Bruce Had A Bad Day

[WorldTraveler]

Well said, Dizel8. It truly is remarkable that 320 and apparently US management thinks they can lop off a part of the company and continue to exist. The Bible happens to show a very good picture of the necessity of every person in the total Church for good reason - because all are necessary to do the needed work. That analogy could easily be applied to US' situation. Thinking that one can lop off a leg and keep walking is delusional.

 

[wnbubbleboy]

Complaining about management's wages- Fact is airline management labor is a free agent market. To attract the good management you as labor so often demand, market wages must be paid.

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. Running an airline can be best served buy somebody brought up from the inside and pays his or her dues. This vested interest in the company's success and KNOWLEDGE of the real operation of how the airline will win the battles in the trenches. No MBA can replace REAL experience.

One of the biggest problems I saw when I was there was people being brought in at high levels not being brought up from the ranks. If U was to become a SOUP company tommorrow it would be run as ineptly. To bring free agents from some where else is conterproductive, what kind of loyalty can you have for someone who has less seniority than you?

 

[USA320Pilot]

Nobody wants to see anybody lose their job or outsourcing occur, but the IAM is giving the company no choice.

LCCs and Internet booking has depressed ticket prices and fuel is killing profits. Michael Glanzer's report to ALPA was very telling and it was the union’s advisor who confirmed management's position of the marketplace.

I do not want contractors working on our aircraft or flying our routes, but the company must lower its unit costs. David Bronner has said the restructuring will go forward with or without employees, therefore, the IAM-M and IAM-FSA have a choice: be part of the solution or watch management seek ways to eliminate you.

Do I want this to happen? No, of course not. But, unless the IAM agrees to negotiate cost effective ways to maintain and service aircraft, management has no choice but to make the IAM irrelevant to the process.

Separately, last Friday in his weekly message to employees Bruce Lakefield left little doubt that the airline and its unions remain far apart. In fact, the IAM will not meet with the company until August 31, he said. Lakefield talked about his frustration with the process and he indicated the IAM-M might be misrepresenting issues. Lakefield said that the IAM-M offered to provide the company with ideas to save $80 to $100 million per year, but when asked to provide the information to the airline, the IAM refused to provide the suggestions.

Could the IAM be misrepresenting information to its members and the news media?

Respectfully,

USA320Pilot

 

[700UW]

The IAM submitted numerous ideas back in March when they met, still has not been addressed by the company.

The IAM last week presented more cost saving ideas to the company. And I have seen them.

You can worship Lakefield and Bronner as their word is gospel, but you are foolish if you believe them, but I would not expect anything less from a union who called Bronner the next coming of Jesus.

March 15, 2004

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

In response to the demonstrations by IAM members at US Airways’ airport terminals in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Charlotte and Boston, the airline agreed to meet with the Machinists Union to discuss items IAM members have identified that, if enacted by the company, would provide US Airways with significant cost savings.

The initial meeting took place in Philadelphia on March 10, 2004 when US Airways Corporate Officers, local management and finance personnel met with IAM representatives from Districts 141 and 141-M, local committees and our economic advisor.

Both Districts presented significant cost savings proposals. District 141 identified more than a dozen items that would save the company money. District 141-M explained the significant cost savings the company could realize by repairing certain aircraft components in-house with IAM members instead of shipping the components to vendors. IAM and US Airways financial experts are currently working on the valuation of the IAM’s proposal.

US Airways has committed to continue working with the IAM to identify ways to reduce the carrier’s costs. Additional meetings between District 141 and US Airways are already scheduled for the week of March 22 in Philadelphia to continue evaluating and refining our ideas. District 141-M representatives will be meeting with the Senior VP of Maintenance this week in Pittsburgh to further discuss the IAM’s cost saving ideas.

We thank all members that participated in the March 5 demonstrations. Your support and solidarity is what forced US Airways to listen to our ideas.

Sincerely and fraternally,

Scotty Ford
President
IAM District 141-M

Randy Canale
President
IAM District 141

So who is telling the truth now?

Got to love it when I can prove you wrong once again.

And the IAM will be meeting with the company to show them how to save money, not open our contract.

Keep trying though!

Here is another:

March 30, 2004

US Airways Update

To All IAM Members Employed by US Airways:

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

On March 24, 2004 US Airways CEO David Siegel addressed his employees, shareholders and passengers through an Internet video web cast. Siegel tried using fear, rewriting history and criticizing your union’s leadership to gain employee support for additional pay, benefit, and work rule concessions. He failed miserably, and looked like a CEO making a very public plea to save his job in the face of his own miserable failure.

Siegel claimed that the airline has been avoiding the issue of high employee costs. He apparently has forgotten that District 141 and 141-M members are already providing the carrier with $278 million in annual cost reductions as a result of the company’s bankruptcy.

Thousands of employees have been furloughed, and active employees are working harder, earning less and paying more for healthcare to ensure the future of US Airways.

Further demonstrating the IAM’s commitment to US Airways, District 141 and 141-M Representatives have been meeting separately with members of Siegel’s management team to ensure the airline operates in the most efficient manner possible. The $80-100 million the company could save by enacting the IAM’s recommendations would be achieved without necessitating changes to collective bargaining agreements.

Similarly, IAM officials have held constructive meetings with US Airways Chairman Dr. Bronner to develop a positive working relationship. The IAM’s commitment to a viable and competitive US Airways is without question.

Siegel’s tunnel vision, however, prevents him from acknowledging the substantial participation of IAM members in the airline’s recovery. He clearly appears to be out of touch with what is occurring within his own company.

