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There were some AA flight attendants who scabbed in 1993. The list of those individuals is readily available to those who want that info. Those who scabbed are treated like sh$t, they are not spoken to in the crew lounge, and the only conversation onboard the airplanes are the required briefings, and any words necessary to complete job duties.
When we were going through negotiations in 2001, I was a new-hire (on probationary status because of my company transfer). A strike was authorized, and I was prepared to strike. The company tried to instill the fear of probation in us, but even as probationaries we were still protected!
Please excuse the choppiness of this posting, I had to cut-and-paste from an Adobe file (with text wrapped around picutres), what a pain in the who-ha!
Here are a couple personal stories of people who have scabbed, and why they wouldn't do it again: These were published in the APFA publication 'Skyword':
Carlos Cabral accepted a trip from JFK Crew Schedule early on November 22, 1993. The strike ended on the afternoon of the same day after he had already accepted the trip.
What would you say to strikers who are still mad at you?
They have reason to be mad because I did not do my part in striking with everyone else. I can understand why people might have those emotions. I was working another job at the time, as well, and was too busy to stay informed. I take full responsibility for the decision that I made during the strike.
What have you done since 1993 to be a better Union member?
I rejoined the Union by paying the initiation fee again. I have
tried to stay informed of anything that is going on in the
Union. I call the HotLine. I try to talk to new people and tell
them not to be afraid or intimidated by the Company. During
the recent phone strike with the Verizon telephone workers, I
spoke with a friend of mine who works for Verizon, and he was
afraid of going on strike. I told him of my experience as a Flight Attendant in 1993 and informed him that it was not worth any free taxi ride to work or promised dinner by the company if he went to work during a strike. I have started to wear my APFA Union pin and APFA luggage tag
as an expression of solidarity towards our efforts to achieve a
contract. I have also had conversations with other Flight
Attendants who crossed the picket line, and I think most of us
realize that our decision to work during the strike was not a good decision.
Why did you participate in our recent Labor Day leafleting?
I think it was an opportunity for other Flight Attendants during our contract negotiations. I believe it is important that during
our negotiations with AA management we, as Flight
Attendants, demonstrate through our ACTIONS that we support me to show all Flight Attendants and management that I was ready to support the Union and the Union. Thankfully, all of the Flight Attendants at JFK were
receptive to my participation in the Labor Day leafleting, and I
appreciated that.
Would you cross the picket line again?
No.
Mary Kay Welter worked a trip from London to Chicago on November 19, 1993.
What do you have to say to those striking Flight Attendants
who are still angry with you? Back in 1993, I was very self-absorbed. I thought the concerns of MY life were more important than 18,000 other Flight Attendants. I sincerely apologize. I learned that each voice does count and that we are all connected globally, spiritually, and in solidarity.
What have you done to be a better Union member?
I have made the conscious choice to be an informed APFA member. I paid restitution to the Union. But recently, I have had a very profound experience that has helped others to learn from my horrific experience of crossing our
picket line in 1993. In a sort of karmic twist of fate, I had relocated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh is US
Airways country and is a heavy Union town. In March 2000, the Flight Attendants of US Airways were in the midst of a 30-day cooling off period/contract countdown. A strike appeared to be imminent. I customarily ride the employee bus in Pittsburgh with many USAir Flight Attendants. In the days before their possible strike, I could see the anxiety in their faces on the bus. I began to have uncomfortable flashbacks of sorts to the days of our strike in November, 1993. Five days before the US Airways strike deadline, I acted on instinct and called a fellow Flight Attendant in Chicago who had friends at AFA, the Union representing US Airways Flight Attendants. Within one hour of this phone call, I received a follow-up call from an AFA representative who asked me to write a letter titled “Why I crossed the picket line...’‘ I took a deep breath and my heart kind of stopped because I had never done this before, but I wrote it and then faxed it to AFA. AFA immediately called me and asked me to speak at their big Union rally the night of their candlelight vigil before the strike deadline. I knew I had to do this even though I was terrified of
reliving the painful experience of my decision in 1993 during our strike. Five days later, I walked into an AFA Union hall filled with about 800 US Airways Flight Attendants wearing their green CHAOS T-shirts! I was so nervous I had to grip the podium to speak. No one knew why I had come. They had only seen on the program agenda my name and association with American Airlines. When I started reading my letter “Why I crossed the picket line…” you could hear a
pin drop in this room of 800. Fortunately, US Airways management and its Flight Attendants reached a last minute agreement and averted a strike. The next day an AFA representative called and told me that my speech the night before had been comforting to those individuals who were
“sitting on the fence” and nervous about going on strike. This
brought me some consolation knowing that maybe I had made
a small difference even though it had been agonizing for me to
remember the events in November 1993. If I could help educate others on such an unfortunate part of my history as a Flight Attendant, I would do so. But I have to respect those who are not open to this. We all, including myself, make our own choices and must live with these choices and be responsible for them.
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Alright, I'm gonna draw the line here. This "confession" by Carlos Cabral, sounds like he just got out of a communist indoctrination camp of some sort. WTF? The guy made a mistake, and now he's still got every 18-40 year old drink cart pusher at the airline pissed off at him, lest he successfully complete "re-education camp" and sign the confession?
Not only do the questions look scary, but so do the answers......akin to the Vietnam POW TV interviews......
I can't believe some of the union whining I'm seeing here from some people. Yes, there are definate and true grievences against management that should be addressed and fought by the union, but when the union begins acting like the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia towards its members, it sinks to the same level as the evil management it's meant to counter, just for different reasons.
I don't care one bit for the Lorenzo's out there and other current and former airline CEOs that make hgh six-figure salaries at the expense of regional airline pilots that barely make a living wage.
At the same time, I don't care for union leaders/members that try to strongarm or force other members to see things their way. If you have a good case or a good cause that everyone knows will affect them in some way, people will naturally join the fight in support of the collective effort. Alienating members by acting like the People's Republic of ALPA/APA/APFA (or whatever) certainly won't attract those to the party....many viewing it akin to being ordered to attend "mandatory fun".
MD
