Cbs Email Message To All Pilots

[EyeInTheSky]

Just what I was thinking myself....DESPATION...AT ITS APEX. i COMMEND THE PILOTS WHO STOOD UP.... Kudos to those men. The rest need some Viagra to get it in the right directin. B)

[post="176862"][/post]​

Remember that guy that used to be called "Wild Thing", oh I just cannot make a mental picture of this.... A stiff upper lip would be more appropriate.

 

[bookmdano]

We all have the right to interpret the "writing on the wall" any way we choose. So I'd like to throw in my "two cents" but I'll need them back please. From a pay group that is being asked to take a $7.00 an hour cut in pay and an increase payment in medical benefits, it just seems logical that the company came out with such an outrageous pay cut demand...that they knew they would get a big resounding "NO" response. For which, they can then turn around, break the unions and say..."see, we told you to take the paycut..but NOOO, well now you can certainly keep your job for $8.00 per hour instead of $13.00 like we offered you. We were really trying to be nice don't ya think?"

 

[DOA@Airport]

COMMEND THE PILOTS WHO STOOD UP.... The rest need some Viagra to get it in the right directin.

[post="176862"][/post]​

Well, things just got "stiffer"

 

[sfb]

While it may be true that the company is overstating
the "ask" in the negotiations, maybe they are trying
to finally fix the cost problems that have been
evident with US for many years.

The thing is that while the company is going after labor like there's no tomorrow, they seem to have no interest in addressing all the other costs at US Airways, Inc., which are just out of control. Last quarter, the company's mainline ASM cost was 11.18 cents, including fuel. The labor component was 4.17 cents -- leaving 7.01 cents in non-labor costs. Or, even if the employees worked for free, US Airways' costs would still be 1 cent per ASM higher than jetBlue's.

Let's say the company was truthfully only asking for $800 million in wage concessions (unlikely) per year. That works out to $200 million per quarter, and that would have put UAIR's mainline labor outlay at $364 million, or 2.69 cents/ASM. The company's ASM cost would still be 9.70 cents -- higher than B6, FL, WN, TZ, F9, CO, and AA, while only marginally lower than DL and NW.

I don't see how it can be put more plainly: the company MUST reduce its non-labor costs, but management seems to have no interest whatsoever in doing so.

If they can get huge
givebacks from the unions now, maybe the company
will prosper and in 5 years, the total package will
be better than other legacy and low cost carriers.

No it won't, because the company's contract proposals all expire in over 7 years, in 2012. Even if the company prospers, there's no guarantee that labor will see a penny of it, though you can be certain that the bonus money will flow freely at CCY.

And if the company doesn't fix its non-labor cost structure, the LCC's will still be eating US Airways' lunch in five years. Remember, jetBlue's total costs are lower than US Airways' non-labor costs.

The company is not bluffing. CH11 is coming on
Sept. 12. Maybe it's time for everyone to recognize
what is truly needed to keep this company from
CH7.

In spite of all the lipservice, the progress toward fixing what ails the company since bankruptcy was filed over two years ago has been poor -- aside from extracting more and more concessions from labor. They had six months to come up with a response to WN's entry into PHL and fare-matching with "GoFares" was the best they could do? It's astonishing that the company's post-bankruptcy business plan was based on limited low-fare competition in its core markets when it should have been clear that WN, FL, and B6 would continue to expand in US's home region.

 

[Schatzee]

Message for Bruce: GET REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :rant:

Message for A320: :mf_boff: Assume the position that many of your coworkers have gotten used to. After a couple of times, it gets easier.

 

[mwa]

I do not have a dog in this hunt but I would suggest that what is needed in this situation are informed people negotiating the final resolution. You cannot achieve this end through mob rule - especially when the Company has worked the fear and panic angle to a fever pitch. Remember, they hire professionals to do just that. A BK judge will look at the rearly negotiated contracts and split the baby to be sure.