Is the end of USAir near?

[gogogadget]

Gloom and doom is dead! There are thousand of people that have been let go in the past 12 months, are they all on welfare now? are they all still unemployed now? My point being that I know may people that have been effected by economy, For many people, this change has been a God Send. They didnt realize that there just might be something else out there better for you. I watched on an CBS eye on American inflight show, A former Baseball minor league player with dreams to be a PRO and play in the majors, got hurt and is now the TOP entertainment act in Las Vegas! Go figure. Your own personal mental well being is all that should matter. Did you do what was right? Was it worth the fight? Some of you are so opposed to change that you cannot see the forest for the Trees! Who knows, If U goes under, many of you would find the chance to Work for someone else, maybe SWA!

Think about it.

 

[UAL777flyer]

The grass always looks greener on the other side.....until you're on the other side. Some of you people need to get a hard dose of reality. If you honestly think your skills are so marketable in the current economic climate and marketplace, why don't you send a few resumes/cover letters out this week and let us all know how many responses you get.

 

[OldGuyinPA]

Imamec,itsmyfault

Good post..Don't listen to the others. There is life after USAir...Ways [:bigsmile:]
TSA is hiring...Big time. More money, gov't retirement, and stable work. Most of USAir's management is already over there.

 

[Meriel]

A few more motions hit the list today. Ok, a lot more motions. Among the more dry bits, there are a couple of interesting things.

1) Plenty of objections from various creditors regarding U's desire to set aside aircraft leases.


2) The flight attendants put in their 2 cents to support the IAM's attempt to stop the $6 million bonus payments. (There are also sundry objections by U to this audacious expression of disapproval and dismay by labor groups regarding such insignificant bonuses...)

Item 313, filed August 30, 2002 -- Memorandum In Support of the IAM'S Motion to Vacate the Order of August 12, 2002 Granting Authorization to Pay Certain Pre-Petition Executive and Managemetn Employee Bonuses (Related Document(s)230) filed by Carla Markin Siegel of Zwerdling, Paul, Leibig, Kahn & Wolly on behalf of Association of Flight Attendants, AFL-CIO. (Bolen, Clarence) (Entered: 09/03/2002)

3) Depo notice to Dave Siegel. (Hmmm... what did you know and when did you know it?).

Item 318, filed September 3, 2002 -- Certificate of Service Proof of Service of Notices of Deposition and Production of Documents to U. S. Airways Group, Inc. and David N. Siegel filed by Donald F. King of Odin, Feldman & Pittleman on behalf of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL-CIO. (King, Donald)

4) And, Mr. Sweet, they apparently don't already know where you live (but want to):

Item 324, filed September 3, 2002 -- Response by Debtors in Opposition to Emergency Motion for Protective Order and Restraining Order and for Certain Addresses to be Held Confidential for Fear of Bodily or Deadly Harm (Related Document(s)207) filed by Sarah Beckett Boehm of McGuireWoods LLP on behalf of US Airways Group, Inc.. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit(s) # 2 Exhibit(s) # 3 Exhibit(s) # 4 Exhibit(s) # 5 Exhibit(s)) (Boehm, Sarah)

 

[argentomaranello]

Meriel:

Your tireless efforts in monitoring the docket are, as always, always greatly appreciated. Its apparent to me that what your work has revealed ia an IAM-M orientation toward the venal and obscure (the managements bonuses, etc.) all the while the hangar is ablaze and bargaining unit work is in jeopardy. News early today was that USAir has requested a meeting with IAM-M leadership (the first since membership rejection of the concessionary contract proposal). Of course, they'll all see each other in court the first of the week (as the 1113 litigation launches itself).

While there is seemingly encouraging news on the CWA front, the IAM-M situation is becoming murkier. This is not good.

 

[Meriel]

Argento,

I agree that the IAM seems more fixed on the bonuses than anything else. Perhaps it is a distraction tactic. In any case, it looks like the mechanics and fleet services folks will get another chance to vote, although it is unclear to me whether that vote will be on the same contract proposal or a modified one.

For what it's worth, if I were a fleet services employee, I don't think I could have voted yes on the proposal they were given. These poor folks not only have the company to contend with, they have a union that from all appearances is more interested in itself than in the people it represents.

