If You Were Ceo Of Airways

[PITbull]

Cav,

You make a valid point! Now please thoughtfully consider this, remembering you are the CEO

What if honoring the contracts in their current form means that in less than 18 months US Airways will cease to be?

I have made it well known here and elsewhere that further wage cuts are NOT the answer, That everyone needs to work smarter not harder. What if the contracts if modified would empower each and every employee to work smarter and deliver the kind of productivity gain needed to allow the company to mke money?

Bob,

No Labor group will argue about working harder and smarter and better. You don't need to go into labor contracts to do that.

I am sure you are a worker that works harder and better, because you understand that that is what makes the business successful and you. Do you need someone to put that in writing?

Now, if management wants to modify contract language when it comes to work rules, it is only to create job losses. SOOOOOO, not happening.

 

[PITbull]

Somebody mentioned that they understood that 10% of the f/a's were on the FMLA at any given time. This seems high, but after hearing about situations with several different f/a's over the last month or so I can understand it. All cases involved a single mother who had medical problems with their children. They had sick time available, but were told that they couldn't use it. They had to either work or go on FMLA. It can be argued that this is what the FMLA is for, but FMLA is UNpaid leave.

Another case involved a f/a who had a mastectomy. Again she had sick time available, but was told that she had to work a trip that started 10 days after the surgery or go on medical leave. Going on medical means no pay for the first 60 days. As an aside, she couldn't lift her arm (on the side of the surgery) above her shoulder.

In these cases the company seems to be saying "either you're at work or we don't want to pay you".

Jim

Hate to beat a dead horse over again, BUT, what did managmeent expect?

Did they think they could inflict these kinds of concessions, threats, terminations, displacements, job losses and the potential of more furloughs, and their would be no emotional illneses? Keep in mind, our profession is mostly females (82%). We have added responsibilities with family, pregnancies, menopause etc....IN ADDITON TO THE MENTAL STRESS PLACED ON US BY THIS NEW ENVIRONMENT.
Also, we are an older population of workers now. So, what do you suggest, since we are old, and it doesn't fit U's business model now, SHOULD WE QUIT??????
I wrote this some time ago in June to MMW (was his topic when he was once again, slamming the f/a group) about what physical sicknesses develop when folks get depressed and or have extreme emotional anxieties. I am sure everyone got pounded on these boards with all those posts.

Should I repost it?????????????? Didn't think so.

 

[BoeingBoy]

PitBull,

So right. I've been asking for examples of "work rule" changes needed to allow us to "work smarter". I've heard about the fence between int'l & domestic f/a's - is this contractual or something the company wanted to save training? I know that CLT pilots aren't overwater qualified so if a replacement crew (or crewmember) is needed in CLT they must come from PHL. That is purely a company decision, and is being addressed with CLT pilots flying Caribbean starting March.

I've heard about the abuse of the sick policy and the answer seems to be punish everybody. (Personally I think the company wants zero sick usage - either you work or are off the payroll on FMLA or long-term medical).

I've heard about people shopping at the AirMall when they should be working. Admittedly wrong since no one working in a office takes time for a personal phone call, etc. during work hours.

I have heard about rampers not working a flight because it "wasn't in their zone". Is this contractual or is this another management decision that is used to beat the employees over the head?

I have yet to hear one example of contractual work rule changes that would allow us to be so much more efficient.

Jim

 

[4merresrat]

I am really starting to be more "Management" sympathetic as i read and watch what goes on in the field with US and the various workgroups.

Just got back from PHL and Firday Evenings are pretty busy there. Especially for the cart drivers. So I'm in Bath & Bodyworks to buy a giaft and one of the cart drivers is in there. I figure she is on break, right? WRONG, her radio is swawking with people asking her where she is and they need her and she is being real evasive as to her location. Only then did I realize that she was doing her shopping on company time! I am waiting for the apologists to explain this one away and how Dave is evil. She is stealing from her employer as surely as a gunman holds up a bank.

This is why management has taken such a confrontational stance on certain things like F/A sick policy. I have been led to believe that in excess of ten percent of the F/A's of on any given work day are off sick on in FMLA situation. Over one tenth of the F/A workforce unavailave on most days. Absenteeeism where I work is around 3%

This behavior is inexcusable and IHO the parties that abuse sick leave and steal from the company should be terminated.

