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MSP Airline Rep Strike Update
09/27/05
Rich Nygaard- Airline Rep
One of the top questions on the picket line; "is the strike having an affect on the company?" To answer that question I will coin a phrase from Herb Brooks "It looks to me like a monkey humping a football." In my opinion that analogy best describes the company's maintenance operation as it stands today. I know the company touts the operation is back to normal; well, I
for one cannot recall normal being operated like this. I also cannot remember the last time I saw the VP of Technical Operations wrenching on an aircraft in the hangar, let alone inadvertently deploying a slide; albeit I have only been with the company for 20 years. So if this is "normal
operation" I would hate to see an abnormal operation. Speaking of abnormal, I have yet to find one company let alone an airline that pays its managers, directors or VP's to work as laborers. Nevertheless, Mr. Steenland states that everything is fine, the operation is normal; and you still wonder why we are in bankruptcy.
Scabs! Throughout history there have been Judas's, traitors, defectors and of course scabs. The inept and those who cannot think for themselves will always betray your cause. Since labor first raised their picket signs there have been scabs, this is an ugly fact we simply cannot change. Who are these scabs? They are people who like to point their fingers and assign blame. They never take personal responsibly for their actions. They cower in the corner during a fight and they were always the ones to cut their own deals with the company. Some try to use words like courage and conviction to defend their actions, how dare they! These two words are the foundation of America; they are used to describe heroes and should not be used as shields to protect the morally inept. Yes there are a few scabs who have crossed our picket lines and are currently working but you need to ask yourself; is the company really better off having them on the property? I think not. From what the membership has told me, these scabs never worked
before the strike so I have a hard time believing they would add any value now. They are just helping the operation run "normally".
Strikes are never easy, nor are they meant to be. They have pitted father against son, brother against brother, destroyed friendships and relationships. This is the price we sometimes have to pay in order to preserve our dignity and beliefs. For our members still walking the picket line, your cause is just. The company has never negotiated in good faith; their real bottom line is the elimination of all AMFA members. After spending tens of millions of dollars and eighteen months of planning, there was no stopping their butchery. This was readily evident during our last round of negotiations in downtown Minneapolis. We offered the company our portion of the labor cost saving, they turned it down. They even had the audacity throw it back in our faces and asked for more by means of contractual language changes. So now it is not just about the money, they want the money and they want it their way. Well this ain't Burger King and
the company isn't going to have it their way.
Yes, there is still hope to reach an agreement with the company. Your negotiating committee remains prepared to meet with the company whenever they are ready to address our repeated requests for job protection, severance pay and maintaining contractual language that is fair to all of our members. Never compromise your beliefs and values, especially to a company that never respected them.
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