I've said it before and i will say it again but it never loses validity.
As long as U's (mis) management continues to treat employees as liabilities, they will behave as liabilities. And looking at the balance sheet, the last thing USAirways needs is more liabilities. They have plenty of them as it is.
Management is either serious abot trying to save this airline as a going concern or they are trying to milk it for what they can. It's that simple, cut and dried, black and white. If they are serious about saving it, they will make big time and widespread sacrifices...in fact, smart management interested in salvaging the firm would take the salary of the most junior flight attendant out there and tie it to some huge stock options and be willing to deal with that.
I am usually no big fan of labor unions, but in this particular case they have a point. Management has set the course that has led to disaster....not the employees. That being the case, management ought to sacrifice...not to be fair...but because the things that are wrong are their doing.
At his point in time I think if I were employed at U, I'd be hollering "full pay to the last day" with the full realization that the last day might not be far off. But I would be damned if I was going to pay 100% of the cost of management ineptitude while they suffer not at all.
It's all about corporate culture and the only way to fix it would be to tear it down and start from scratch (sort of like boot camp.) But you don't tear it down and start from scratch by doing the same old tired "screw the employees, to heck with the unions, but you are management, therefore you are my friend, you are special and won't have to suffer" routine.
Does U use time clocks in the executive offices? I bet they do at res or at the stations.
Does U pay for any country club or similar-club memberships for upper level management?
The whole thing may be well past the point to where you could save it. But even if it isn't, it is not going to be saved on the backs of union-represented employees.
It's amazing how wise and philosophical you get in your late 40s. Everything becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Treat unions as adversaries, don't be surprised if they act adversarial.