Airline Jobs Heading South

[700UW]

Yes I mean the United States of America when I say Americans.

 

[mweiss]

I will clarify he means United States Americans when he uses America and Americans.

[post="254216"][/post]​

Either you've become more clever in your postings, or I'm just getting used to your unique contributions to the board.

Anyway, I'm all for saving jobs in this country, but it has to be done intelligently. The brute-force approach (and, let's face it, brute force is a specialty of the United States) doesn't produce the desired results in the long run.

 

[LivinOnAPrayer]

The joke around my office used to be that if we keep giving back more and more, pretty soon we would all have to put money in a jar when we walk through the door and pay for the privlage of working there. And, give USAirways a hand, they finally found a way to make that happen. They charge $5 per ticket for the privilage of booking over the phone. Do you want to bet this won't change when the outsourcing begins? If they're paying the agents in San Salvadore under $20 per day with no benefits, an agent only has to book four reservations in an eight hour shift and they've covered their salary for the day. For every reservation they book over that amount, USAirways is actually making a profit off of them. So, they're paying USAirways for the privilage of working for them. Bravo, USAirways!

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

Either you've become more clever in your postings, or I'm just getting used to your unique contributions to the board.

[post="254286"][/post]​

Most likely the later

 

[Bob Owens]

Big Business needs to remember Henry Ford. Now Mr Ford was big time anti-union and even had a hit squad to take care of his pro-union workers, but in the end he realized the following:

"I have to pay my workers a wage they can live on and be able to afford the products they produce."

American Business' are pricing the worker out of being able to live and buy the products they produce or services they offer, when they realize this it wil be too late.

[post="254198"][/post]​

Lets hope that todays leaders dont have to kill a few dozen strikers to realize it again.

While the workers wont be able to afford what they make their union leaders at the IAm and TWU with their six figure salaries will, so dont expect much support from them. Dont expect them to lead us on any thing that even hints of disruption. And without disruption those at the top, like old Henry, will never even bother to consider what havoc their greed reaps.

 

[Bob Owens]

It is not knocking foreign workers, it is about buying and supporting Americans and the American Economy, not making foreign companies richer while Americans get laid-off.

[post="254211"][/post]​

Foreign companies? The fact is companies do not have nationalities, people do. The corporation, by law, is loyal only to the stockholder.

Thats why corporate influence in government is such a bad thing.

There is a film coming out on DVD next month call "The Corporation", get it.

 

[mweiss]

Foreign companies? The fact is companies do not have nationalities, people do. The corporation, by law, is loyal only to the stockholder.

[post="254436"][/post]​

The fact is, companies do have nationalities. Corporations, by law, are required to be loyal only to the stockholder, only if the company's nationality is United States. This is not the case in Europe, which is one of the reasons unions are more powerful there. Unemployment is also higher in Europe. Is there a correlation? Beats me, but it's something worth considering.

 

[Bob Owens]

The fact is, companies do have nationalities. Corporations, by law, are required to be loyal only to the stockholder, only if the company's nationality is United States. This is not the case in Europe, which is one of the reasons unions are more powerful there. Unemployment is also higher in Europe. Is there a correlation? Beats me, but it's something worth considering.

[post="254447"][/post]​

Oh really? So what about all those European companies that have been coming to the US for cheap labor? Mercedes etc?

As far as "American" companies how many of them are registered in Bermuda or some other tiny island?

Is unemployment realy higher? I dont see Europeans flocking to America in search of work. Besides in America you are only unemployed until your unemployment runs out,so even though you may not have a job, the government no longer considers you unemployed. Thats not the case in Europe.

 

[EyeInTheSky]

Is there anything done in the U.S these days? It's shrinking fast. Seems its all getting outsourced. Get this: My old lady and I go buy a new living room set at the Thomasville store. Got to talking with the sales lady and she said, "The only thing made in North Carolina anymore is the upholstered furniture. All the hardwood furniture is made in China. And it looks like the upholstered furniture will be sent to China next year. We were the last company to do this." We couldn't believe it. All the big name furniture companies are building their furniture in China: Ethan Allen, Henredon, Hickory Chair, Baker, Thomasville, Pennsylvania House. Labor in China and shipping from are so cheap these days that these companies apparently can't compete if they don't. So, next time you think you are buying fine furniture and you think 'Bucky' in North Carolina built one nice armoire think again; some guy named 'Wang' in Shanghai did it.

