Obviously this is redtail bait. Ok, here I go.
Our negotiations have been government mediated for four and a half years. The mediation board finally declared an impasse last month and put us on a thirty day cooling off period, after which both sides would be allowed to go to self-help, either a strike or lock-out. The thirty day cooling off period is the time when actual negotiations take place, because there is finally a deadline to contribute a sense of urgency to the whole game. Bush’s announcement of invoking a Presidential Emergency Board takes away any pressure from the company to settle a contract and pushes back a possible strike date to May 12th. On that day, if we go on strike, Congress can impose the recommendations of the PEB on us.
Bush’s announcement weakens the union’s position. Our group is extremely bitter and militant of the company breaking its promises to us. We helped bail the company out from their misguided LBO by taking pay cuts, and have watched our standard of living erode over the years as inflation has overtaken our wages. Now that the company is making record profits and there is a shortage of aircraft mechanics, we would like our due.
The government has weakened our position, and we are being treated as serfs.
Try
www.startribune.com search facility to find background on this dispute, as well as
www.amfa33.org .