Attendants Asked For $116 Million

[Light Years]

Thank you, Micheal. Its not pleasant, change usually isnt but the accompanying growth is.

 

[cavalier]

ATTENTION CAPTAIN:

For someone who comes on here and proudly announced that you bring home two hundred grand yearly and are all set with or without U's survival, you sure want the other labor groups to take a big mouth full of the foul smelling substance you're shoveling.

 

[2clippedwings]

Well, as someone who doesn't have a dog in this fight, maybe my unjaded outsider view will mean something.

The problem is not the employees working hard nor is it the wages they earn.

The problem is the basic structure and organization of the airline.

The question is whether or not the employees are going to subsidize the total failure of their management to adapt to the marketplace.

If I were an employee, which I'm not.....I would be casting a very jaundiced eye at throwing any more pearls before swine, ie....giving management additional funds to fritter away.

Before I would cough up any additional concessions, I would want to see some movement on management's part.

1. Reduction in the wages of manegement personnel. Give em stock options out the wazoo (if the airline survives, it's okay for them to get rich. If not, there is no reason they should continue to suck the company's teat dry while the rank-and-file watch their paychecks shrink).

2. Move the corporate headquarters someplace cheap. Yes, Arlington VA has a certain pizazz that Pittsburgh and Charlotte lack. But there is no need to be there. No need to nuzzle up to the CAB for route awards. If somebody from the company has business in DC, let them hop on a plane, they can be there in an hour and oh by the way, the company does have planes that go there.

3. Do something about the airlines basic structure. Talk is cheap. Rolling hubs, point to point flying, rational fare structure....you don't have to wait on the employees to cough up another gazillion dollars before you do those things. Wage concessions are just one part of the equation...and actually, not the most important one. Have evrybody work for free and your ASM cost is still higher than WN's. If management is truly serious about fixing this thing, rather than just forcing employees to cough up more so they can feed at the trough like all the previous managers.....it's time to let actions speak louder than wrods.

4. Grow the airline. That's the only viable way to get labor costs down. Nobody put a gun at management's head and forced them to give away routes to Mesa or other commuter affiliate partners. Shrinking the airline made all the junior employees go away. When the junior employees went away, the savings were negligible, since the high cost employees were left. Duh. The marginal costs of growing the airline are minimal. The marginal savings from shrinking it, as management found out the hard way, were equally minimal.

5. I don't know if the airline can be saved by the employees bearing the brunt of management's failures one more time. I do know that at this point in time, it's pretty obvious that employees didn't create this problem. The employees ought to be willing to try and save their company and source of livelihood, but I dunno...it'd be tough to give up more when there is no reasonable expectation that management would try and do the right thing. They haven't yet. Besides the nameplate on the prez's door...what has changed? It's still all talk and no action.

ELP_WN_pgr,
I believe this post most clearly and concisely addresses the crux of U's problem.
Every point made is a point U should have and could have been addressing for years.
The utter frustration lies in watching them come back to the employees time after time when changes to our infrastructure should have begun long before U came to the employees with threats of our demise.

 

[USA320Pilot]

Cav:

Cav said: "For someone who comes on here and proudly announced that you bring home two hundred grand yearly and are all set with or without U's survival, you sure want the other labor groups to take a big mouth full of the foul smelling substance you're shoveling."

USA320Pilot said: That's not what I said. What I used was a total compensation figure for pay, benefits, and retirement, therefore, you are misrepresenting the illustration. Let me issue you a challenge. I bet you do not have the courage to quit and go find another job next week. Why be so miserable?

Change is gong to occur at US Airways one way or another because the marketplace demands it. This is no different in any industry or company.

The market has changed and the only airline's making money are the LCC's and RJ operators, period. Therefore, US Airways better adjust or I believe you will find it more difficult than ever to survive. But, I challenge you again - quit tomorrow and go find another job and prove me wrong.

With all due respect, why be so angry and miserable? It's not healthy and life is too short.

Respectfully,

USA320Pilot

 

[boeing787]

Hey USA320 pilot...If life is too short stop wasting all your time putting stupid posts on this website. I'm sick of them along with everyone else.

 

[USA320Pilot]

Clue:

It’s clear you do not understand labor relations and public posturing. The public comments being made by every union are no different this time than before. Do some research and you will see what I mean.

