AA mechanics eye new union
By D R Stewart World Staff Writer
4/18/99

A Minneapolis-based crafts union is appealing to some workers. More than 100 American Airlines mechanics who are interested in affiliating with a Minneapolis-based crafts union met with a union representative Saturday. Afterwards, they vowed to discuss the issues in American facilities around the country this week.

The mechanics, all members of the Transport Workers Union of America, which has 8,000 members at Local 514 at American Airlines in Tulsa, said dictatorial union officers who seem more sympathetic to airline executives than the union rank-and-file, a series of mediocre contracts and the chance to associate with skilled tradesmen prompted their interest in learning more about Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association.

Held at the Ramada Inn-Central, 8181 E. Skelly Drive, two AMFA informational sessions drew TWU members from Tulsa, Dallas, Fort Worth, Phoenix and California. More than two dozen mechanics who were interviewed following the first session, which concluded about 3 p.m., said they liked what they heard from AMFA National Director O.V. Delle-Femine.

Larry Waldon, a mechanic at American's Alliance Maintenance Base in Fort Worth, said TWU President Dennis Burchette and his officers at Local 514 "hold a total and blatant disregard for democratic principles."

"The leadership of Local 514 is attempting to prevent their members from seeking this (AMFA) information at any cost to protect the current organization," Waldon said. "The vast majority of TWU members believe the TWU has major credibility issues in the ar eas of representation and collective bargaining. . . . The question now becomes: Can TWU members force change both in ideology and structure within the TWU, considering its past record of failure to change, or should we replace the TWU with an organization with those ideologies and structure already in place?"

Delle-Femine said that, in contrast to the TWU, AMFA's 11,000- person membership is 90 percent aircraft mechanics -- employees of Alaska Airlines, Northwest Airlines and its commuter airline partner, Mesaba Airlines. More than half of TWU's 30,000 members are bus drivers and subway workers in New York City and along the Eastern Seaboard.

Delle-Femine said all letters of agreement negotiated between[ 4] AMFA and an airline must be ratified by the membership. At the TWU, letters of agreement have been used by union leaders to insert contract language that the membership had not discussed, said several mechanics.

Rob Bales, a TWU shop steward at American, said he was not convinced by Delle-Femine's presentation that AMFA was preferable to the TWU, although he liked the concept of a craft union.

"AMFA has been soliciting (members) for over 30 years, and other than Alaska, Ozark and Republic (airlines), they have been unable to represent any major airline," Bales said. "It has given me doubts about their ability to properly represent the mechanics at American Airlines."

Delle-Femine said more AMFA information meetings will be held.

If 51 percent of TWU members sign cards certifying their interest in AMFA membership, an election will be called by the National Mediation Board to determine union representation.

D.R. Stewart can be reached at 581-8451.