I am in total agreement with Piney Bob concerning the many slacker, lazy U employees. When I worked in res it was UNBELIEVABLE. I remember once I went up to my supervisor, she was scrolling thru a list at her computer, I mistakenly thought it was a list of all the people on her team. I said "Why isn't my name coming up on the list?" She replied "Oh, that isn't the team list, it is a list of the team members who have FMLA!" I was flabergasted-we had teams of about 30-40 people at the time and there must have been more than 28 people on the list. I knew employees who would call in on FMLA to go to the beach, to wait for carpet to be layed, to attend there kids basketball games. They used it as "Write your own VTO" VTO is voluntary time off, when it was slow you could go home unpayed. Don't get me wrong there were many dedicated, hardworking agents with good work ethics, but family leave was abused in a HUGE way, in Orlando RES. yes I will name the office, it was obscene. I always thought no wonder we are going down the tubes. I asked a sup why they let the major abuser get away with it they said there was "Nothing we can do." Another thing we can thank Clinton for!!!!!

 

[cavalier]

Somebody mentioned that they understood that 10% of the f/a's were on the FMLA at any given time. This seems high, but after hearing about situations with several different f/a's over the last month or so I can understand it. All cases involved a single mother who had medical problems with their children. They had sick time available, but were told that they couldn't use it. They had to either work or go on FMLA. It can be argued that this is what the FMLA is for, but FMLA is UNpaid leave.

Another case involved a f/a who had a mastectomy. Again she had sick time available, but was told that she had to work a trip that started 10 days after the surgery or go on medical leave. Going on medical means no pay for the first 60 days. As an aside, she couldn't lift her arm (on the side of the surgery) above her shoulder.

In these cases the company seems to be saying "either you're at work or we don't want to pay you".

Jim

This management is failing terribly at understanding the human factor; having zero empathy, only looking at the numbers and not factoring into the equation the true cost of such harsh policies. They believe the bottom line matters more and therefore ranks above all else. This concept in my opinion will only assure our demise. People make it work, not numbers, people are not machines and can't be expected to act and behave as though they are. Ruthless and harsh policies are not the answer. What is truly amazing is the people in charge believe absolutely this is the proper way to be profitable, that or what they are really trying to do set us up for a fire sale and don't really have a long term plan in mind. The real plan is for themselves to get very rich after we let them, by giving away our contracts, our souls.

 

[PITbull]

Jim,

Management is coming after ALL employee "lost time". They are looking to terminate you if they view you as a "iability". They are, bringing to PIT a "satelite" of the MMS dept that is in CCY. Their purpose is to scrutinize all employee lost time. They are hired to keep you on the property whether your sick, OJI or have a legitimate doctors note. They deny medical leaves especially those who have a sick bank of time. Even OJI's are denied, and if you see your doctor for that injury and the company states you had a miraculous healing (not doing any xrays or MRI for validation) MANAGEMENT WILL PREVENT YOU FROM USING YOUR SICK BANK, EVEN IF YOU ARE SEEING YOUR OWN PHYSICIAN

Personally, I believe if there are any termiantions under these kinds of newly implemented policy umbrellas, EMPLOYEES MUST TAKE IT TO AN ATTORNEY AS AN EEOC AND ADA CASE. This is the only way to change federal laws to protect injured or ill workers from terminations by employers. The FMLA's purpose was for this protection. So, what management is doing, is the second you are forced on medical leave, (even if it is your fist sick call for the year AND EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T APPLY FOR THE FMLA) they APPLY the FMLA benefit to your leave (all leaves, even work related injuries), so that when you use it up (12 weeks or less depending on your option), THERE IS NO MORE JOB PROTECTION AND THEY CAN TERMINATE YOU WHILE ON MEDICAL LEAVE. That is why mangement is trying to place everyone on a medical leave of absence, so that they can apply the FMLA benefit to you. If your sick; your a liability.

How i know this......THEY DID THIS TO A F/A THIS YEAR. And management is building cases now against others as we speak. Let me tell you, the union is not sitting on their hands on this.

 

[PITbull]

Jim,

Read my post again. I edited it for clarity sake.

 

[PITbull]

Somebody mentioned that they understood that 10% of the f/a's were on the FMLA at any given time. This seems high, but after hearing about situations with several different f/a's over the last month or so I can understand it. All cases involved a single mother who had medical problems with their children. They had sick time available, but were told that they couldn't use it. They had to either work or go on FMLA. It can be argued that this is what the FMLA is for, but FMLA is UNpaid leave.

Another case involved a f/a who had a mastectomy. Again she had sick time available, but was told that she had to work a trip that started 10 days after the surgery or go on medical leave. Going on medical means no pay for the first 60 days. As an aside, she couldn't lift her arm (on the side of the surgery) above her shoulder.

In these cases the company seems to be saying "either you're at work or we don't want to pay you".

Jim

This management is failing terribly at understanding the human factor; having zero empathy, only looking at the numbers and not factoring into the equation the true cost of such harsh policies. They believe the bottom line matters more and therefore ranks above all else. This concept in my opinion will only assure our demise. People make it work, not numbers, people are not machines and can't be expected to act and behave as though they are. Ruthless and harsh policies are not the answer. What is truly amazing is the people in charge believe absolutely this is the proper way to be profitable, that or what they are really trying to do set us up for a fire sale and don't really have a long term plan in mind. The real plan is for themselves to get very rich after we let them, by giving away our contracts, our souls.

