Hopeful
Veteran
- Dec 21, 2002
- 5,998
- 347
Dear Mr Reding,
Recently 3 coworkers encouraged me to e-mail you about the noticeable
absence of AMR's million dollar super stars from Al Blackman's 65th
anniversary bash @ JFK. When Blackman reached similar milestones in the
past, execs were there to rejoice w/ him, including Bob Crandall. I
politely told my 3 coworkers that I would not write about this subject,
since management's disdain of workers is well documented. For example,
5
competitors paid profit sharing to their workers earlier this year,
while the largest airline gave its employees meaningless rhetoric.
But it occurred to me that 65 years is a long time to be employed w/ 1
company. Heck, when Blackman started w/ AA, Pearl Harbor was still
smoldering from the Japanese attack, & AA was run by long time chief,
CR
Smith, who didn't need gobs of money to keep his head in the game. AA
would fly its 1st jet in Blackman's 17th year. He would have 36 years
of
service when deregulation made mismanagement an essential part of
airline business. On Blackman's 61st year the great transfer of wealth,
amusingly called 'shared sacrifice', took place. Through the good times
& the bad, Al Blackman has been the preeminent model of loyalty.
Compare Blackman's unwavering loyalty to the current crop of execs @
AMR. These people are driven by ambition. Former VP of human resources,
Sue Oliver, violated the sanctity of our homes by mailing literature
trumpeting the restructuring of Labor contracts. Was she personally
committed to AA's survival??? No, because she left shortly afterwards
to
reap the rewards of child labor @ Walmart. Greg Hall, the former VP of
line maint & another patron saint of 'shared sacrifice' departed AA for
UAL & then packed his bag again for Fed Ex. Dan Garton, the present VP
of marketing, left AA for Continental & returned only when it was
lucrative for him. CFO Tom Horton abandon the company during the
financial tailspin when his services were desperately needed. Then was
lured back w/ a salary that was greater than Arpey's. The charlatan
Carty should have been exposed as a fake when he deserted AA in the
1980's to helm CP Air & skillfully managed that carrier straight into
oblivion. You smugly told the NY Times that you answer the phone when
corporate recruiters call, meaning your loyalty is as good as the last
paycheck.
So, as execs come & go in pursuit of the ol' mighty dollar, the only
constant is Al Blackman -- an unassuming but genuine man. Everyday, for
65 years, he has greeted coworkers w/ a warm smile & a "howdy." Toiling
w/ the same devotion whether working for a double digit pay raise or
pay
cut. You can learn a lot about loyalty from Al Blackman.
Sincerely,
xxxxxxxxxx
mechanic & burdening the sacrifice @ JFK
AMR shareholder
Recently 3 coworkers encouraged me to e-mail you about the noticeable
absence of AMR's million dollar super stars from Al Blackman's 65th
anniversary bash @ JFK. When Blackman reached similar milestones in the
past, execs were there to rejoice w/ him, including Bob Crandall. I
politely told my 3 coworkers that I would not write about this subject,
since management's disdain of workers is well documented. For example,
5
competitors paid profit sharing to their workers earlier this year,
while the largest airline gave its employees meaningless rhetoric.
But it occurred to me that 65 years is a long time to be employed w/ 1
company. Heck, when Blackman started w/ AA, Pearl Harbor was still
smoldering from the Japanese attack, & AA was run by long time chief,
CR
Smith, who didn't need gobs of money to keep his head in the game. AA
would fly its 1st jet in Blackman's 17th year. He would have 36 years
of
service when deregulation made mismanagement an essential part of
airline business. On Blackman's 61st year the great transfer of wealth,
amusingly called 'shared sacrifice', took place. Through the good times
& the bad, Al Blackman has been the preeminent model of loyalty.
Compare Blackman's unwavering loyalty to the current crop of execs @
AMR. These people are driven by ambition. Former VP of human resources,
Sue Oliver, violated the sanctity of our homes by mailing literature
trumpeting the restructuring of Labor contracts. Was she personally
committed to AA's survival??? No, because she left shortly afterwards
to
reap the rewards of child labor @ Walmart. Greg Hall, the former VP of
line maint & another patron saint of 'shared sacrifice' departed AA for
UAL & then packed his bag again for Fed Ex. Dan Garton, the present VP
of marketing, left AA for Continental & returned only when it was
lucrative for him. CFO Tom Horton abandon the company during the
financial tailspin when his services were desperately needed. Then was
lured back w/ a salary that was greater than Arpey's. The charlatan
Carty should have been exposed as a fake when he deserted AA in the
1980's to helm CP Air & skillfully managed that carrier straight into
oblivion. You smugly told the NY Times that you answer the phone when
corporate recruiters call, meaning your loyalty is as good as the last
paycheck.
So, as execs come & go in pursuit of the ol' mighty dollar, the only
constant is Al Blackman -- an unassuming but genuine man. Everyday, for
65 years, he has greeted coworkers w/ a warm smile & a "howdy." Toiling
w/ the same devotion whether working for a double digit pay raise or
pay
cut. You can learn a lot about loyalty from Al Blackman.
Sincerely,
xxxxxxxxxx
mechanic & burdening the sacrifice @ JFK
AMR shareholder
