Union leader at American (Airlines) plays down strike chances

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

DALLAS (AP) - A union president at American Airlines said Thursday that federal officials aren't likely to let flight attendants go on strike because of the weak condition of the economy and the airline.

The union and the airline have been negotiating for nearly three years. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants wants pay raises while the airline says labor costs are already too high.

By law, airline workers can't strike unless federal mediators declare a deadlock in negotiations and trigger a 30-day "cooling-off period." Mediators have declined to end the talks at American.

Union President Laura Glading said mediators cited the economy and health of the airline as factors last month. American parent AMR Corp. was the only major U.S. airline company to lose money in 2010 and analysts expect another loss this year.

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20110324/D9M5TD081.html

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FULL story at link.

[IamK]

1. The union and the airline have been negotiating for nearly three years....

3 years seems like a deadlock....

[cpamomfromtexas]

2. Under the Railway Labor Act (which covers Airline unions) Management is rewarded for

dragging their feet.

The NMB said that if the unions would identify their top needs then they would enforce meetings and they could get to cooling off sooner. They lied, and the flight attendants are proof of that.

All the employees gave to save American but our "pro-union" president won't ensure the National Mediation Board does its job.

Under the RLA (which really hamstrings employees), they cannot strike unless released by the NMB. Contracts don't expire, they simply become amendable under the RLA so employees can't walk off the job to press for fair wages or working conditions.

OK, administration, show us you're really pro-union, abolish the Railway Labor Act and allow the workers to walk off the job like other unions. Bet we'll see management bargaining in good faith real quick if that happens (which it won't).

I do have to say I'm proud of the pilot union for voicing support for the Madison workers. It has been controversial though, a lot of pilots don't think when it's their turn to strike, that working people will support them.

I always counsel my union member clients that they need to fight for fair wages even at the higher paying jobs because if management can take from them, then they know they can take from all the rest of the employees even more so it is their obligation to help keep the bar high for everyone.