Bring Back Rakesh

[ITRADE]

Ya know, I'm amazed about this commentary re: Rakesh. About three years ago Rakesh was a four letter word. Folks demonized him one of the stupidest people on the face of the earth - especially after US failed to have a Plan B with respect to the United merger. And when the plan B was announced (circa August 2001), the employees howled at the idea - decrying it as putting lipstick on a pig.

Over on PlaneBusiness (on Aug. 24), OldGuyFromPA wrote the following:

"Positive things?? Well, we painted our airplanes. Customer service agents are forced to wear their coats (SWA wears shorts and tennis shoes..and turns a profit). Paid Wolf 200 million & Gangwal nearly 100 million. Stock is at a five year low..$14 and pennies. We're really on the right track. Obviously no one gets it. The world has changed everywhere but Crystal City."

EBwings wrote:

"It seems to me that the two most overrated managers in the industry are Messrs. Wolf and Gangwal. And when you compare the excellent work of Gordon Bethune and Co. at Continental, it really makes my stomach sick."

Dea Certe wrote:

"I do have serious concerns about Gangwal, however. It seems he may be in over his head. "

Amazing, somebody must have had a "come to jesus" meeting.

 

[PITbull]

ITRADE.

And your point is?



Go tell your best buddies at the Crystal Palace, they just may have to look at thim at every Board meeting... cause we surely know WE DON'T TRUST THE MANAGEMENT THAT IS HERE.

 

[ITRADE]

ITRADE.

And your point is?



Go tell your best buddies at the Crystal Palace, they just may have to look at thim at every Board meeting... cause we surely know WE DON'T TRUST THE MANAGEMENT THAT IS HERE.

"ITRADE.

And your point is?"

The very person most all the rank and file reviled for so many years is now the person you're trumpeting as your savior???

 

[PITbull]

No. There are no Saviors for labor but labor.


He is up for consideration. I personally hope he will accept. That is "iffy".

Its up to AFA and TWU.

 

[LavMan]

I Nominate Rakesh, do I hear a second?

 

[xoxo]

I second that!!!!!

 

[diogenes]

Sorry guys, we're going to have to agree to disagree.

Dave, Rakeesh and Wolf were all cut from the same cloth. Dave is implementing what W/G wanted to. The difference being, if W/G tried, we would have burned this place to the ground.

Labor friendly dave faked us out.

Just as soon see Lucifer as Rakeesh - at least you know what to expect.

 

[MarkMyWords]

PitBull -

I do know how to reach the AFA President if the need should arise, but my case in point was that life with RG was not all love and joy. Yes, he is a mon of honor when it comes to his word, he will stand behind it 100% or have a very good reason not to. BUT, I alsi think that he is from an older school of thinking. I think you and your members would be greatly served by someone that is a more original thinker, that has a better reputation with employee work groups and can offer some real life to the board. Wolf and Gangwal had their chance to run this airline once, to offer Gangwal your representative seat on the board would be a waste of a chair in my opinion. Really go out there and look for someone that has more of your agenda at heart and will come in with some new and fresh ideas.

Again this is just my opinion......take it for what it is worth.

PS (It is so nice to be back from vacation......even though I just visited with family and friends it was a nice break and a deserved little get away....thanks for missing me. )

 

[PITbull]

Mark,

I personally do not believe RG is from "the old school" of airline thinking. Leaders inspire and service the employees who in turn, service the customer. I believe Dave is too arrogant and not sophisticated as a CEO to occupy the head seat. His 7 year CO express experience, IMO, Did not qualify him to head our kind of major carrier. He came on board here too "wet behind the ears" and not seasoned in the business. In short version, he brought in some "wizard" in finance that planned a bankruptcy, and some Lorenzo offsprings", a couple of "union busters" to "brain wash" the rest of management in the mix, and used "intimidation", threats, all under a scheme of "labor friendliness". For these very reasons, Labor knows in retorspect, that Dave's entire tenure, thus far, was (I'll be kind) less than genuine, and NOT in labor's best interest, and thus, not the airline. This is not just my train of thought, but many on the outside who are privey to what has occured here. Successful restructuring is a "relative term" and is based on how you intrepret success. When you have over 20,000 jobs disappear, violations in ALL working agreements, grievance coming out with great speed, MAJOR labor unrest is validation enough that this entire management team has forsaken most of the valued components that make up a corporation....it's employees. So, how do you operate a business?

