June 23, 2006
Dear
United Airlines Mechanic and Related Employees:
After
nearly four years of broken promises and
ineffective representation, it is time for
United Airline’s Mechanic & Related workers to
put their careers back on track.
AMFA
was totally unprepared to take on Northwest
Airlines, and their ill-advised strike’s
embarrassing failure has destroyed the myth that
a union or any single craft or class of airline
workers can be successful in isolation. The
stage is set for a similar disaster at United
Airlines, where United has been allowed to cut
the workforce in half and eliminate decades of
IAM-negotiated job security by scheduling
overseas aircraft maintenance.
United also saddled its Mechanic & Related
workers with a 401(k) retirement plan that puts
all the investment risk on their employees,
provides no guaranteed benefit and comes with
the possibility of retirees outliving their
40(k) savings.
While
some unions were wasting members’ dues money on
ill-fated lawsuits, only the Machinists Union
took action and secured our members’ retirement
with the best defined benefit pension plan in
the industry. IAM members are the only United
employees with a secure, fully funded defined
benefit pension plan, and the Machinists Union
is the only union who has negotiated secure
pensions for workers at US Airways, Northwest
Airlines, Continental Airlines and Aloha
Airlines.
The
IAM is the sole union in the airline industry
who can successfully negotiate a new pension
plan, and United’s Mechanic & Related employees
can only have this valuable benefit with IAM
representation.
AMFA
was an experiment that failed, but there is
still time for positive change at United
Airlines. Several unions have expressed interest
in representing United’s Mechanic & Related, but
the Machinists Union is the common sense choice.
The
IAM aggressively bargains against overseas
maintenance, provides a secure, fully funded
pension plan for its members and has the
experience, resources and bargaining
relationship with United to properly represent
Mechanic & Related workers. The Machinists Union
is the best union for you and your family.
In
representation elections, the possibility of
decertification is a real risk, and the IAM does
not want to jeopardize your right to union
representation. With several unions
participating in the election, however,
participation is increased and the risk of
decertification is greatly reduced.
Therefore, even if you have signed a card for
another union, you should sign and return the
enclosed IAM election authorization card to give
yourself a choice at a secure future.
Sincerely,
Robert Roach, Jr.
GENERAL VICE PRESIDENT |
