Afa Loses Again

[firstamendment]

700UW,

Welcome back to you as well! I think we both got suspended...I don't know who was first but I think we both have to behave...and I just hate that for you!

Welcome back Pitbull. I have come close to being suspended but not yet. Well, I appreciate your hard work and devotion to the f/a group. I have been quiet around here myself because I'm just tired of the fight.

I just find it odd how so many out on the boards seem to think that 40 year olds should just shut up and be thankful. While I am very thankful for the job and pretty descent pay, I am so disturbed to think that folks out there think that it is somehow the fault of the long time devoted employees to pay for the years of incompetence. Do those who are quick to criticize realize that in the last 17 years, every contract has seen us give back...17 years..and this company still can't get it together. It will truely never be enough.

I would love to see someone actually come up with a plan to increase revenue. If this group thinks their plan is so good, it seems to me that they would jump at the chance to take it to the employees. Let me decide if it is legitimate, but to put a condition on it takes away their credability.

Oh well, just rambling. All I know is I am a man and I would like to continue to make the grown up salary of a 41 year old. I am looking into other things, but I still like the lifestyle and would like to keep flying. I just don't know how much more can be given back without moving to the cheapest place on earth and commuting to PHL. I'm just over it.

 

[ktflyhome]

There are alot of Reserves who bid 105 too, who also have been around a LONGTIME. Who have children in college TOO. They are not coming close to getting their time. It will be interesting to see what transpires with the PREFERENTIAL BIDDING. :huh:

 

[PSA1979]

How can coming to work, doing your job and being responsible mean self centered senior mama. Is it my fault reserves aren't getting their time in? Should I stop working 105 and give back 40, 50 hours a month? If I do, I'll get fired. I have an obligation to fulfill my 105. I bid for it last year before this new reserve system.

What can turning on your fellow employees do to help the situation? I've been there, I know what we are all going through, but blaming it on me or taking it out on me is not going to help.

And just because I didn't have to take a huge cut in hours doesn't make me the bad guy. I actually could have stayed in the ITD and been a reserve or close to it. I chose not to.

Playing us against each other is a way of dividing and conquering. As a matter of fact, reserves have hated block holders since the beginning of time and block holders have looked at reserves as new hires. (I don't, we have no new hires or even new people, so we are all experienced f/a's). But I see it every day.

Can't we all just get along?????????

 

[TransatlanticFlyGuy]

How can coming to work, doing your job and being responsible mean self centered senior mama. Is it my fault reserves aren't getting their time in? Should I stop working 105 and give back 40, 50 hours a month? If I do, I'll get fired. I have an obligation to fulfill my 105. I bid for it last year before this new reserve system.

What can turning on your fellow employees do to help the situation? I've been there, I know what we are all going through, but blaming it on me or taking it out on me is not going to help.

And just because I didn't have to take a huge cut in hours doesn't make me the bad guy. I actually could have stayed in the ITD and been a reserve or close to it. I chose not to.

Playing us against each other is a way of dividing and conquering. As a matter of fact, reserves have hated block holders since the beginning of time and block holders have looked at reserves as new hires. (I don't, we have no new hires or even new people, so we are all experienced f/a's). But I see it every day.

Can't we all just get along?????????

Very well said PSA1979! Dont let the likes of PITBULL get you going. Its just something she enjoys. She uses this medium as the "The PITBULL Show". I have a feeling that she loves the attention she gets from it. Actually when was the last trip you have flown PITBULL? I have flown as a reserve close to 40hrs this month and NOT one Flight Attendant I have worked with has a nice thing to say about the AFA. They are fed up with all the BS that comes along with the $39 that comes out of our wallets each month.

PS. Hope to fly with you again soon PSA1979. I have had the pleasure of doing a few LGW and MAN trips with you in the past. Seeing that you mentioned the 105 option, I hope domestic flying is treating you well. Quite a nice change!

 

[ktflyhome]

Hey, I have been a Reserve and a Blockholder....so I guess I hate myself!

 

[PSA1979]

Now you got it ktfly. And a few years of counceling will do us all a world of good!

transatlantic, love domestic, miss my friends from the division! Hope to see you again soon, although it might take a bull dozer to remove me from these great one days!

 

[USAirBoyA330]

Better be careful referring to the "DIVISION" there PSA......they might think your on the MDA "DIVISION"!
Hark....that would be unthinkable!.....

 

[firstamendment]

Now you got it ktfly. And a few years of counceling will do us all a world of good!

transatlantic, love domestic, miss my friends from the division! Hope to see you again soon, although it might take a bull dozer to remove me from these great one days!

PSA1979

There is indeed life after transatlantic. You know I have to say I like the selling snacks...I know, weird...but I find that there is less stress on the plane. The more we would give, the more that was expected. Now people expect little and they are actually nicer. I loved TA, but man, those customers can be alittle over the top and the TA f/as are sometimes too uppidy for the product we offer. All that kiss kiss and "I'm international". Please, girls, it's the same damn people with the same mannerisms, compliants, concerns, and compliments. It's just that you may not understand when someone kindly tells you US Airways sucks in French .

PSA1979, don't be too harsh on Pitbull. We are all doing the best we can to make sure we are here a year from now. While her aggressiveness may turn some off, her devotion is unparalled and I for one am thankful for her devotion.