Cav,

No more truer words said.

 

[Whatnow?]

Pitbull,

With all the "NEW" rulings on the sick policy that are being implemented on December 19th....which one's are actually included in our last contract. Are they legal? And since the " Dependability Control Program" as they call it, is growing...have they (mgmnt) put out a manual or rules for the Dependability program. I have had several friends in the past that were put on the "Dependability" program for idiotic reasons....were told by AFA, that mgmnt makes up their own rules for "Dependability" and that its very hard to fight these issues. Funny that they would use the word "Dependable" during times like these! I mean we've been forced to work under these conditions at this Airline for soo long, wondering if we would have jobs or not......and we've stuck by them regardless! Aren't we "Dependable" enough just being here still! LOL

 

[PITbull]

4merresrat,

I take you are not working now. Your furlough was not created because folks are on FMLA. YOU MUST KNOW THAT ALL LEAVE OF ABSENCES FALL UNDER FMLA.

Any "lost time" leaves are considered FMLA, whether you apply for it or not. Just so we are clear....

The numbers are high for FMLA system wide because it reflects ALL leaves....work related injuries (OJI), Long Term Disability LTD, Personal leaves, medical leaves paid or unpaid, and then the true applied for FMLAs. This is for all employees of U.


Whatnow,

The union deems all the new policies that just went into effect of December 19 as illegal and violation of our CBA. They will be challenged. In the meantime, if you find yourself in this situation, call your local rep. They need actual cases to present in arbitration.

 

[BoeingBoy]

PitBull,

Thanks for the explanation. They aren't going after us pilots as hard - yet .

I'll say this - talking to the f/a's I mentioned above is just heartbreaking. I have worked with all of them for years. They're hardworking, dedicated employees. They want this company to survive as much as anyone else. Seems like the company is bent on destroying what little morale is left.

Jim

 

[Whatnow?]

Is this happening in all departments?.....seems as though lately, way too much emphasis has been put on the F/A group. The problems aren't gonna go away anytime soon, especially since half the F/A's are already on furlough and they plan to furlough more soon. Can they not figure it out that they are tapping into an already tapped out source! With fewer and fewer F/A's on the property, of course you are going to run into staffing issues! Again, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.

 

[PITbull]

Bob,
Who does the CEO have to call to call out sick???? Thats not even intelligable.

Good thing your a customer, otherwise, you would definitely be under the same wrath....

Who told you 10% of our work group is absent????? Did you just pick this number as a hypothetical? Or did someone famous tell you so?

Not that I have to prove anything to you or anyone, but again for clarity sake, whether you care to hear it or not, we are females by majority and we get pregnant. Sorry for this inconvenience to this management or YOU. Part of the total % of any absentisms include pregnancies, include adoption leaves, include disabled individuals who do get diseases(chronic and terminal) we also have WORK RELATED INJURIES...Now, in your opinion.....do we just SUCK IT UP??????

BTW, I have seen many LAZY salesmen, as well, who make a living exagerating their expenses, stealing supplies from their employer, making personal phone calls on their corporate cell phones whose company PAYS FOR THOSE MINUTES, etc, etc, etc......



So, gently, and humbly suggest, look in a "magnified" mirror. (But, hey, I know thats not you personally).

 

[Whatnow?]

I find it interesting that everybody else knows more about somebody else's job. Funny, but about 20-30% of the F/A's cannot even go to work right now. The reserve system has literally grounded every reserve in the past couple of months. Where are the sick calls coming from......if that was true, I've should've been working by now. Who came up with these numbers that everybody is talking about on here? Gimme a break, I'm a reserve with 15 years, been on duty, haven't called in sick, and haven't worked in weeks! :angry:

 

[4merresrat]

Another aspect at U is since there are so many employees it seems the thought is: Im not hurting anyone if I call in sick-meaning not hurting my fellow employees,but they of course are. And they think they will not be missed, or do not care because they have a negative attitude toward the company and think it is their due to call in and get payed. The entire culture of U is incredible sick, and filled with employees who feel "Entitled" because they have been there a long time etc etc, and feel abused by the company. Small companies don't even have FMLA and if anyone called in sick in a small company they would be gone pretty quick. As far as the CEO calling in sick, what does what he makes dollar wise matter? Most employees at U are very well compensated but that doesn't stop them from abusing the system. It is a viscious cycle-the employee feels the company takes advantage of them so they take advantage of the company-where will it stop-when we end up in bankruptcy again? Maybe never to reemerge-then it is too late and people will see what a "cush" job U was!!