Frequently Asked Questions About AMFA

Q: WHAT IS GOING ON—WHO IS THIS AMFA GROUP AND WHAT ARE THEY UP TO?

It appears that small, independent group called AMFA, the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, is attempting to collect authorization cards to decertify the Teamsters as the union representing the Southwest Airlines mechanics and get itself certified for the same purpose. While the AMFA group claims to be an association run for mechanics by mechanics, it is, in fact, run by the McCormick Advisory Group, a real estate firm in New Hampshire, which provides administrative, management and contract negotiation services for the AMFA group. This association has no credibility as a labor group; it only exists on paper.

This group is nothing more than a few people who put together a website and a couple of mailings asking for their support.

Q: AMFA SAYS THEY ARE “INDEPENDENT.” IS THAT TRUE?

No. The McCormick Advisory Group based in Laconia, New Hampshire is representing AMFA. McCormick charges them a hefty fee to do it—getting paid $40,000 per month to do administrative work for AMFA and the NWA mechanics. They must see another golden opportunity to get more money from SWA mechanic to “run” their association.

Additionally, AMFA is represented by Sheham, Sheham, a management law firm. This firm has represented airline management in litigation against union locals. Why would we want a management law firm representing us?

Northwest Mechanics suffered major concessions when inexperienced AMFA negotiators handled their first contract with NWA. It appears that the same people will represent SWA mechanics—unless they are prevented from doing so now!

Q: I SIGNED THE CARD SO WE CAN HAVE A DEBATE?

Signing these cards is not about having a debate. Under the Railway Labor Act, the National Mediation Board will now hold an election to determine if we will continue to be represented by the Teamsters or by this newly formed group funded by The McCormick Advisory Group.

Q: WHAT EFFECT WILL THIS HAVE ON THE CONTINENTAL MECHANICS DAILY OPERATIONS AND OUR FUTURE NEGOTIATIONS?

The unfortunate side effect of the AMFA effort is that it diverts resources and energy at a critical time for our union. This election will be expensive and divisive. In the worst-case scenario, you could end up with no union, which would leave us unrepresented, with no union to negotiate or handle grievances, or day-to-day issues. We would be at the mercy of management on all fronts.

Q: HOW COULD I END UP WITHOUT REPRESENTATION?

In a representation election, each person has the opportunity to vote for a bargaining agent to represent him or her. If neither party vying to be the bargaining agent receives 50 percent plus one vote, Continental mechanics will no longer have a union or a contract.

Q: AMFA SAID THAT THE TEAMSTERS INTERNATIONAL UNION DID NOT HELP DURING THE LAST CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS. IS THIS TRUE?

The International Union provided the services of an outside economist specialist to do detailed comparisons on retirement and actuarial assumptions regarding the cost of the proposals being proposed at the table. The International Union also provided the services of a law firm, who specializes in aviation labor and is well known for his expertise in mergers, scope language and seniority integration.

Q: WHAT PORTION OF MY DUES STAYS WITH OUR LOCAL AND WHAT PORTION IS SENT TO THE INTERNATIONAL UNION?

Most of our dues, 78%, remain with Local Unions. A portion goes to the International Union, 22%. Your dues pay for the full time representation and services provided by our union. The International Union provides a significant number of services for our union, including political action, education and training, research, safety and health and strategic campaigns.

Q: AMFA IS SAYING THAT THE TEAMSTERS UNION MAINLY REPRESENTS TRUCK DRIVERS AND WE NEED A SPECIAL UNION TO REPRESENT US—PROFESSIONAL MECHANICS?

This is a stale myth based on statistics more than two decades old. It comes as a surprise to many when they learn that the Freight Division at the IBT currently comprises less than 10 percent of the union. The Teamsters, with 1.4 million members, are the nation’s largest and most diverse private sector union.

Globally, the Teamsters represent pilots, flight attendants, aircraft mechanics, ticket agents, firefighters, police officers, nurses, chemists, attorneys, social workers and other professionals, in addition to mechanics. The various divisions at the Teamsters Union and the Local Unions around the country provide specialized services for each profession.

The Teamsters Airline Division is dedicated to representing the nearly 50,000 Teamsters in the airline industry.

With an affiliated union, one of the primary principles is that collectively we are stronger than we are alone. If a stand-alone, single union were effective, that would be the standard for collective bargaining. It is not. Which union would Southwest Airlines rather sit across the table from—a 1,600-member stand-alone union or an 1.4-million-member union that has the support, the resources and the members of the nation’s largest international transportation union?

By working together in one powerful union, we all add strength to one another’s objective: to obtain better wages, benefits and working conditions.

Q: DO MY DUES HELP FUND TEAMSTER MEMBERS PENSION FUNDS?

No. As noted above the dues are for the day-to-day operations of our Local Union and the services of the International Union. The employers, not the Locals, fund the Teamster member pensions.

Q: WHY DON’T WE HAVE A SPECIAL DEPARTMENT FOR MECHANICS?

We do—the Airline Division of the International Union. The Locals represent the mechanics. The Airline Division provides services for the Locals representing all mechanics. The goal of the Airline Division is to provide specialized knowledge for our members and focuses only on issues relating to the airline industry.

Q: DOES AMFA HAVE A LARGE STRIKE FUND LIKE THE TEAMSTERS?

No. In fact, AMFA has no strike fund at all. Consider this: it would cost over $160,000 a week just to pay a $100 strike benefit. The Teamsters now have in place a stand-alone Strike Fund that will have upwards of $50 million by the time our next contract comes up for negotiations. This fund will pay striking mechanics four times our dues rate in strike benefits.

And, even though the Bush administration has made it clear that they would generally intervene in strike situations—they might not. And, the next President may certainly provide airline workers with improved strike options.

Q: WHY SHOULDN’T WE CONSIDER VOTING FOR AMFA EVEN IF IT MEANS VIRTUALLY STARTING FROM SCRATCH?

AMFA is a website and a P.O. Box. It’s a few unhappy members who are going down the wrong road. We all have problems and issues we’d like to see addressed, whether it’s in our relationships, our family, our job or our life. But we don’t throw out what we have for a pipe dream. We’re mature professionals. The AMFA crowd is asking us to gamble with our professional lives on issues that are more properly addressed in the existing structure that has served us quite well for decades.

Rather than change unions, let us mend it rather than end it. Let us know what is not working and let us work together to fix and continue the relationship we prospered from over the past twenty years.