Incredibly, Siegel also used the web cast as a platform to renegotiate his employment contract, offering to reduce his compensation to a level comparable to the CEO’s of low cost carriers. But those CEO’s and their company’s are successful, and similar compensation for David Siegel would still be too much and cannot be justified.

As graphs appearing in the March 1, 2004 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology demonstrate, US Airways has lowered personnel costs by 12 percent since 2002. However, the company’s non-personnel costs actually increased by more than 4 percent. By comparison, ALL of US Airways' competitors were successful in REDUCING non-personnel costs during that same period.

It is painfully evident that David Siegel’s bankruptcy restructuring did nothing but reduce labor costs while failing to similarly reduce non-labor costs.

Siegel’s business plan seems to be centered on scaring employees. Unfortunately, he is 20 years too late to scare airline employees into believing that repeated concessions could save an airline. Airline after airline has demonstrated that no amount of employee concessions could save a company from its own incompetent management.

Siegel likes to blame the unions for US Airways’ problems, but it was he who a year ago claimed to the business community, the Air Transportation Stabilization Board, and his employees that he a had a business plan to make US Airways successful.

It was the employees that gave David Siegel the tools he said he needed to make the plan work. However, he has failed us all and it is now time for him to do the right thing. David Siegel must begin working with, not against, his most important asset, his employees. Otherwise, he should step aside and give the job to someone capable of handling it.

Sincerely and fraternally,


Scotty Ford
President
IAM District 141-M

More:

http://www.iam141.org/PDF/LettertoLakefiel...posals62404.pdf

 

[Winglet]

"I do not want contractors working on our aircraft or flying our routes"


But if he had to choose, he'd have contractors working "our" aircraft and A320 and buddies flying "our" routes . . . . . .

 

[elmerfishpaw]

I'm not with USAirways Group anymore, but I'll tell you I can still fly ID90 on USAirways working at t the airline I'm at now, and when I'm at FL370 I want to be in an airplane looked over and fixed by USAIRWAYS union mechanics! Oh yes, OLDGUYINPA....I love that avatar!

 

[robbedagain]

700uw: has the company even met with the IAM since march 30? if not then obviousely it is lakefield who is the one who has been real slow to meet with the union, not the union

 

[700UW]

I do not think they have met over the cost savings, I know there was a LAC meeting and the IAM attended it.

Everyday the IAM is working on the cost saving ideas and adding more and more to it, I believe the IAM will make one more attempt to show the company.

 

[AgentOrange]

Blah, blah, blah.

I couldn't care less what you think. It is called a contract. Your opinion does not effect the terms.

[more irrelevant stuff about contracts]

What you say about a contract is true technically, although the assumption you make is one of the parties is solvent to carry out the contract. It is that faulty assumption that brings US Airways to its current situation. So by not making that assumption as your wrote your rant, you added nothing to the conversation.

 

[insp89]

........Is anyone really surprised that the IAM is refusing to talk concessions with management while the Airbus Arbitration Case is not settled ???? ................. It's management of this company that is dragging their feet...If Mr. Lakefield were serious about negotiating with the IAM, He would DROP the Arbitration Case..and try something foreign to this management, Good Faith Bargaining..Please remember that Mr. Lakefield was a member of the Board of Directors when management decided to attempt STEALING the Airbus work from the IAM......... Is anyone suprised that people would rather see this company go into bankrupcy than deal with a management team that stated right before the ill-fated second concessionary vote, that they had no intention of outsourcing the Airbus HMV work,,Then turn right around and ATTEMPT it ???

 

[700UW]

Very well said, but they did it! 12 planes!

 

[luvn737s]

USA320Pilot comments: Bruce Lakefield told the ALPA MEC on June 17 that he was meeting with Airbus' senior vice president of North American Sales about 2005 Airbus delivery's for US Airways in 2005 and beyond. Lakefield indicated that Airbus wants to help US Airways restrcuture.

Before you decide to go the route of HP, look at their history. In BK Airbus helped HP and in the process helped themselves to exorbitant lease rates. They got their money off the top as will anyone willing to "help" UAir in BK.

As far as contracting maintenance, HP has learned it's lesson there as well. Many key cities are staffed with HP maintenance to insure that the airplanes are repaired or MEL'd promptly and the schedule can maintain some sort of integrity. HP tried to outsource much of it's maintenance only to end up with FAA battles and quality issues that cost more than they saved. Lots of heavy stuff is outsourced, but much more line work is coming in-house.

 

[cavalier]

Very well said, but they did it! 12 planes!

[post="169113"][/post]​

Correct me if I am wrong: I heard they have more bus worked scheduled for fall in AL. Talk about presumptuous and at the same time in your face attitude.

Then we have posters asking why we are holding back on giving again, I love it!

 

[700UW]

Yes they do for the fall.

You can go to the hub and go to maintenance page, then base mtc and click on tracks, then HMV and you will see 12 months into the future of Airbii scheduled to be outsourced to a foriegn owned Singapore Technologies Mobile Aerospace at Brookley Field in Mobile, AL, which as a over a two to one ratio of unlicensed mechanics to licensed mechanics working on airplanes.

 

[cavalier]

Yes they do for the fall.

You can go to the hub and go to maintenance page, then base mtc and click on tracks, then HMV and you will see 12 months into the future of Airbii scheduled to be outsourced to a foriegn owned Singapore Technologies Mobile Aerospace at Brookley Field in Mobile, AL, which as a over a two to one ratio of unlicensed mechanics to licensed mechanics working on airplanes.

[post="169126"][/post]​

Thanks for the info.

I guess the posters asking us not to be selfish are really asking us for what should be coined: A HERO VOTE. If we voted to accept, then we voted to accept unemployment so the other more senior employees can stay never missing a beat while the majority disrupt their entire lives for them, sort of like a living sacrifice.