 

[A320 Driver]

I know I'm just another scared pilot but lets just consider the possible arbrogation of the IAM-M contract for a minute. If you strike it's over for U. Those in the NO vote crowd are so sure that a job is waiting for them on the outside. But if I was doing the hiring, and I saw on your resume that you were one of the bunch that caused the demise of U (whether you did or not, you'll still take the blame), then I wouldn't hire you. This will follow you like a Dishonorable Discharge. Wouldn't everyone be better off to try to strike a bargain with the boss? It's not too late. Adjust the givebacks...move this and that around to make it more palatable and lets get on with it.
I haven't seen anything here that you guys want that is unreasonable (except doing nothing). There has to be some common ground somewhere. It's too late to seek new representation...THIS TIME. Pride won't buy the bacon.
BTW...I'm not scared...I turned wrenches and repaired TVs to get here. I could be happy selling PAINT. I just hate to see U buried unnecessarily. Think about it?

 

[argentomaranello]

The core problem with labor costs, particularly at USAir but also at virtually all major carriers, has little to do with W-2 wages (except, maybe what the pilots managed to extract over at UAL two years ago, which then had a m***ive ripple effect accross the industry). Rather, the problem has been, and remains, one related to productivity (or, translated into English, headcount). The IAM-M proposal that went down to defeat (and which apparently will be the subject of a revote) represented USAir management's best current effort to deal with these productivity issues. We could talk endlessly about the poster children for all this -- mechanics on the tugs -- but the point is and remains that USAir must substantially increase its worker productivity if it is going to survive in this brave new world. There can be no further union pandering to lifestyle issues, as they sometimes call them, or featherbedding, as expressed in more old-fashioned terms. On this point and in somewhat sobering terms: since the 9/11 trigger for all of this airline restructuring, the reduction in USAir's fleet from about 411 to 278 has actually witnessed an INCREASE in the number of active employees per operating aircraft!!! Its hard to see how USAir's internal efficiency (or employee productivity) has been enhanced.

 

[Imamec.itsmyfault]

Meriel, just a quick heads up... The fleet service employees will not be voting for a second time, only the mechanic and related group. The union is only interested in a second vote for the mechanic and related, because we were too stupid, excuse me, confused to vote yes the first time around. The union received the vote they wanted from the fleet service group, and they are not about to take a chance of messing it up. The union rep that conducted the voting here in BDL, told us straight out during the first vote that they wanted a yes from everyone. (He did clarify by saying he could only state that, off the record.) Further, the contract we will be voting on, on September 17th., is the exact same proposal. Yes, the same proposal that gives the IAM over a million dollars in reinbursment fees, a seat on the board, guarantee of representation at the new RJ airline, and those other little perks thrown in at our expense. I figure at the very least, we gave up our one week of vacation each, to pay for this neat little pile of bennies for the IAM. If this thing p***es this time around, remember that the next time you need a week off, but don't have one to take!

 

[jettek]

[blockquote]
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On 8/29/2002 922 AM argentomaranello wrote:

Results of the IAM vote seem particularly dispiriting for anyone hopeful that a successful bankruptcy reorganization of USAir was in the cards. At the very least, the airline now has 1113 litigation in front of it with both the mechanics and the gate/res agents (and like two drunks on the street corner, one group can now be expected to prop up any flagging morale in the other). While I suspect that the mechanics' vote was skewed negatively by solidarity among the utility workers component within that group (who, like their mechanic brothers on the tugs, were targeted for major productivity reforms in the rejected proposal), the practical effect will be to significantly delay the entire bankruptcy process and to dramatically increase the liklihood that various fragmentation proposals will surface from among USAir's commercial adversaries (like DAL and AMR), and these proposals may now find better reception among the airline's secured creditors. This doesn't look good at all.
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[/blockquote]
These statements are exactly why the employees of USAirways are misinformed. These people voted to eliminate their own jobs byrefusing to subsidize unskilled groups. In PHL the mech vote was almost unanimous against an almost non-existent related group vote due to ambivalence. They were not receiving any cut, why vote. They were mostly below the 30K threshhold.