Furthermore, the naysayers represent 10% of the vocal minority and their sentiment is not the sentiment of the rank-and-file, who I talk to everyday.

Has management made mistakes? Absolutely, with the largest the $2 billion stock buyback that decapitalized the company and how the PSA and Piedmont merger were implemented.

Nobody likes what has happened to our industry, our company, and our employee group. Our challenge has been the structure of our company, the Bush Administration's opposition to labor, cyclical economic events such as September 11, the sluggish economy, SARS, the Iraqi War, and now fuel prices. But, even more detrimental are the permanent and fundamental changes of RJs, the LCCs, and Internet booking.

Change will happen not only because we have new management that is realistic and has no choice, but because the marketplace demands it. That's why Dr. Bronner has said the change will occur "with or without" employees. Therefore, if enough employees desire to have full pay until the last day than I suggest everyone reading this be prepared for no pay check and no benefits before Thanksgiving.

I firmly believe it is better to have a job while looking for a job and that if the future accords are unacceptable -- than an employee can simply quit. It serves no useful purpose to "burn the airline" down to the ground and hurt people who want to remain at the company post restructuring. What good does it do to be angry and vindictive?

Where mainline employee wages and working conditions end up will be determined by the marketplace, not by a union and certainly not by a group of employees who accuse those who disagree with them of the equivalent of selling out.

That's the way it is and will always be in business. There is no company in this business that can afford to pay it's employees pay and benefits above market rates, which are clearly now being established by the LCC's, who are the only companies making money.

There is no inbetween and all the complaining in the world will do nothing, absolutely nothing about it. It's either an LCC type contract or nothing. Why? The market demands it, period.

Respectfully,

USA320Pilot

 

[USA320Pilot]

Boeing787, with all due respect, if you’re sick of my posts than why read them? Nobody is twisting your arm.

Regards,

USA320Pilot

 

[EyeInTheSky]

Boeing787, with all due respect, if you’re sick of my posts than why read them? Nobody is twisting your arm.

Regards,

USA320Pilot

USA320Pilot

Veteran Member


Group: Veteran Member
Posts: 1,919
Member No.: 2,293
Joined: 18-May 03

How can we possibly NOT read them?

 

[TheLarkAscending]

I bet you do not have the courage to quit and go find another job next week.

........and neither do you. However, that is a rather pathetic yardstick with which to measure courage.

Beating dead horses, sounding like a broken record, regurgitation of information will not accomplish anything, positive or otherwise. You do not have the control, the power nor the influence to make or break the decisions made by any individual other than yourself. Give everyone a much needed break from your repetitive mantras. Do you have the courage to stop repeating yourself six ways to Sunday and offer only unique and original posts which are filled with new information versus the tired old repetition of 'do it my way'?

Oh, if and I may add one more item: Please resist the temptation to respond with the patented response of "then why read my posts, yada, yada, yada" that makes no intellectual sense as a response and is a monumentally tiresome and worn out excuse to allow yourself to continue.

 

[ktflyhome]

ELP WN: What you wrote about U makes more sense to me than anything I have read about U in a long time. Thank you.

 

[700UW]

I do not know a lot about the non flight crew contracts,
Respectfully,
USA320Pilot

So you admit you made up the painful clause we have all been eagerly awaiting for you to explain?

 

[pitguy]

I feel sorry for his wife and children.

 

[USA320Pilot]

700UW:

USA320Pilot said: “I do not know a lot about the non flight crew contracts.â€￾

700UW said: “So you admit you made up the painful clause we have all been eagerly awaiting for you to explain?â€￾

USA320Pilot comments: I have an excellent working knowledge of the pilot and F/A contracts because they are similar. In regard to other employee groups, I have to look at them because I do not have them memorized. Regardless, I fully understand what the company can do to the IAM per the current CBA, which could be very painful. Again, if the company and the IAM do not reach an accord than the company will have no other option but to implement their painful plan.

The marketplace will decide...it always does.

Regards,

USA320Pilot

 

[cavalier]

Bring on the pain baby...my tolerance has been tweaked and I have reached my pinnacle so bring on the pain baby I am here and waiting...

 

[pitguy]

I want some more pain too.