"inspired" Pilots Will Help Us Airways

[BoeingBoy]

Pilots will help US Airways to fly right

By Michael Yeomans
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, February 21, 2004

Inspired by a visit from Chairman David Bronner on Friday, US Airways pilots agreed to cooperate with management to further restructure the airline to make it look more like low-cost, low-fare competitors who are eroding its market share and threatening its survival.

PIT Tribune-Review Article

Jim

 

[mwereplanes]

I'm not sure "inspired" is the right word. I think frightened might be a better adjective. In either case it appears that the U MEC has determined that the U pilots have not given enough. It is apparent that the pilots have taken the bait and are about to have the hook set into their steely jaws once again. The pension wasn't enough. The pay cuts weren't enough. The furloughs weren't enough. The calling for Siegel's resignation wasn't enough. No, the pilot's have not done enough to save the company so they will do more.

Look for "outsourcing" of EMB 170's (a whole mess of them) from MDA to Mesa or other carriers. Then look for the EMB 190's to go to Mesa. Look for a "modest" 15% pay cut "until things get better". Look for no pay for DH or training. Look for portions of JetBlue or AirTran work rules (notice: not Southwest) to be implemented. Look for yet more cuts to the pilot retirement program. Look for a myriad of other items that will finally save the company. Because the pilots can save the airline. It is all up to the pilots. They have realized that they have not given enough and now will finally do what they should have done 18 months ago. Thank God U has Siegel and Bronner who have finally made them realize they are the ones who will ultimately determine the fate of US Airways. The pilots are the key to the plan. Yes, finally we know who is responsible for running the company.

mr

 

[Light Years]

If they let affiliates fly 100 seaters, what in Sam's Hill are they expecting mainline to fly? Most of US Airways fleet and markets are 100 seat and short haul. If those pilots give even that away, they are idiots who deserve to lose thier jobs. <_<

 

[mwereplanes]

You mean like giving away the F-28's? You know, the 70 seat jet we used to fly? The RJ that was built before the term RJ was even known? The one we used to fly on the routes that are now being flown and will be flown by Mesa, MDA, PSA, etc....

I thought the line had been drawn by this pilot group when they called for Siegel's resignation. What I failed to see was the gutless fear that resides in the pilot's minds. Fear of losing the job. That fear allows the job to deteriorate and be outsourced. You are correct about deserving to lose their jobs lightyears. It will happen because of that fear and not standing for the resignation of Siegel and allowing him to continue to tank this company. Thank goodness I do not work for US Airways.

mr

 

[PITbull]

Bronner's leadership???????

The guy can't lead....he just holds the money trump card. That's like having an EXwife and her lawyer hold your wallet.

Geezus, what's happening to the pilots?

Bronner is the one who allowed the pensions to be offered up to the PBGC for termination.

Are the pilots now thinking they will now be entrusted to devise a plan to run the company? What?

AFA DID NOT SAY THEY ARE WILLING TO OPEN CONTRACTS AND NEGOTIATE!!!!!!

mrplanes,

I agree with you. Our careers are all in trouble and our professions. They want us to look like LCC OR is that what they want us to become?

We should have just went in to BK in 2002 and had our contracts abrogated. Now, we can't even do a job action.

Sorry guys, I've just gotten off this merry-go-round ride.

 

[Dea Certe]

PitBull,

Hang in there. There's some slight hope. It's an election year. If we can hold on a little longer and make those folks in public office hear us, maybe we can affect changes for the future, if not ourselves. Nader announced his intentions to run for office this morning. Things are going to get real squirrelly.



Dea :blink:

 

[PITbull]

Dea,

I thank you for your sensible approach, and I only pray that the Democrats take over one of the houses, otherwise labor is sunk in this country. Glass and co. are taking full advantage of the times and making themselves notorious for busting contracts.

I am hearing all kinds of things out on the line. Folks are extremely discouraged, and it is not about the "business plan" but more how this plan will effect their daily work life. All the costs saving provisions have not been implemented from our Winter agreement. Folks haven't yet adapted and many are on dependability since the new policies took effect. We have more folks up for termiantion than at anytime in our history and they are all mostly our more senior f/as who just happen to have gotten ill over the years. There are medical forms newly devised by management to protect themselves from any liability that would arise from any employee as a consequence to entering EAS programs or FMLA or medical leaves documentation that forces f/as to give up their entire health hx, etc...PIT Pres has been approached by outside legal team that is willing to take many of these cases on as these folks start to get terminated. This is the only venue left for our employees. They must protect themselves. PIT pres. is getting all data together. I just don't know how much more of this any of us can take. We are not the pilots. If they want to take their profession down to the lowest bidder, than so be it.

I am sorry Dea, I am getting tired of all this. Either these f/as take a stand for what is "right", or they will keep a job that will not be sustaining for themselves or anyone who comes to take their place in the future.

 

[Dea Certe]

PitBull,

Any chance of getting the unions to "bust" Glass? What if all the unions made it contingent that new contracts will be considered when Glass goes?

What am I thinking? We can't get the unions to agree on lunch!

It is disgusting that a whole career can be made on the destruction of others.

I'm beginning to believe management knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

Dea

 

[Dea Certe]

Piney,

Ah, the Corvair! Takes me back to my teen years! The Beach Boys and warm summer nights at the drive-in. The Ford Mustang was only like $3000 new! I definitely loved the '60's and they were pretty flawed too!

Nader's entrance just might force Kerry to take a firmer pro-Labor stand. Airline employees need to hammer Kerry with this issue alone.

We must take back our Country!

Dea

 

[tim]

PitBull,

Any chance of getting the unions to "bust" Glass? What if all the unions made it contingent that new contracts will be considered when Glass goes?