As far as work rules, you are right. You have a right to fly what is offered to you without being made to feel quilty. I feel it is time to get rid of options all together. For every person that wants to fly 50 hours, there are those that will fly 105. There are months when I want to fly more hours and would like to not have all these restrictions.

I feel people need to think ahead when deciding where they want to be as far as bases or TA is concerned. I came off TA in Nov because I knew I wouldn't fly with the new reserve system. I can't afford the 71 min. and no per diem, so I made the decision to come back to domestic. I would love to come back to TA this May, but if preferential bidding goes into effect, the most senior will grab the high time trips, leaving the Shannons and Dublins for the most junior. And I understand that. I'm not going to jump on the most senior for that. I would do the same thing. So I will stay on domestic. No big deal. Customers are customers...airplanes are airplanes...although I love the 330.

 

[ktflyhome]

I think the Bulldozer has already started it's engines.

 

[Braveheart]

PSA 1979 - Your posts are extremely interesting. I would like to ask you though,

You wrote: I just chose to be a good employee and do my job, come to work for the last *** years.

You also wrote “I know this company has violated contracts, but put everyone on reserve? That in itself would be ridiculous, even for D & D.â€￾

Why is that ridiculous?

You are an employee of a company bound by company rules and regulations. When a person accepts employment, they are at the mercy of the company. Or, they can leave and find employment elsewhere. Nothing is impossible. As companies downsize they have fewer employees. As employees agree to concessions, contracts become a weaker negotiating tool.

It takes nothing for a company to have schedulers call and assign you your working hours on a weekly basis. For that matter, it takes nothing for a company to just post a weekly schedule. No choice, no picks; do it or quit.

What you are hoping to achieve and strive for in the future today may not be available to support you tomorrow. The more reserves expunged, the less likely you have the benefit of choosing your trips. Companies once dominated all aspects of its workers’ lives and those of their families. The main man at U is just beginning to control your everyday life, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Union representation is dying. People will learn what their great grandparents, grandparents and even their own parents once endured but it will be too late. History will again repeat itself. Once upon a time Union Organizers were run out of town or killed. This time Union Organizers will be terminated and bared from employment not only in their county, but also throughout the United States with all the sophisticated technology available.

Blockholder line, mainline, reserve-line and now maybe needles and pins threadline coming soon.

BRAVEHEART
B)

 

[Light Years]

I did Domestic and ITD. The A330 is nice and like alot of people, I'd rather do Rome than Rochester. But some of those folks thought they were flying the Concorde. It would be embarrassing in front of another airlines crew to hear FAs yakking on about the division as if someone is impressed that you work the token transatlantic routes for the smallest, least international of the US majors. The FAs were nice, I encountered more mean "old dragons" on domestic than on intl (contrary to popular belief). And at least most of the time things were done by procedure (aside from the tacky "walk through the cabin with the magazine roaring "Duty Free")

The one thing about the ITD is that people get so involved in thier little "division" that they forget that they are just a US Airways flight attendant and dont seem to pay much attention to the goings on of the company. I'm not sure if that still goes on, but I was on an international flight a couple of months ago and the flight attendant had no idea what MidAtlantic was. Possibly the next division you find yourself in sweetie!

Bring that fence down.

 

[PSA1979]

Braveheart,
The reason I don't believe D & D will put everyone on reserve is that it takes way too much manpower to call every single f/a in the system and assign trips. If it was cost effective Jetblue, SW, ATA, etc would be doing it. The reason our old system is not cost effective is that this airline does not know who is working what 24 hours in advance. It takes hours to man the bid sheet, and if every one was on call, how many more schedulers would have to be hired? Just doesn't make sense. Plus it is a huge violation of our contract. And contrary to popular belief, the company does not violate our contract on this scale on a daily basis.

Even AFA can verify this, otherwise we would be in arbitration daily.

D & D - Union busters? Yeah, getting rid of all Unions in the USA? Fat chance,too much power!

 

[ktflyhome]

Braveheart.....well said.

 

[firstamendment]

I did Domestic and ITD. The A330 is nice and like alot of people, I'd rather do Rome than Rochester. But some of those folks thought they were flying the Concorde. It would be embarrassing in front of another airlines crew to hear FAs yakking on about the division as if someone is impressed that you work the token transatlantic routes for the smallest, least international of the US majors. The FAs were nice, I encountered more mean "old dragons" on domestic than on intl (contrary to popular belief). And at least most of the time things were done by procedure (aside from the tacky "walk through the cabin with the magazine roaring "Duty Free")

The one thing about the ITD is that people get so involved in thier little "division" that they forget that they are just a US Airways flight attendant and dont seem to pay much attention to the goings on of the company. I'm not sure if that still goes on, but I was on an international flight a couple of months ago and the flight attendant had no idea what MidAtlantic was. Possibly the next division you find yourself in sweetie!

Bring that fence down.

Lightyears, you crack me up.

 

[PSA1979]

Light Years

I agree whole heartedly.....Bring the fence down!!!!!!!!!!

Why have 2 sets of reserves not flying and can't pick up the slack when one side is short.

How about make more blocks? Look at the open time, let's mix up the equipment and make more blockholders, less reserves. More people getting their time in, less sitting around!!