BY MARK FRIEDMAN
LOS ANGELES - In an August 31 open letter to all members
of the International Association of Machinists (IAM) at
Northwest Airlines, International President Thomas
Buffenbarger announced the formation of a "new airline
district within the ranks of our Northwest members. The new
district will service our mechanics and related members [i.e.
cleaners] while the existing District 143 will continue to
represent equipment service [ramp], passenger, reservation,
office and clerical, flight kitchen, and guard members."
This comes at a time when the 27,000 members of the IAM and nearly 11,000 Teamster-organized flight attendants are in contract battles with the bosses. The Northwest pilots just concluded a victorious strike against the company, having won broad support from the Machinists, Teamsters, and workers in many other industries. The pilots won significant wage and benefit increases, as well as a phased end to the two-tier wage system - a key issue in the IAM and Teamster contracts.
Over the past few months, informational picket lines organized by the IAM and Teamsters in more than a dozen cities began to unite the workforce in opposition to the bosses' demands for concessions despite record profits.
Northwest workers in all classifications are discussing and debating the separate district proposal in light of attempts by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) to separate the mechanics and cleaners from the greater body of 27,000 IAM members at Northwest. The National Labor Relations Board scheduled a union representation election for the mechanics and cleaners beginning October 16, with mail-in ballots scheduled to be counted on November 20. The NLRB has consistently linked these groups together, although AMFA has legally challenged this and tried to jettison the cleaners. Meanwhile, Northwest's owners have taken this opening to break off all contract talks.
More IAM members are recognizing that AMFA is not a craft union that happens to be carrying out a raid to divide the workforce, but rather a pro-company organization whose logic is to weaken and ultimately bust the Machinists union.
Los Angeles Northwest ramp worker Herb Bradley pointed out, "AMFA is not a real union and I'm opposed to the separation proposal by the IAM leadership because it divides us among ourselves and caters to one group." He added that others will make the same threat to get a district solely for themselves. "The IAM officials don't understand the frustration of the members, and a separate district sends a bad message that makes AMFA look right. It destroys the basic principals of unionism." Bradley said the IAM's actions can only send a message that splitting the union is good and thus backs AMFA's contention that the mechanics would do better if they negotiated alone.
Ramp worker Armando Soto commented, "When you separate people it weakens you. AMFA leaders don't care about the people. They never supported the IAM strikers in their fight against Frank Lorenzo at Eastern Airlines. AMFA's not supporting other unions and they won't support the mechanics in the long run."
Soto said he was referring to AMFA members' refusal to back and participate in the recent IAM informational picket lines in Los Angeles to fight for a decent contract. Other Northwest workers here point out AMFA leaders' opposition at local union meetings to supporting the United Farm Workers financially and their support to government attacks on immigrant workers and affirmative action. Others challenge AMFA's arguments that mechanics should receive more in wages and benefits by taking the money from ramp workers' wages.
An example of AMFA's antiunion stance was the statement by one of its Los Angeles leaders, Joe Klemowitz. During a discussion with half a dozen mechanics about the separate district and labor solidarity, Klemowitz said he did not support the recent pilots strike because "they are just overpaid bus drivers." There are many other mechanics who agree with AMFA and plan on voting for them.
Marilyn Brown, a cleaner at Northwest here, said, "I don't think we should be separated. We should all stand together. I will stay with the IAM. AMFA is making false promises they can't keep."
Ground equipment mechanic Jim Milan said that he wouldn't vote for AMFA. "I believe we should stick together as a group and everybody should be respected in their classification." The majority of mechanics and cleaners in Los Angeles voted for the last contract offer, but it was soundly defeated nationwide. Milan's response was different. "The company is making a lot of money," he noted. "We shouldn't settle for the crumbs management threw at us. Corporate management shows no respect to the blue-collar worker. It was a slap in the face when they lined their pockets and we took concessions."
James Hicks, an aircraft mechanic at Northwest in Duluth, Minnesota, said he believes "the proposed separation of the mechanics seems to say that AMFA's ideas on representing only mechanics is a successful plan. In reality, the track record is dismal, which is what the bosses like. The division returns the union to the old system of dividing the workers by trade. This was overcome by the massive union organizing victories in the 1930s led by industrial workers and later the merger of the AFL-CIO."
The logic of the IAM officialdom's move was not lost on the AMFA leadership, which has now tasted blood. In a September 1 newsletter entitled "Fool me once, Shame on you," the pro-company outfit says, "First the IAM has accused us of being elitists and now they create a district just for a select few."
"A separate union is the only sensible and viable solution," read a statement issued on their website. "We will not be subject to the demands of ticket agents and baggage handlers...[or] distracted by baggage handlers and agents."
Mark Friedman is a ramp worker at Northwest and a member of IAM Local 2785.