What am I thinking? We can't get the unions to agree on lunch!

It is disgusting that a whole career can be made on the destruction of others.

I'm beginning to believe management knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

Dea

Good idea except there is a big problem and its name is ALPA

 

[BoeingBoy]

Hi Gang,

Been catching up & thought I'd jump in...

The 170's will prove to be the "camel's nose under the tent" if they go anywhere else. As someone posted, the 175's & 190's will be next - if we're around long enough. Picture mainline without 737's - that's the future at best.

I have no idea what the MEC will do - just strong misgivings. USA320Pilot is probably in the ballpark about the scope relief and the RJ's. I suspect the company would like to seen all of them to affiliates, but not sure if there is anybody out there capable of taking that big a chunk in a short time.

The ALPA board seems to be two basic camps. The MEC and a few saying what a great guy Bronner is and any job is better than no job, and the "what the hell you doing" side. Of course, like here, a relative handful of people do 99% of the posting so no way to judge overall sentiment. The real test will be when something results from the "discussions" and the pilots get to vote.

Jim

 

[Light Years]

Inspired? I'm inspired to vomit.

 

[Dilligas]

<snip>
We must take back our Country!

Dea Certe,

When a thief comes into your house at night and steals all the food out of your refrigerator, you will notice the theft and take action.

However, when the thief comes in over many nights and just takes a slice or a small portion at a time, the theft may not be noticed.

The net effect is the same, you have been robbed.

The thieves have been slicing off the middle class of America for years, the design is to lower the American standard of living since the third world countries could not be elevated to our level. The American "working class" had it "too good". Regionalization of trade rules, common currencies, borderless countries, erosion of nation identity, political correctness, the problems are numerous. We don't defend our borders for a reason... not one that you or I would agree with, but the mass influx of cheap labor is serving the design of lowering the American standard of living.

Notice the deliberate dumbing down of the American education system. They don't want independent thinkers, they want "worker drones". As long as people have their sports and entertainment to distract them, and live in a cult of celebrity worship and non critcal thinking, the manipulators can continue to undermine our standard of living and the plan is working. Most Americans don't read anymore and have very little awareness of history. Many of our educational policies and "goals" are straight out of the old Soviet Union playbook.

Many on here seem to think the Democrats will protect labor. I have zero faith in either of the two major political parties. If you will review the history, each administration pretty much continues along the same path, regardless of which "beauty pageant" contestant we "choose". They know that Americans have a short memory and are easily distracted and manipulated. We give up our civil liberties for imagined security, our founding fathers must be rolling in their graves at what is taking place today.

By creating fear and a feeling of dependency amongst your citizens, or employees, the manipulators can continue to chip away at our liberties, our livelihoods, our self respect, and our futures.

Another popular method is to manipulate the masses into doing what is against their own self interests. This is done when the desired outcome by the controllers is impossible to obtain by logical linkage. For informational purposes, I quote:
------------------

"Do not pay any attention to the man behind that curtain..."

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) was a 19th century German philosopher and theologist. Karl Marx and Frederick Engels used Hegel's theory of the dialectic to back up their economic theory of communism. Now, in the 21st century, Hegelian-Marxist thinking affects our entire social and political structure. The Hegelian dialectic is the framework for guiding our thoughts and actions into conflicts that lead us to a predetermined solution. If we do not understand how the Hegelian dialectic shapes our perceptions of the world, then we do not know how we are helping to implement the vision. When we remain locked into dialectical thinking, we cannot see out of the box.

Hegel's dialectic is the tool which manipulates us into a frenzied circular pattern of thought and action. Every time we fight for or defend against an ideology we are playing a necessary role in Marx and Engels' grand design to advance humanity into a dictatorship of the proletariat. The synthetic Hegelian solution to all these conflicts can't be introduced unless we all take a side that will advance the agenda. The Marxist's global agenda is moving along at breakneck speed. The only way to completely stop the privacy invasions, expanding domestic police powers, land grabs, insane wars against inanimate objects (and transient verbs), covert actions, and outright assaults on individual liberty, is to step outside the dialectic. This releases us from the limitations of controlled and guided thought.
------------------------------------
A link explaining the above....

http://nord.twu.net/acl/dialectic.html
--------------------------------------------

OK, enough of my rant. I'm as disgusted with the situation as anyone.

Dea, I enjoy your thoughtful posts and am glad to see you more active lately.

 

[Dilligas]

<snip>
I am hearing all kinds of things out on the line. Folks are extremely discouraged, and it is not about the "business plan" but more how this plan will effect their daily work life.
<snip>
I just don't know how much more of this any of us can take. We are not the pilots. If they want to take their profession down to the lowest bidder, than so be it.
<snip>
I am sorry Dea, I am getting tired of all this. Either these f/as take a stand for what is "right", or they will keep a job that will not be sustaining for themselves or anyone who comes to take their place in the future.

PitBull,

You are a valiant leader and an inspiration to many people, I respect your intensity, passion, and convictions. I can certainly understand and emphathize with the frustrations and discouragement you and others are feeling.

Historically, the flight attendant group has stood up and shown more courage, more backbone, than any labor group at U. With warriors like youself among them, I can see why.

For quite some time I have suggested that people take a step back and reassess their career choice and futures. Times have changed and a "paradigm shift" has taken place in this industry, a revolution of sorts, and it bodes ill for all that work in the airline industry.

There is a definite point where it just isn't worth the hassle anymore. There is an emotional cost to all the stress and uncertainty, a physical cost to one's health, and the financial strain of continued givebacks. I suggest that there isn't a company in America worth dying for or shortening your life for.

While you are an easy target for many on here, I hope you know you are appreciated and respected also.

This too shall pass. Life after U is still good.

 

[700UW]

Dilligas,

Awesome as usual