The National Mediation Board dismissed the Aircraft Mechanic Fraternal Association’s (AMFA) application to conduct a representation election among mechanic and related workers at American Airlines. Last November the AMFA claimed a “representation dispute” existed among American Airlines mechanic and related workers in a filing at the NMB and that they had a majority of the necessary representational cards signed to call for an election. AMFA failed to have enough cards for a showing of interest and has failed in their raid of the maintenance and related membership.
“Once again AMFA’s divisive strategy of preying on the frustrations of our aircraft mechanic and maintenance related workers at American has failed. While we were in a vicious contract battle with American, AMFA organizers were selling snake oil to our members saying that we could not win our fight in delivering the industry’s best contract. But we did just that proving AMFA dead wrong. At the carriers AMFA represents, they continually fail in stopping the outsourcing of aircraft maintenance work” said TWU International Vice President and Air Division Director Gary Peterson.
IAM District 142 President Directing General Chair Dave Supplee added, “It’s time for us to focus on building upon the unity and solidarity that led our negotiating team to the industry leading contract that our maintenance and related members enjoy today. We see that AMFA has failed to deliver for years, just look at their dismal representation record after their raids at both Northwest and United. They made promises to members who voted for AMFA, and it cost too many of those workers their jobs. Look at AMFAs negotiations at Southwest, where after 7 years of negotiating they seemingly gained their members little more than back wages.”
The TWU- IAM Association is the largest union at American Airlines, representing over 30,000 groundworkers at the largest airline in the world.
In solidarity,