 

[EyeInTheSky]

The fact is, companies do have nationalities. Corporations, by law, are required to be loyal only to the stockholder, only if the company's nationality is United States. This is not the case in Europe, which is one of the reasons unions are more powerful there. Unemployment is also higher in Europe. Is there a correlation? Beats me, but it's something worth considering.

[post="254447"][/post]​

My Dutch pilot friend who flies for KLM pays 70% in taxes. The taxes pay for a lot of services that cost us a fortune over here: health care, child care, maternity leave, sick leave, schooling, etc. He never has to worry if he can't fly anymore, he and his family will be taken care of. It's a trade off. In the scheme of things we probably pay the same amount for those services, the big difference is we have choices where they don't. But, when our money runs out, so do those services.

 

[USA320Pilot]

I am against the Bush Administration and its efforts to outsource jobs overseas and to not fix defined benefit pension problems when Senators Specter and Santorum introduced legislation that would have protected worker pensions.

Regards,

USA320Pilot

 

[700UW]

You need to read more into, the Santorum Bill was not all that it seemed, it let more businesses opt out of having to pay a minimum wage.

The Senate also defeated an alternative amendment by Senator Rick Santorum, Republican of Pennsylvania, that would have raised the minimum pay level by $1.10, to $6.25, over 18 months. Thirty-eight senators voted for the measure and 61 voted against it.

The proposal was supported by some business groups and opposed by organized labor because it would have eliminated overtime pay in many circumstances and excluded millions of workers now eligible for minimum wage and overtime provisions. The Santorum amendment also provided for about $4 billion in tax breaks for smaller businesses.

 

[EyeInTheSky]

I am against the Bush Administration and its efforts to outsource jobs overseas and to not fix defined benefit pension problems when Senators Specter and Santorum introduced legislation that would have protected worker pensions.

Regards,

USA320Pilot

[post="254514"][/post]​

But you voted for Bush right? :blink:

 

[ResRepGirl]

From what I've hear Chairman's Preferred will stay in INT indefinitely.

Also, Dell is building a 400 seat call center right next to Atento call center in Salvador... so much for them pulling away from outsourcing.

While a lot of companies have determined that India is not a good fit for voice (telephone work), the Philippines is a much better fit because of the softer accent and all school curriculums, k-12 is taught in English. In general, they are a very "Americanized" country.

I don't understand why the outsourcing of Reservations is such a surprise. The language permitting it was voted in the last contract.

 

[ELP_WN_Psgr]

Ultimately it won't matter what the employees want, or even what management wants.

The final outcome will be decided by what the customer wants.

I guess it's possible that atento will be able to provide exceptional customer service to those folks who call in and want assistance in booking reservations and/or doing whatever else customers call in for.

On the other hand it may be, for lack of a better word, a total abortion. I guess we'll see, sooner or later.

I do find it strange that the folks at a legacy carrier, who have told those of us who patronize LCCs (and have for years) that "you get what you pay for" are all on the bandwagon to move reservations centers to out-of-country locations where they can pay 1/8th the wages.

When I call Southwest (I usually book on line) I always ask "which res center are you in?" and then we chat about the weather in Oklahoma City, or Phoenix, or San Antonio, or Houston etc etc. Somehow I don't see that happening with the folks in El Salvador.

I really think the company would do well to worry less about dramatic labor cost cut mechanisms and spend some time trying to figure out how to make the overall system more efficient.

Another possible fix to what ails this company might be to hire, as CEO, a former resident of Bangladesh or Sri Lanka who has some experience in working for a dry cleaning/laundry service in Kuwait. A guy like that could not do your airline any more harm than the folks currently in charge.

You might also be able to pick up, on the cheap, a combination snake charmer/mud brick baker from India --- you could use a guy like that to replace certain individuals driving A320 aircraft. The former snake dude would work a whole lot cheaper and I doubt he could be any more annoying.....as long as he didn;t keep his cobra in a carry on.