Sign A Card Now, Even If Hoffa Isn't Interested

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
We need the Teamsters, and they need us, but as of now, they are not interested in an organizing drive at Express. Interestingly, they are currently trying to organize the aircraft mechanics at American Airlines, which is an opportunity for us to sign union cards online that are RLA-specific, since AA is also under the Railway Labor Act.

Go to www.teamsters.org and pick your region and submit your card. They are meant for AA employees, but who really cares? A flood of additional cards is always a good thing and might awaken the Teamsters to the possibilities over here at Express. So far, they continue to ignore us, and calls and emails are not returned, never a good sign. Eventually, they will figure out that they need to take a chance on Express and pump-up their waning membership levels. There are a lot of Express employees who have finally determined that Fred S does not have their best interests at heart and that the situation will never improve until we are organized.

American mechanics are a small group of employees, that work in a limited number of locations, and have the power to shut the whole place down. We are too large, and too spread-out, but we DO have the power to severely damage Express operations...if we work together on Purple Flu Days etc. This might also attract IBT attention to the fact that we are actually serious about fighting Mr. Smith.
 

Slave101

Well-Known Member
Express clearly could give a **** about their employees. If no one speaks up they will continue to take advantage of your hard work. People company my ***, how does everyone feel about the crappy 2% raise and your insurance premium offsetting that much more. Think about it........
 

Slave101

Well-Known Member
Top pay? Good luck because its really hard to get to and in the 30 years it does take to reach it, minimum wage will be more... Smh, can't wait to say goodbye once for all
 

StuffItFred

Well-Known Member
Express clearly could give a **** about their employees. If no one speaks up they will continue to take advantage of your hard work. People company my ***, how does everyone feel about the crappy 2% raise and your insurance premium offsetting that much more. Think about it........

What do you expect from our wonderful leader fecal matter Freddy? I wish he and Happy Hands would take PandaExpress 1 for a flight to China with about half the amount of fuel needed to make it.
 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
What do you expect from our wonderful leader fecal matter Freddy? I wish he and Happy Hands would take PandaExpress 1 for a flight to China with about half the amount of fuel needed to make it.

It would be like Oz when the house lands on the first wicked witch.
 

PiedmontSteward

RTW-4-Less
Not to dissuade you at all, but IBT pulled out of this campaign after they lost the election a few weeks ago.

To be completely frank, we (the Teamsters) seem to be more interested in raiding other unions for members than actually organizing hard targets these days. There were legitimate gripes with IAM, but we need to stop poaching.
 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
Not to dissuade you at all, but IBT pulled out of this campaign after they lost the election a few weeks ago.

To be completely frank, we (the Teamsters) seem to be more interested in raiding other unions for members than actually organizing hard targets these days. There were legitimate gripes with IAM, but we need to stop poaching.

I think I get it. AA mechanics were already IAM, and the Teamsters were attempting to get them to go IBT? BTW, loved your comment about SD. Whenever I grind out a huge loaf, it is named for FS.
 

PiedmontSteward

RTW-4-Less
I think I get it. AA mechanics were already IAM, and the Teamsters were attempting to get them to go IBT? BTW, loved your comment about SD. Whenever I grind out a huge loaf, it is named for FS.

Exactly. While this article mentions another attempted raid on TWU, it mentions the IAM mechanics as well: Teamsters drop effort to organize American Airlines mechanics | Airline Biz Blog

The Teamsters had also attempted to get mechanics and related employees to switch allegiance from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. In results announced Monday [article dated 8/16/13], the IAM retained its position, with the Teamsters getting only 42 percent of the vote.

With only 10% (and dropping) of the US work force organized, there's few reasons for the IBT to be sinking cash into campaigns against other unions.

I came across this article last week and, although it focuses on unions that use Right-to-Work as an excuse for not organizing in the south, I feel that it can be applied to the RLA situation in regards to FedEx: http://www.southernstudies.org/2013/08/creating-a-culture-of-unionism-in-the-south.html

. Right-to-work doesn't prevent union organizing; it prevents ****ty union organizing. The labor movement should always be engaged in an effort to repeal right-to-work laws at the state level, and the effects that those laws have on unions and organizing have long been documented elsewhere. But until that happens, the struggle for worker justice must continue to be fought, even where it seems to be the most difficult or intransigent. To that end, visibility is an absolute necessity, as there are people in Southern states who think that they can't form unions because of right-to-work. Taking the time and energy to demystify the jargon and give a worker the information she needs to make an informed decision is, in a word, organizing. As an example, there are UAW-organized plants in North Carolina with membership levels rivalling those of plants in Michigan, and even in the explicitly open-shop federal government, where the union has to provide support to non-members, the American Federation of Government Employees' locals representing the Bureau of Prisons have very high rates of organization. How these two very different unions manage this feat is similar: they are very proactive at getting new hires on-board the first day. When it comes down to it, servicing your members and showing people that there is power in a union can go a long way towards increasing union density, no matter where you reside.

If a true grass roots effort emerges at Express and cards start coming in from terminals all over the country, then we would absolutely need to get some skin in the game and give the labor movement a shot in the arm.
 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
Exactly. While this article mentions another attempted raid on TWU, it mentions the IAM mechanics as well: Teamsters drop effort to organize American Airlines mechanics | Airline Biz Blog



With only 10% (and dropping) of the US work force organized, there's few reasons for the IBT to be sinking cash into campaigns against other unions.

I came across this article last week and, although it focuses on unions that use Right-to-Work as an excuse for not organizing in the south, I feel that it can be applied to the RLA situation in regards to FedEx: Creating a culture of unionism in the South



If a true grass roots effort emerges at Express and cards start coming in from terminals all over the country, then we would absolutely need to get some skin in the game and give the labor movement a shot in the arm.

As I have said, that's why we need the Teamsters and they need us. Without new membership, unions are doomed to extinction, which is exactly what the Right would love to see happen. Too bad Hoffa is so passive, and raiding other unions for members seems desperate and a costly waste of time.
 
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