CWA Files for Representation Election

[eolesen]

From firsthand experience as AA management, the low hanging fruit are long gone where agents are concerned.

Call centers are down to two, and AA's had the freedom to outsource or offshore that all along, yet hasn't.

In 1994, the company tried functional outsourcing in the hubs, and small station outsourcing. Both were walked back to some degree.

It's unlikely that the company would want to outsource anywhere that they're not outsourcing the ramp (you would still need station management, so the incremental cost of agents is minimal compared to bringing in a ground handler just for above the wing).

If anything, going union would probably lead to more outsourcing, as there's a few locations where the below-the-wing was outsourced and above-the-wing stayed insourced.

 

[Bob Owens]

From firsthand experience as AA management, the low hanging fruit are long gone where agents are concerned.

Call centers are down to two, and AA's had the freedom to outsource or offshore that all along, yet hasn't.

In 1994, the company tried functional outsourcing in the hubs, and small station outsourcing. Both were walked back to some degree.

It's unlikely that the company would want to outsource anywhere that they're not outsourcing the ramp (you would still need station management, so the incremental cost of agents is minimal compared to bringing in a ground handler just for above the wing).

If anything, going union would probably lead to more outsourcing, as there's a few locations where the below-the-wing was outsourced and above-the-wing stayed insourced.

Call centers were the main ones stopping the vote. The front line agents need a union with all the crap that they have to deal with compared to call centers. Agents get assulted, yelled at, blamed for things they have absolutely no control over and management will usually support the irrational customer over the agents. Managment changes their start times and status at will. I would never want that job even if they had a Union.

 

[eolesen]

I actually held the agent job in ORD & DFW. Nobody ever changed my start time at will. Regs required 14 days notice, same as with you, unless someone volunteered to change times. I doubt that's changed.

It had its moments, but was an easy to perform entry level job. It required nothing more than a GED and knowing how to operate a stapler.

Aside from learning Sabre, it requires no other training of any significance, and poses very few risks for injury (unlike being a FSC). It's why some people are content to stay in the job for 35+ years. You can do the job into your 60's and 70's without any trouble.

 

[usa1]

AA has a contractor in our airport, a medium sized one. The customers hate them, the airport is sick of paging an AA rep to a ticket counter or baggage service every 15 mins. It's no wonder AA is in BK with what they offer. They definitely need to bring back some of the low hanging fruit they let go, to get things turned around?

 

[eolesen]

Having flown 40,000 miles on Star Alliance carriers this year, it's a wonder some those carriers are still in business as well. I gave US more than a couple shots, and they managed to disappoint each time. 40 minutes for bag delivery in ATL? Surly agents in PHX?

No thanks, I'll continue to fly WN and UA.

 

[usa1]

I guess it's an industry thing .... everybody seems to work short handed ... no time for good old fashion customer service. My city may not be a good .. over all .. system snapshot of how it is at AA or US. Hopefully this industry is about to right itself.

 

[737823]

Josh, although 700UW and I disagree often he is nowhere near what Overspeed is. I see 700UW as a unionist with whom I disagree on certain points, I see Overspeed as a false unionist who promotes whatever is good for AA.

That's precisely the issues, whenever someone disagrees with him or criticizes that IAM in the slightest he resorts to attacks and lies. Look at all of his posts with Tim Nelson, Tim makes good fair posts and has good ideas like getting all of the ground workers in one union or holding the IAM leadership accountable for their actions. He does come on and cheer on concessions at AA and other carriers to make the IAM looks less bad from the concessionary agreements they brought forth at NWA, UAL, and USAir (three rounds of concessions). At times he does sound like a Business Unionist like Overspeed.

Josh

 

[john john]

From firsthand experience as AA management, the low hanging fruit are long gone where agents are concerned.

http://www.restructu...ople-arp-aa.asp
Overview of Airport/Cargo and Travel Center (CTO) Plan
Outsourcing key functions and areas allows us to run an operation with a cost structure better aligned with the industry as a whole,

 

[eolesen]

If you actually worked at AA, John John, instead of just being a union organizer, you'd know that several of the items on the list had already been outsourced...

