Employee Free Choice Act

There is an important piece of legislation grinding its way through congress called The Employee Free Choice Act. I think it is one of the most progressive bills in favor of Labor to be presented before congress since the The Wagner Act of 1935.

The A.D.D. like me..."Hey look something shiny!" ...Summary: The E.F.C.A. will allow non-union shops to vote for union representation if they sign 50+1 cards. {Like the AMFA drive that failed in 04}Instead of signing a card to {authorize for a vote} for union representation; you sign a card {as a vote for} union representation.

Here are just two For & Against links so you can decide for yourself...
PRO: http://freechoiceact.org/petition/?source=ggl&gclid=CP_TlsnDrZcCFQIfswod2Xeshw
CON: http://www.unionfacts.com/articles/cardCheck.cfm

Southwest/Mechanics Reach Tenative Deal

Again, meanwhile over at Southwest...
As of post time CNN/Money seemed to have the most info about the tentative agreement...
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200812051714DOWJONESDJONLINE000959_FORTUNE5.htm

The above graph came from American's negotiations web page. http://www.aanegotiations.com/default.asp

American's use of (WN) stands for either Southwest or "What!...Never!"

The Human Clock

This is just a Cool Link:
Every minute a new image loads that tells the time. It may be a person holding a sign, Big Ben, a license number, or a street address. Submitted photos are encouraged...
http://www.humanclock.com/?s=1

Immigrant Song.

Do you have what it takes to become a citizen?

MSNBC put together a sample of twenty questions that the INS asks immigrants before they can become a citizen. Try it here...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19552808/

By the way...The INS requires a score of 80 or better. Good Luck

Contract update websites.

Information from the company on contract negotiations from all three unions can be found here: http://www.aanegotiations.com/default.asp

BUT...before you link above,

here is a walk down Bad-Memory Lane...

http://articles.latimes.com/2003/apr/17/business/fi-amr17

Meanwhile...Over at Southwest...

An article over at TDAmeritrade declares...

[Indeed, Southwest employees are often described as among the most satisfied and best compensated in the industry, compared with, as one example, AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, which suffers from low morale stemming from mistrust between workers and management.]
["The attitude between Southwest an American Airlines employee is night and day," said Craig Hodges of Hodges Capital Investments, which holds sizable stakes in both companies. "American employees act like they hate their jobs and act like they're put out when you ask them for a pillow."]

Here is the link to the whole article.http://research.tdameritrade.com/public/stocks/news/story.asp?docKey=4018-0853494CB55743D99EA1CA346181A479-0GHS29VNRML5J77G7C26N1RF6S

The Big Three Automakers are back... Good luck with that...

GM, Ford & Chrysler are back on the Hill today to plead with Congress for about 35 billion in loans.

My prediction...Not gonna get it.

Americans are becoming fed up with taxpayer funded bailouts and 61% believe we should let the automakers fail.

Over at the Boston globe there is an article about the recent poll and public disapproval...

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/12/poll_americans.html

Those kind of poll numbers will force Congress to vote with public sentiment. The Senate will send them packing and and most certainly into bankruptcy. The results are going to be disastrous for our unions brothers at the UAW but at some point this has to stop.

Senator Saxby Chambliss wins in GA

Chambliss' runoff election win in Georgia means the magic number of a sixty has been denied. Democrats were hoping for 60 seats in the Senate to be able to block any Republican filibuster. As of now the count will be 58 to 41 with Minnesota in recount. But with today's progressive political momentum; party caucusing, at least for Conservatives, may be weakening. Any progressive legislation grinding its way through the Senate that is halted by a Republican filibuster; Dems will only need to sway one maybe two Republicans to move a bill forward.
There are as many as seven Senators that many conservatives believe are RINOs (Republican in name only) that might not tow the (R) party line...
1. Olympia Snowe (R. Maine)
2. Susan Collins (R. Maine)
3. Gordon Smith (R. Ore.)
4. Arlen Specter,(R. Pa.)
5. Coleman, Norm, (R. Minn.)
6. Richard Lugar (R. Ind.)
7. George Voinovich (R. Ohio)

Reuters has the full story about the Georgia Senate runoff...
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN0152117620081203

American Airlines complained to Federal mediators about the Pilots' and the progress of their negotiations . Trebor Banstetter over at SkyTAlk wrote a blog on the story...http://startelegram.typepad.com/sky_talk/2008/12/aa-blasts-union-pilots-walk-out.html


To see the what company negotiators presented to mediators click here.
http://www.aanegotiations.com/documents/NMBPresentationforAANegotiations3.pdf

2008 November Newsletter

11/18/2008
The Mechanics of Politics
By Brian Golden
“When political news breaks; placard it!”

