Sep 10, 2010

"The Union" is a statement that feeds into management's game of division and separation; we must stay focused on our Union because we are all part of it. Make no mistake; union-busting exists today. Individual wants and desires are exploited in an effort to drive a wedge between members. Identifying the telltale signs is the first step in overcoming the undermining of our unity. STEP UP AND TAKE A STAND TOGETHER!

[03.19.09] -- Especially during Contract Negotiations, we must all be attentive of the realities attached to “divide-and-conquer” tactics that exist. We will need to distinguish the underlying effects and hidden elements of the purposeful erosion of our goals to achieve the Contract we rightfully deserve. We should always be alert and aware of what we see and hear because we may not always be conscious of what it looks like, how it happens, where it exists, or how it sounds. We must also be clear on taking our frustrations on punitive, management-imposed policies and processes and turning them into collective focus on our Negotiations goals. That focus will lead us to a Contract that appropriately reflects the work we do.

Make no mistake; union-busting exists today. It works its way through our ranks on a daily basis, with management sowing the seeds of distrust and misinformation cloaked in many ways through whisper campaigns and the rumor mill. Individual wants, desires, "improvements with fine print attached to them," or "we'll give you this—but there's a catch" will litter the "offers" from management. Divisive issues are often exploited in an effort to drive a wedge between members of our collective work group through tactics that are not obvious or visible on the surface. We must not fall victim to the ever-growing practice of union busting—which is predicated and built upon a foundation of frustration, anger, fear and concern. Identifying the telltale signs is the first step in overcoming the undermining of our Contract Negotiations.

What is union busting and how does it work?

Fear, Frustration & Discord: Union busting is a term that commonly refers to the tactics of creating negative feelings towards unions, union members, or union activists (and believe it or not, it is a multi-billion dollar-a-year business). There are two layers of this practice which include, first, actions to prevent unionization of a work group (with possible intimidation and/or fear tactics through a "union avoidance" campaign), and secondly, the practice of instilling strife or discord within an existing unionized work group (by creation of separate factions, or classifications/titles), through an internal anti-union effort.

Separation & Division: Management, supervisors, and other employees of a company may often refer to union representatives as “the union,” or cast blame or problems on “the union,” or, “the Contract.” In order to create the anti-union and “divide-and-conquer” ideology, the first action is to construct a false environment of separation. Commonly used blanket statements such as “take it up with your union if you have a problem with it” or, “the union agreed to that so call them about it” make it appear that someone other than management is responsible for the problem.

Blame & Distraction: The facts are that both management (including employees such as crew schedulers, supervisors, etc) and Flight Attendants are legally bound by the terms of the Contract, or “Collective Bargaining Agreement” as it is legally referred to, as the terms we “agreed” upon. Laying blame or finger pointing is clearly intended to build a chasm between union representatives (or the union organization and Contract), and rank-and-file union members. Union communications may be twisted and disrupted, and censorship of union bulletin boards may occur in an attempt to sever the lines of contact within the membership ranks.

Identification & Recognition: What these statements instill is a misperception that “the union” is an entity that is separate from the actual work force, or front line workers. Union members bear witness to these subconscious ideas, and notions are subliminally planted into the work group when statements such as “the union doesn’t do anything” or “the Contract doesn’t protect me” are made. The reality is; without a Contract, or a union, the company would not “willingly give” or “want” to extend the protections and provisions defined within the Contract because a cost value is placed on each and every one of them. Each and every component of our Contract was fought for; management did not simply "give" these protections and provisions willingly.

Someone told me that on the plane...

There have been many instances of Flight Attendants reporting “someone on my flight from world headquarters said that more furloughs were coming,” or, “the person said they were from world headquarters and that the base was being scrutinized, or the flying was being re-evaluated.” The statements are usually open to interpretation and intended to cause points of personal concern to the individual receiving the information—it plants the seed, and breeds a fear of “what could happen”—and can lead to rumor, apprehension and panic. We can all recount these “stories” being told, and re-told throughout our careers.

