Campaigning by two unions vying to represent United Airlines mechanics has become a vitriolic battle pitting a specialized craft union against one representing a larger labor movement.
Wrapped up in the fierce competition between the incumbent Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association of Aurora and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, seeking to take over representation of the mechanics, are questions of what a union’s mission is, how organized labor should handle outsourcing and how much influence unions have when airlines are struggling.
Voting started Feb. 26 and ends March 31. Meanwhile, the campaigns have become nastier, with some of the lobbying finding its way online via a disputed video on YouTube.
The video, posted by the AMFA, depicts comments made at an informational session by a United mechanic who supports the Teamsters. In the clip, the mechanic is discussing United’s outsourcing of maintenance work to Asia. When the topic of where the work was sent comes up, he is shown saying, “They all look the same to me over there.”
The video is edited to repeat the phrase multiple times.
Richard Petrovsky, the mechanic in the clip, said he has rescinded the comment and that he was talking about maintenance bases, not people.
“The point that I’m making is that it doesn’t matter if it’s in Korea or China or El Salvador,” he said. “If I offended anybody, I’m absolutely sorry.”
Petrovsky said AMFA is using the clip as a campaign tool. Meanwhile, attorneys for both sides have exchanged letters, and the AMFA has refused to remove the video.
“You can’t unsay what you said,” said Joseph Prisco, president of AMFA Local 9.
The Teamsters, for their part, have criticized AMFA on United’s outsourcing and job cuts. AMFA has pointed to protections it negotiated for United mechanics and benefits of its open negotiations process.
AMFA is a craft union that focuses on the interests of mechanics, rather than seeking to represent workers generally.
AMFA is “not part of the house of labor,” said Gary Chaison, professor of industrial relations at Clark University in Worcester, Mass. “If you’re not part of the family, there’s an antagonistic relationship.”
“There’s nothing that’s comparable to the airline industry in terms of the pressure, the tension, the animosity,” he said.
Kelly Yamanouchi: 303-954-1488 or kyamanouchi@denverpost.com