U.S. Senate; the election isn’t over just yet…

There are three U.S. Senate seats yet to be decided; Georgia, Minnesota and Alaska.
These three states are either in a runoff or in a recount. This is important. If all three states send a democratic Senator to Washington it will be the first time in almost thirty years that the democrats will have a filibuster proof 60 vote majority in the Senate. (58 to 40 with independents Senators Bernie Sanders (VT) and Joe Lieberman (CN) caucusing with the democrats) A filibuster is where the opposition/minority party can talk, talk and talk some more, on the senate floor effectively preventing a vote and thus the passage of any new legislation before the Senate. If incumbent republican Senators Ted Stevens of Alaska, Norm Coleman of MN and Saxby Chambliss of GA lose in their recount or runoff, the democrats will have the coveted sixty vote majority to defeat a republican filibuster and pretty-much pass any legislation they want. Your fingers are crossed if you’re a democrat; you’re biting your nails if you’re republican.
Confirmation of Supreme Court Justices by the Senate is another reason why these three seats are of import. A solid democratic majority in the Senate would more than likely confirm soundly left of center judges to the highest court in the land. The nominees that President Obama will bring before the Senate to replace the likely retiring left-leaning justices Ginsberg and Stevens, middle-of-the-road Kennedy, as well as the right leaning 72 year old Scalia, should he decide to retire, could tip the Robert’s court 6 to 3 towards the left. Depending on your politics this is great news or the end of civilization as we know it.

"I'm not a member of any organized political party, I'm a Democrat!" –
Will Rogers

U.S. House of Representatives
5 out of 435 undecided

There is a recount between Representative Don Young (R) and challenger Ethan Berkowitz (D) in Alaska. California’s 4th district democrat Charlie Brown is trailing Republican Tom Craddick by about a thousand votes with 40,000 still outstanding. In Ohio, Steve Stivers (R) is up by 393 to Mary Jo Kilroy (D) with 20,000 votes still uncounted. Louisiana’s 2nd and 4th district are voting December 6th because of hurricane Gustav. William Jefferson (D) is expected to win over Anh Cao (R); and Paul Carmouche (D) is up against republican John Fleming Jr. If the democrats win they should have a 259 to 156 majority in the house.




“Politics is just show business for ugly people.” - Jay Leno

Texas 81st Legislature
Early Bills before the house and Senate

On November 10th the early filing for legislative bills began in Austin. For the sake of this newsletter I have made a list of ten that caught my interest. As far as I can tell, there are none that have a direct impact on our local, union or industry, but again these are the early bills; There are some hot-button issues that are before the legislature this session but before you become enraged or get your hopes-up, remember School House Rock and “it’s only a bill” By way of comparison, last session; 6190 bills were introduced, 1481 passed, and 51 were vetoed by Gov. Perry.