Baggage service was outsourced at the hubs in the 1990s. It's been a cross-utilized position in the small stations, but I can see where AA is coming from on this --- outside the US, it's an anomaly to see bag tracing insourced. It's usually done by a ground handling company who does it for multiple airlines. They're usually quite good at tracing.

Bag drop and express check-in were also outsourced in the 1990's. Again, outside the US, it's commonplace to have everything except for premium check-in and ticketing done by the airline vs. a ground handler.


I also wouldn't count on everything in that list being what is ultimately implemented.

The plan was to hand over the entire cargo function to a third party. TWU wound up negotiating to keep it insourced at the cornerstone stations. Since those are the only places with cargo agents today, and they share supervisors with the TWU today, there's not much to be gained by outsourcing only the agents.

Skycaps were outsourced in the 1980's, and those on payroll at the time were grandfathered at the few stations which had them. Perhaps AA is finally telling them their jobs are gone after 25+ years of grandfathering. When I was there, the number of AA skycaps was around 40, all of them at LAX, ORD, JFK or LGA. There might have been one or two who came along in the TWA deal. Either way, it's a very small number in comparison to the rest of the workgroups.

I had some great PSR's, but it's hardly what I'd call a skilled position. They're not formally trained on how to use Sabre (some figure it out), and their function is really just to direct traffic within the check-in lobby, and make sure people are in the right queue.


Just who exactly is making up the class & craft? Were PSR's and Skycaps (none of whom are Sabre trained) included for the vote? Or is it only the Sabre trained agents and premium services (who are essentially agents not wearing a uniform..)?

 

[usa1]

Having flown 40,000 miles on Star Alliance carriers this year, it's a wonder some those carriers are still in business as well. I gave US more than a couple shots, and they managed to disappoint each time. 40 minutes for bag delivery in ATL? Surly agents in PHX?

No thanks, I'll continue to fly WN and UA.

So, would Fort Worth-based American’s service improve if it merged with US Airways?

http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/2012/12/airfarewatchdog-com-survey-american-airlines-has-the-rudest-employees.html/

 

[Bob Owens]

Having flown 40,000 miles on Star Alliance carriers this year, it's a wonder some those carriers are still in business as well. I gave US more than a couple shots, and they managed to disappoint each time. 40 minutes for bag delivery in ATL? Surly agents in PHX?

No thanks, I'll continue to fly WN and UA.

Aren't the agents at both WN and UA unionized?

 

[737823]

Aren't the agents at both WN and UA unionized?

Both IAM represented, the pre-merger CO agents were non-union. USAIR is CWA, DL and B6 are both non-union.

Josh

 

[700UW]

And WN's agents are the highest paid in the industry, and CO and UA voted post merger and the IAM won, so both groups are now IAM.

When the IAM won UA's CSAs and Res years ago, it was the largest win in the airline industry.

And once again your wrong joshie, the East US agents are CWA, the West US agents (former HP) are IBT.

The CWA and IBT formed a joint association as they were afraid to let US force a vote and just placed the HP agents onto the US East CBA in a transition.

 

[737823]

Didn't know about IBT at US, all the agents I see have CWA pins when I fly or no pin. I mostly fly from BOS to DCA or PHL I don't think I've ever flown "West". Just curious, are certain stations designated East and others West? I know BOS and DCA had HP flights before the merger, presumably some of their legacy employees are still around.

And as you said before UAL was the larger group and its a pure numbers game, at least that's what you said regarding the FAs. And they are still separate work groups, many stations still have different gate locations too and will for the foreseeable future.

Josh

 

[Kev3188]

And they are still separate work groups, many stations still have different gate locations too and will for the foreseeable future.
Josh

True, but a lot of that has more to do with corporate real estate/facilities/leases than anything. Obviously, some places are easier to consolidate than others, but I think that will all sort itself out in fairly short order.