Letter To Dave Siegel From Afa

[usfliboi]

LETTER TO DAVE SIEGEL FROM AFA MEC PRESIDENT PERRY HAYES

November 19, 2003

Mr. David N. Siegel
President and CEO
US Airways
2345 Crystal Drive
Arlington, VA 22227

Re: Your Letter to Employees Dated November 18, 2003

Dear Dave:

First and foremost, I must advise you that as a labor leader at
this airline, I believe your letter will fall on deaf ears. The
employees of this Company have collectively already given back
too much. And some of your analysis of what needs to be done
honestly makes no sense at all.

You mention that we have a better product than Southwest. Who
cares? Do the customers who flock to Southwest do so because of
the product Southwest offers? No, Dave. They do so because of
price. Southwest offers a simple product, i.e., transportation
from point A to point B. Novel idea, but no one on this
management team seems to want to try that concept. If you want
to compete with Southwest, then become more like them. Quit
trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

You say we cannot compete with the low-cost carriers on one
critical factor and that factor is cost. Nice play on words,
however, we don't operate like the low-cost carriers. We have a
hub and spoke system that is more inefficient and costly to
operate. It appears management would like to continue to operate
this airline in an inefficient manner and get the employees to
absorb that "cost". Not likely to occur Dave. And when you
mention productivity, let's be honest. Who schedules the
airline? Who creates the idle time sitting in airports for both
crews and aircraft? Management does Dave - not labor. It appears
you would like our airline to be the Macy's of the industry, but
you want the employees to be the Wal-Mart greeters in terms of
what they make. Oh, don't get me wrong, you expect the employees
to provide all the services of Macy's to the customers but at
clearance prices for their labor.

You say we will choose our future. Does that mean that the
employees of the airline can stand up to management and the
Board and demand that the current team of inefficient and
apparently inept management be replaced? That would be the first
step in choosing our future. We need a team that understands
that you can't compete with something you aren't and aren't
willing to become. Your plan again seems to be focused on
driving down cost and increasing productivity, but there does
not appear to be any real change proposed in how this airline
operates. The employees have been led to slaughter on two
previous occasions and it is unlikely they are willing to head
down that path again. The employees need a management team with
vision and the insight to change this airline. Since you have
been here I have not seen such vision. You were praised for
getting us out of bankruptcy so quickly. Big deal. Not that
impressive when you see that the airline is still doing things
pretty much the way it always has and still trying to blame
labor cost and productivity for all our problems.

You actually have the audacity to tell the employees of this
airline that "everything must be on the table." Sorry Dave. We
already gave. And the management team in place not only accepts
what was negotiated, but continues to violate our labor
agreement and interpret what was negotiated in a manner that was
never discussed. We have seen this happen with the sick policy
that was negotiated last year as well as with the implementation
of the new reserve system. AFA agrees to one thing and the
Company takes that and implements a few creative ideas of its
own. Putting things on the table with this management team means
opening yourself up to lies and deceit.

A management team that looks to one thing, over and over, as the
primary means of survival, cannot control the future of this
airline. You apparently believe that labor must again be willing
to give more. I believe we need a new management team with
vision and some new ideas because your old ideas aren't going
anywhere.

Sincerely,

Perry L. Hayes
MEC President

 

[willnotworkforfree]

WOW...if this is legit...then it says it all and then some...now this boy has a set of Balls.

 

[linemech]

LETTER TO DAVE SIEGEL FROM AFA MEC PRESIDENT PERRY HAYES

That was nice, As I read it I felt as if I could have written it myself. As do many, many, others I'm sure.
As I read I couldn't help but notice that the words LIES and DECEIT found their way into the letter, as they always seems to when refering to DAVE.

Well said Perry Hayes !

 

[usfliboi]

This was the latest e line from afa! Ive known Parry and I can say he has always been fair to the point of being accused of being a company man. This is a big blow to Dave coming from Perry ! Thanks Perry ! Proud of u !

 

[Fatherknowsbest]

Excellent letter Perry.

This brings on at least 2 questions.

1) Did Perry contact the other Unions?

2) Do all the other Union's have a problem with Siegel being replaced?


If the answer to question 2 is yes, I am ashamed to be a Union member here!

 

[robbedagain]

I for one am a union member of the IAM and I know that our union most likely would love to see a total mgmt replacement, you know like the little 50 seater that has unfortunately replaced many mainline flights. I hope that the answer to quest. #2 is a definetly time for a change!

 

[PITbull]

USfliboi,

Right you are there. Perry is a Corporate thinker, however, is a stickler when it comes to contract language. That is why the majority of the MEC put him in office.

