Chapter 11: The Fall Crisis at Eastern

[Excerpt] When the IAM\u27s contract with Eastern was ratified on April 8, membership morale and self-confidence were at a high point. But labor relations in the airline industry as a whole were bad and getting worse

Machinist vs. Mismanagement at Eastern Airlines

IAM 100 leaders interviewed by Paul J. Baicich

Model Struggle, Yes. Model Contract, No.

[Excerpt] As the largest airline union and one with a tradition of hard-nosed bargaining, the IAM and the role of its District 100 at Eastern have become the focus of discussion in and out of the labor movement. Political observers from Left to Right have hailed the Eastern settlement. The IAM District 100-Eastern settlement cannot be all things to all people. While the agreement contains many positive features, we are skeptical of claims that it constitutes a model for the labor movement to emulate in other concession bargaining situations. Our criticisms are grounded, however, in partisan pro-labor beliefs and in an appreciation for the struggle and sacrifices made by the leaders and rank and file of IAM District 100

Cooperate, Hell: Unions Get What They Fight For

[Excerpt] Officialdom\u27s call for labor and management to cooperate is a recurring theme in American industrial life. It all seems so reasonable: instead of knocking heads, let workers and bosses put their heads together -- and knock the competition for a loop. The trouble is, it doesn\u27t work. In steel, auto and other industries where management and labor agreed to joint participation plans, local unions are scrapping the arrangements and local union leaders who backed them are being turned out of office by angry rank-and-filers. What began as a new era of harmony is ending in disillusion. The novelty wears off, and unions still have to fight to defend their members\u27 interests

Rejoinder

[Excerpt] Most of Randy Barber and Andrew R. Banks\u27 response to our analysis of the District 100 model exaggerates our arguments, then goes on to attack the exaggerated versions

Semi-Arid Grassland Bird Responses to Patch-Burn Grazing and Drought

As grassland birds of central North America experience steep population declines with changes in land use, management of remaining tracts becomes increasingly important for population viability. The integrated use of fire and grazing may enhance vegetation heterogeneity and diversity in breeding birds, but the subsequent effects on reproduction are unknown. We examined the influence of patch-burn grazing management in shortgrass steppe in eastern Colorado on habitat use and reproductive success of 3 grassland bird species, horned lark (Eremophila alpestris), lark bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys), and McCown’s longspur (Rhynchophanes mccownii), at several spatial scales during 2011 and 2012. Although no simple direct relationship to patch-burn grazing treatment existed, habitat selection depended on precipitation- and management induced vegetation conditions and spatial scale. All species selected taller-than-expected vegetation at the nest site, whereas at the territory scale, horned larks and McCown’s longspurs selected areas with low vegetation height and sparse cover of tall plants (taller than the dominant shortgrasses). Buntings nested primarily in unburned grassland under average rainfall. Larks and longspurs shifted activity from patch burns during average precipitation (2011) to unburned pastures during drought (2012). Daily survival rate (DSR) of nests varied with time in season, species, weather, and vegetation structure. Daily survival rate of McCown’s longspur nests did not vary with foliar cover of relatively tall vegetation at the nest under average precipitation but declined with increasing cover during drought. At the 200-m scale, increasing cover of shortgrasses, rather than taller plant species, improved DSR of larks and longspurs. These birds experience tradeoffs in the selection of habitat at different spatial scales: tall structure at nests may reduce visual detection by predators and provide protection from sun, wind, and rain, yet taller structure surrounding territories may host nest predators. Patch-burn grazing management in combination with other strategies that retain taller-structured vegetation may help sustain a diversity of breeding habitats for shortgrass birds under varying weather conditions