Here are 10 of note:
HB 129 by State Rep. Roland Gutierrez (D-San Antonio): This bill would make it a law that the Texas Insurance Commissioner be elected as opposed to appointed. This has consumer protection written all over it...this is a good bill)
HJR 19 (House Joint Resolution) by State Rep. Mark Strama (D-Austin): This would change the Texas Constitution to create a non-partisan redistricting committee. Sounds good as long as it remains non-partisan.
SB 220 by Sen. Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville): Would prevent portions of non-toll roads from becoming toll roads. Who wouldn’t support this?
SB 245 by State Sen. Elliot Shapleigh (D- El Paso): Mandates significant testing and security of some electronic voting machines. This bill doesn’t go far enough with oversight, but it is a step in the right direction. This issue needs to be addressed nationally.
HB 20 by State Rep. David Leibowitz (D-San Antonio): this bill would exempt college text books from sales tax. That’s good; maybe a $20 savings on a $240 dollar book that will be obsolete next semester will pay the cover charge for the keg party at Delta house.
SB 105 by Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa (D- McAllen): a bill that imposes a college tuition freeze. Good luck with that Chuy...Whatever UT wants, UT gets.
HB 49 by State Rep. Debbie Riddle (R-Tomball): This bill would require local police (Yes… Barney, not the INS) to arrest and detain anyone that can not produce documentation of citizenship. The charge…? …Trespassing. “Papels por favor, documentación?” How do you say “papers please” in German?
HB 50 by State Rep. Debbie Riddle (R-Tomball): No more in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. I agree, but isn’t that effectively turning our state’s Universities and Colleges into agents of the INS… How... no, why is this even being discussed at the state level? Immigration is a federal problem, not Judy’s at the Dean’s office
HB 91 by State Rep. Dan Flynn (R Van): Bans state agencies from printing any public documents in Spanish. Yo no se, esta la ley? Donde estas me derechos civeles? HB 36 and SB 182, by State Rep. Frank Corte (D-San Antonio) and State Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston): Under current informed consent laws both of these bills would require physicians to show women seeking abortions in Texas ultra sound images of the fetus before the procedure. No comment

Acceptable responses to sick-call counseling

After calling in sick and you are summoned before the kind folks at Lost-time & Attendance to atone for your transgressions; feel free to use these prepared responses. I hope they bring absolution.

The generic
It is with the deepest regret and heartfelt humility that I speak with you today concerning the recent use of my contractually allotted sick time. Due to unforeseen circumstances involving my health and well being I was unfortunately compelled to use the generous half-day sick pay benevolently bestowed upon me by my employer. I cannot begin to express the remorse and disappointment I have in myself and my immune system for having to expend such a magnanimous gift. Rest assured, from this day forth, it is my intent to strive for and achieve my most fervent goal of perfect attendance.


The Subservient
First let me say how much I value, respect and appreciate the hard work you and the lost time administration department have done for American Airlines and our bottom line. As an employee I strive for perfect attendance because I know we are a team at American and if we pull together we win together. Like the importance of the Critical departures throughout the day, I understand the importance of perfect attendance and I agree that every employee should place perfect attendance as a Priority one critical so that the mutually shared sacrifice each employee endures for the good of the company will ensure the success of American Airlines and Operation Cooperation.

The Patriot
Regrettably, I was forced to call-in sick on the date/s in question. With every fiber of my being I wanted to be here on that day and achieve my goal of perfect attendance. I want to contribute to the success of American Airlines. I understand that I am a valued employee with the world’s second largest airline and that makes me an integral part of the economy that is our great nation. In the future, my goal, or personal mission statement; shall be, “Ask not what American can do for me but rather what can I do for American.”

The Paulson
I would like to provide an update on the state of my health, my employment, and my strategy for continued implementation of what I call the sick-call rescue package. As I assess where I am today, I believe I have taken the necessary steps to prevent a broad systemic event. Both at home and at work I have already seen signs of improvement. My immune system is stronger and more stable than just a few weeks ago. Although this is a major accomplishment, there are many challenges ahead. My immune system remains fragile in the face of the bacterial onslaught that resulted in a well being downturn as well as a significant loss to my economic fluidity resulting from the half day sick pay I was forced to take in my weakened condition. Sick call turmoil should abate now that the biggest part of the health correction is behind me. For now my primary focus is recovery and repair of my perfect attendance record.

The MLK
I have a dream. That one day I will be judged not by the failure of my immune system but by the content of my character and history of my work ethic. I dream of a day when as an employee of American Airlines I can call in sick without fear of retribution or sick-call counseling. I envision a promised land where employees are treated with mutual respect and regarded by management as equals in furthering the interest of the company. I am certain that one day this shall come to pass. I may not see it in my career but I believe one day we shall reach the promised land of understanding and mutual respect, where pulling together actually means working together and winning together.

The Bixby
Dear Madam,
I have been shown in the files of Lost Time Administration the statement that I have used five sick-days on the field of battle for my health.
I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the one person's health for which they were expended.
I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of my health and well-being
Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,