There are times the perception is you are not quite sure where his loyalty lays, and the MEC gets in very heated debates.

The two "leftest" MEC members pretty much, balance him out. If he is to the point of being fed up with management, you know that something pretty much stinks in CCY.

I applaud Perry for taking a courageous and "just" stance on behalf of the membership.

 

[T-bone]

I think dave may get his mail but like the allegations about wacko jacko from never-never land he continues to think that there is nothing wrong with buggering people. Especially those who built the airline. There just has to be a clinical diagnosis of this dude. The enron syndrome? Matricide? I don't know but something is obviously seriously wrong with the picture.

 

[mrplanes]

That was superb! I am more proud of the AFA at this point than I have ever been of my own union, ALPA. Truly telling it like it is.

mr

 

[PITbull]

Bob,

I see you are still making excuses for management. Read your past posts after labor gave both concessions. Specifically after the termination of the pilots' pension. You implied that now its up to this management team. Labor did its part, now give management an opportunity to do theirs, specifically our CEO, and for us not to judge, after all you said, "we agreed".

We as f/as don't need sympathy from passengers. We just need them to fly us.

 

[PSA1979]

Piney
What do you suggest we do on flights when we have finished the service perthe company's guidelines? Walk up and down the aisles 500 times? The flight you are on is not our only flight for the day. We can sit and rest, ie: read, knit etc. How about if we sit on our jump seat and stare at you for 15 minutes, then walk the aisle, then sit and stare etc etc etc. Come on, give us a break. I just finished flying down to the Islands on an 8+00 one day (flight time, not duty time) and after I did the company mandated service I had 2+ hours to kill on each flight. I read a book while watching for call lights and collecting trash every 20-30 minutes. There is nothing else to do. We can't do another beverage service, as we have done what we are supposed to do. We don't clean the planes during the flight as that is the cleaners job and we aren't even going to fix the broken wheels on the carts or replace burned out bulbs need I go on? Do you think AA or UA or CO or DA flight attendants don't sit and read when they are finished with their service? Think again.

Productivity is not what we do on the airplanes, but how many times we take off and land in a day. Walk a mile in my shoes, then you can come back to criticize what I do.

 

[700UW]

Mr Bob,

Does that mean when the plane is being flown on Autopilot which is probably 90% of the flight the pilots should not get paid either or when the planes are not broken and the mechanics are not working them, they should not get paid or when the ramp is not loading or unloading them they should not get paid or when the utility are not cleaning they should not get paid or when the customer service agent is not checking in customers they should not get paid?

 

[PITbull]

I can tell you what f/as don't get paid for.....any ground work. cleaning, serving first class pre departure, boarding passengers, etc.... Sometimes, we have 4-7 legs a day. That translates to approx 3-4 hours of free work as an hourly wage earner? I believe that management thinks that has value, yet f/as do not get compensated. Notta.

 

[Colby]

I think BOB needs to go find a WAWA Floor to clean rather than trying to tell the F/A's how to do their job !!!!

 

[Light Years]

Bob-

Here's a difference with US Airways flight attendants: for the most part, we LIKE to do service. Go over to the American or Delta boards and see if they are bitching about service cuts- they are happy with less work. Here at US (and from what I've seen UA is a lot like this too) we like to be PROUD of our service. We think glassware should be used, we think the planes should be clean, and we'd like to see our previous transcon and transatlantic service (which was award winning) return. Its this management that has brought our service levels to sub-AirTran levels, thus leaving alot of sit time.

Should FAs stand in the aisle and wait for you to finish a drink and then refill it? Or maybe, to make up for the lack of IFE they can pull a chair into the aisle a read a story? Or again, just stare at the passengers? Extra sweeps of the cabin and offering more service is not permitted for cost saving and consistency reasons.

Anyone who has worked at a restaurant has heard "time to lean, time to clean". I worked at a fast food joint in high school far from Wawa's part of the world and they used that too. FAs do liquor (and now food, or on intl, duty free) inventory, stock gallies with the limited supplies, and clean the work areas for the next crew. If you ever get a chance to see one of our gallies you'll see that most of the time they are left clean and organized for coworkers. As for cleaning the rest of the plane, are you talking about coming down the aisle with a vacuum cleaner and a rag on our head? And another on the lav floor scrubbing away like "Mommie Dearest"? ("Im not mad at you Dave, I'm mad at the DIRT!!!")

Maybe thats why some new-to-FC passengers rudely place thier feet on the bulkheads- they are waiting for the Hoover?