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April 6, 2022
To all Association Members:
Today starts the next step in our efforts to deliver a long overdue, and promised vote on which Union, TWU or IAM, should represent all the Members in the Association within the M&R and MLS ranks. The Association was an ill-advised concept put forth at the urging of the late AFL-CIO President, Richard Trumka. President Trumka stated the following in a letter to TWU and IAM International Presidents on April 23, 2013: “Thus, I am urging you to consider a more constructive approach, one in which both unions will share representation rights at the merged airline, with each union retaining its basic pre-merger membership.”
We recognize that President Trumka’s “more constructive approach” may have been thought of as an innovative and peace keeping way at the time. The reality, after trying to represent our Members for the past two years under a structure that forced two completely incompatible Unions together, is unworkable and simply not sustainable. So therefore, after much effort to try and make the Association work, we have been left with no choice but to solicit cards to demand an internal vote. It is time to take our own constructive approach and request that the AFL-CIO undo what was done at their urging by listening to the Association Membership. This will be done by presenting internal authorization cards—which act as the collective will of the affected Memberships.
We have heard loud and clear from our Memberships that they continue to call for a vote. We hear this constantly at Membership meetings, discussions on the floor, and also via the numerous non-AFL-CIO card drives attempting to decertify the Association. We will accomplish this goal by Members signing authorization cards requesting that AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler intervene, like her predecessor did. However, this time by holding an internal AFL-CIO vote. This vote will decide which Union will solely represent the entity known as the Association. To be clear, we are not asking for the removal of the Association completely, as there are items tied directly to the existence of the Association in the JCBA like the IAM medical and pension plans. With the vote outcome, IAM members would become TWU members if the TWU were to prevail, or vice-versa if the IAM were to prevail.
If you want your voice to finally be heard by requesting a vote between TWU and IAM, then sign the authorization card when one is presented to you. If you choose to not sign a card, you are clearly stating that you are okay with the status quo of having the two Unions, TWU and IAM, representing the Association. We urge you to make your voice heard loud and clear.
Moving forward our Locals will “Stand as One,” which is how a Union, and more importantly the Members, should always operate when challenged by management. Unfortunately, we will never be able to truly “Stand as One” as long as there are “Two” Unions in the Association. We urge our Members to Stand as One with us and sign a “We want a Vote” card.
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Fraternally,
Dale Danker President Local 514
Rollie Reaves President Local 567
Gary Schaible President Local 591
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Please see attached for signatures
Link to Podcast: https://www.local591podcast.com/episode-24-special-edition-a-call-to-action-demand-the-vote-you-deserve/
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