What is consistent throughout each of these recollections and encounters is that the individual never identifies themselves by name, never hands out their business cards (for credibility), and never conveys anything with factual dates, exact determinations, or relevance. If you run into one of these "persons of information and authority," or "reliable sources," ask for their name, position, and why this information is being presented to you. Report these interactions directly to your local AFA office immediately.

It is a fact that corporations employ union busting firms and individuals, but often calls them “labor relations consultants,” or “human resources consultants.” There are many iterations of these titles, all of which are efforts to conceal their existence. The sole intent of a union buster is to help the company fuel the fire in these situations, and exploit any existing fears, frustrations, and concerns. And, make no mistake; corporations such as United employ and handsomely compensate these individuals and anti-union organizations to do just that.

Employee "surveys" will turn up, and will be cloaked as "an effort to help improve things." We must be wary when management attempts to put feelers out there in a round about attempt to gain metrics and statistics about what is important to us "individually."

Life without a Contract, duty time maximums, and legal rest provisions?

Management may even try to take a “pulse” of what legalities and protections are deemed “important” to Flight Attendants; and playing one priority against another. It is for this very reason that member feedback, survey results, and Roadshow meetings are held confidential and private. Because many of our Contract legalities existed before most of us were employed, we may not know life without “8-in-24” and “30-in-7,” and our maximum duty time protections. Most of us never even had to contemplate a layover that didn’t entitle us to individual, separate hotel room accommodations.

We can clearly see how much management wanted nothing more than to erase many of the protective provisions and legalities of our Contract. This direct intent can be noted by their attempts to eliminate them through the bankruptcy court processes, and the multiple “term sheets” that were given to Flight Attendants in the 38-month long concessionary bargaining ordeal which lasted from 2002 to 2005.

All of the term sheets included proposals to eliminate work rules and legalities, and management even provided a list (as “evidence”) of how many times Flight Attendants waived these provisions in the actual operation in an effort to “prove their case” during the bankruptcy court proceedings. Management even sought to “get rid” of these legality protections in an effort to implement a preferential bidding system.

Ask yourself this question: Would they have gone this far if it was something they “wanted” us to have within our Contract?

Internal influences and internal division

Corporations feed on those within the actual work group that have identification with the employer, or participate in efforts that resemble the “divide-and-conquer” mantra (the separation tactics described above). Management preys on the separation of the “union representative” versus the “Flight Attendant” ploy, and plays on the misconception that there is a difference between the goals they both hold as mutual employees of the company.

There are the “senior versus junior,” “international versus domestic,” or “purser versus non-purser qualified” divides are seeded in many daily conversations. They play directly into the hands of management’s efforts to “fan the flames of discontent” which our community of Flight Attendants must consciously work to avoid. The thought may even be that “the company won’t do anything detrimental to me,” or, “the company provides me with my paycheck and I don’t want to be a rebel-rouser.”

Management often uses the pretext that “the company had to do what it did in order to survive,” and encourages the “we should be thankful to have a job,” mentality, while the reality of management bonuses and executive compensation throughout the entire course of the bankruptcy is completely forgotten, overlooked, or not addressed. Remember the “shared sacrifice, shared rewards” promises?

Overcoming anti-union sentiments & tactics

We are collectively responsible for ensuring the success of our upcoming Contract (Improvement) Negotiations, and must be adept at wading through the natural differences we all innately possess. The power we hold to defeat union busting efforts (both externally from the company and internal) is to stand together and recognize where our strength lies. Each day we go to work, we see it in our colleagues that do the same work we do. We are all Flight Attendants with common goals ahead of us: Ensuring we achieve the Contract we justly deserve that directly reflects the work we contribute to, our certifications, and our professionalism. Get involved; take part in the fight; become the groundwork for our collective success... 

Copyright © March 2009. All Rights Reserved. AFA-CWA UAL Council 12 Los Angeles.

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