a later date, AMFA denied this back door deal was made and yet they never processed a grievance for the work to arbitration. To date, the Teamsters have been successful in drastically reducing the amount of work this vendor does and the negotiating committee is attempting to finally fix this AMFA-created situation in the new agreement.

The first point of the email is just plain false. Like Chicken Little, the author hysterically claims “hundreds more technician jobs will be lost” at UAL. But let’s look at the record since the Teamsters began representing the United mechanics. Every city with the exception of San Francisco, Boston and New York exhausted their recall lists. Currently the SFO recall list has about 100 mechanics on it and that’s down from 2,000. Maintenance has been returned to cities where it was previously outsourced and new cities have been opened as a result of the greatly improved scope language in the interim agreement on the subsidiary United side. In fact, in 2010 IBT attorney Ed Gleason successfully restored the work in question – maintenance towing – in a settlement prior to arbitration that led to the recall of 30 mechanics in LAX and many more across the system. To describe the situation as one of outsourced work and the elimination of hundreds of jobs, as AMFA does, hardly seems to fit with what’s actually transpired over the last five years of Teamster representation at UAL.

The email further states that Clacy Griswold, Ed Gleason and myself agreed with the company to allow this work to be outsourced. To this point, the company approached IBT leadership and made a proposal along the lines described in the email. There was more to the proposal but the point is that neither Clacy, Ed or I have the authority to make a back room deal like AMFA did with the “low-tech” work. In bargaining with the Teamsters, it’s the rank-and-file voting members of the committee who decide whether to accept or reject an offer such as this. Obviously the author of the email confused the Teamsters with one of his former representatives – AMFA or the IAM.

It’s exactly these kinds of lies, poor research, and stupidity that got AMFA kicked off the United property to begin with. The evidence is clear and all anyone needs to do is look, but maybe that’s asking too much from the Keystone Kops of the labor movement.

Sign a TEAMSTER card today and bring the proven strength of Teamster power to American Airlines.

Fraternally,

Bob Fisher
26-year United Mechanic
International Representative Airline Division

For more information, visit the AA Mechanics for Teamsters campaign website or call the campaign hotline at 877-589-4951.

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