AFA Council 66 PHX MEC Eline

[PITbull]

The below is taken from the AFA West Council 66 MEC E-line. Excellent E-line from the West MECP Gary Richardson. Real issues concerning real people.

Tells you that you can't "snow" the flight attendants. Has anyone seen an East MEC E-line from the MECP, Mike regarding this issue???? Didn't think so:

Ducking The Issues

US Airways report a 65 million first quarter profit (5million after merger-related expenses), the Company projects a profit in 2006, upper management granted significant pay raises earlier this year, huge stock and incentive increases to senior management, and yet Doug Parker continues to maintains the position that all labor costs associated with the combining of the east and west contracts must remain exactly the same!

During Tuesday's webcast on the company's 1st Quarter profit, Doug Parker said that employees are happy and the only concern is about integration or seniority issues. If Mr. Parker is sincere in his integration concerns, he has an opportunity in negotiations to address them.

However, he talks about integration issues frequently because he wants to duck the real issues and distract the public from his position on a "cost-neutral" contract. He won't talk about your pay, your insurance benefits, your vacation or scheduling issues. He won't talk about the way-below-average pay-rates for years 1-10, which he could have fixed during the Transition Agreement and pre-merger negotiations. He won't talk about how pay rates have been frozen at the top rates for years. He shys away from telling you his position on insurance benefits, vacation and vital scheduling issues.

In future webcasts and public statements, Doug Parker and his executives should comment on how management needs to address serious pay issues, maintain quality insurance benefits, retain and improve our vacation and promote family-friendly and flexible scheduling rules. Those are the real issues.

 

[sharktooth]

Very well stated we can all be onboard but all of the employees deserve the same information. GET RID of all the filters. The people on the East want the real fact and need to understand the process before they are forced into a corner. EDUCATE EDUCATE

 

[PITbull]

Shark,

I couldn't agree with you more. (surprisingly).

 

[desertgal]

Trust me, no one on the West side is buying Doogie's line.

 

[smorzando]

The below is taken from the AFA West Council 66 MEC E-line. Excellent E-line from the West MECP Gary Richardson. Real issues concerning real people.

Tells you that you can't "snow" the flight attendants. Has anyone seen an East MEC E-line from the MECP, Mike regarding this issue???? Didn't think so:

Ducking The Issues

US Airways report a 65 million first quarter profit (5million after merger-related expenses), the Company projects a profit in 2006, upper management granted significant pay raises earlier this year, huge stock and incentive increases to senior management, and yet Doug Parker continues to maintains the position that all labor costs associated with the combining of the east and west contracts must remain exactly the same!

During Tuesday's webcast on the company's 1st Quarter profit, Doug Parker said that employees are happy and the only concern is about integration or seniority issues. If Mr. Parker is sincere in his integration concerns, he has an opportunity in negotiations to address them.

However, he talks about integration issues frequently because he wants to duck the real issues and distract the public from his position on a "cost-neutral" contract. He won't talk about your pay, your insurance benefits, your vacation or scheduling issues. He won't talk about the way-below-average pay-rates for years 1-10, which he could have fixed during the Transition Agreement and pre-merger negotiations. He won't talk about how pay rates have been frozen at the top rates for years. He shys away from telling you his position on insurance benefits, vacation and vital scheduling issues.

In future webcasts and public statements, Doug Parker and his executives should comment on how management needs to address serious pay issues, maintain quality insurance benefits, retain and improve our vacation and promote family-friendly and flexible scheduling rules. Those are the real issues.

I see it this way: Most of the employees that are left also have high time seniority and therefore a lot to lose, “in their own mindsâ€￾ and because of that fact are gutless wonders. DP knows this, he knows he can keep up the facade of the necessary bleeding of their life blood in the name of continued survival. The labor force has been mortally wounded, it's now hemorrhaging and on life support. Corporate America will not let up now that the last gurgling bubbles of life are almost over permitting clear sailing into the elitist stature DP and his ilk live for.

 

[jcw]

Everyone needs to remember bankrupcy. The airline needs to still clean up its balance sheet. If the unions start demanding raises after one quarter of profit, which was very small, it creates the image of greedy unions who don't care of the financial health of their company. If I were driving negotiations I would be pushing the profit sharing hard with senior mgmt in a similar profit sharing scheme. This way everyone is rowing in the same dirction.

 

[700UW]

The balence sheet is cleaned up, they have enough money to pay Parker and his cronies millions in bonuses, time to share the wealth.

The employees concessions, sacrifices and hard work has kept US in business and made the merger possible. What is good enough for Parker and his cronies should be good enough to the workers who keep this airline going.

We all ready had the creditors screw the employees out of the stock and higher profit sharing levels, what you fail to realize all the labor contracts contain profit sharing provisions that the company wrote.

 

[AIRWOMAN]

The balence sheet is cleaned up, they have enough money to pay Parker and his cronies millions in bonuses, time to share the wealth.

The employees concessions, sacrifices and hard work has kept US in business and made the merger possible. What is good enough for Parker and his cronies should be good enough to the workers who keep this airline going.

We all ready had the creditors screw the employees out of the stock and higher profit sharing levels, what you fail to realize all the labor contracts contain profit sharing provisions that the company wrote.

And again...........as you so love to bash the low cost mentality of the old America West, that is exactly how and why the two pieces (old US Airways and old America West) have fit together in this merger.

It bites but that's the reality of it and the trend throughout the industry. IMO, we're all left picking up the scraps..........penny by penny..........because we aren't executives nor do we have the "power" to negotiate an individual contract.

 

[PITbull]

AIRWOMAN,

It bites???? We're not executives??? What, does that mean.. labor can't sit with managment and request enhancements???
Bite this...Feel free anytime to donate your paycheck to LCC.

And yet another lapdog.

I've got to scratch my head...why is it that airline employees don't believe they deserve anything, but the executives have no problem helping themselves to the coffers????

If you don't request it, you will never receive it, ever.

 

[AIRWOMAN]

AIRWOMAN,

It bites???? Whe're not executives??? What, does that mean labor can't sit with managment and request enhancements???
Bite this...Feel free anytime to donate your paycheck to LCC.

And yet another lapdog.

Pitbull,
Absolutely not. I never said, nor meant to imply that labor cannot sit with management and negotiate. It should be done and it is being done. I was attempting to compare a CEO/executive (single) negotiated contract to a large group of employees negotiating a contract. And it's very different from what I've seen.....apples and bananas. And I am no expert at any of it, by any means.

And a lap dog I am not. I possibly stand to lose a number of things due to this merger as well. No one in my level, which is low, appears to be expempt.....union or not union.

My point was that the path the old US Airways was going down was very similar to the path that the old America West was always on.........thus the "good fit."