I am deeply sadened. These acts that have been done to the employee groups are not "great things" that are praisworthy of any CEO or management team. They have cured one aspect of the business, and _ _cked up the rest. They have over cut capacity, and have allowed the other major carriers to bring in more flights to fill in what U has tried to correct. As a result, you still have an industry of "over capacity". If this management would just take their focus off labor costs and zoom in on the marketing /revenue side of the equation, and help the employees operate this airline things may just balance out....so you have to wonder why they haven't.

We are starving here at U for good leadership.

My guess, they are not finished with Labor until they "bust up" all the unions. Then those who have come on board will think they now have a "total" successful restructuring in the airline industry, so they can let loose their "rath" on the American worker in the rest of the airline industry and perhaps all industries. That will not create "good jobs" in our Country, and NOT good for our nation in general.

If I were sitting on the outside, looking in a year ago, I would have taken the position that, if U was as bad as this management stated, and UAL as well, then the government should have allowed the Industry to correct itself and let those carriers that can't compete go to the way side. The entire Industry would have corrected itself. Instead, the government took a bandaid of billions of tax payer dollars, coupled with Bankruptcy restructuring, and these airlines are still "crying".

So you have to say, with all this advantage for U, why can't this team turn a profit NOW. As mrplanes had stated in a previous post....one must conlude that either the "business plan" is flawed in design or its just incompetence.

For me, there are reasons why I stay, and they are not "self serving" trust me.

I could leave tomorrow, and find a job the next day at a hospital. I stay, because many dedicated folks that are here, and have been here are either trapped by expenses with familes and sit here in a "soft economy" where good employment is scarce. We have a government administration that does not have a clue on how to "create good jobs" here in America. THEY are of the old school that the corporations must be protected, and they have this delusion that these corporations will hire if they prosper. The opposite occurs. Corproations take the tax credits and bail outs, reduce more staffing, provide less quality service, to the paying public, and LINE THEIR OWN POCKETS. Why? Because they make the rules and its legal. Its called Corporate Executive Greed..and it is written about more in the last 5 years than anytime in our business history.

Again, I state that this industry 's business has tilted, is off kilter and unbalanced. That is the main reason why I believe in unions. Its not that they are a utopia or antedote for our economy, but it is surely ONE venue that forces a balance in the fragile equation.


Sorry, went off topic. I do that sometime when I make "noise" as Bob stated in another thread.

Gangwal is again a business man. Reaonability is a great quality in a CEO, and a greater quality with one who persues peace with labor and a middle ground. He educated the MEC on the board seat and its function according to the LEC of PIT. Its not a matter to debate with the MEC, but rather will RG accept?

 

[MarkMyWords]

Mark,

Gangwal is again a business man. Reaonability is a great quality in a CEO, and a greater quality with one who persues peace with labor and a middle ground. He educated the MEC on the board seat and its function according to the LEC of PIT. Its not a matter to debate with the MEC, but rather will RG accept?

Once again, my opinion is that your working group would be better represented by someone else, someone that has their agenda at heart and can balance that with the operational needs of the airline. I think there are stronger candidates out there that have new and fresh ideas that are not being explored. I would prefer to see the seat filled with someone that will challenge the ideas of the management team, force them to focus on a more "employee friendly" approach, think outside the box, improve the level of respect for the employee groups of the company. I believe that RG, while very business savy, had his chance to make effective, positive changes and failed toward the end. Whether you attribute that failure as his or Mr. Wolfs is another can of worms. I just believe that before you put him on this pedistal as being a tiki-god, that you turn over a few more stones and make sure you have the best candidate to represent you employee interests on the board.

 

[PITbull]

Mark,

Hey, you doing anything? Send a resume..

 

[PITbull]

Bob,

I love ya...

I'd have to sit on that for awhile.

 

[MarkMyWords]

LOL......shall I fax that over or deliver it in person? LOL

 

[PITbull]

Mark,

You can bring it in person.

 

[Dilligas]

My vote is for PineyBob over Rakesh anyday. I think we're seeing a textbook case of selective amnesia regarding RG.

I sure hope the new members of the Board from "Labor" are raising holy heck in the Crystal Palace about this farm out issue.

How about Bill Clinton? He feels our pain.

Mike Tyson... he'd have all their "ears".

Gary Coleman... Assuming somehow he fails to win the governors office in CA...

No, I've got it... Jenna Jameson. She's really smart, really.