Management claims dismal on-time performance not related to concessions

[FWAAA]

Big longwinded piece in today's Dallas Morning News. An excerpt:

Whether coincidence or not, the airline's on-time problems have grown as it has entered negotiations with its three major unions: the Allied Pilots Association in summer 2006, the Transport Workers Union in fall 2007 and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants this summer.

Mr. Cordes and Mr. Mitchell said they don't think morale issues or employee problems have contributed much – if at all – to operational problems for American. Mr. Mitchell noted that the number of teams working to improve the airline's customer service has grown over the past year.

Bill Haug, secretary-treasurer of the pilots' union, noted that the airline's performance has declined since employees took big concessions in pay, benefits and working conditions in 2003.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...n1.268cf8a.html

 

[Skymess]

My favorite part of this article:

American believes that the answer is to add time to its schedule, both on the length of the average flight and the length of stops on the ground. It is taking other steps as well, but the added schedule time represents the thrust of American's attempt to return to an acceptable on-time record.

The changes won't speed up flights. But the added time increases the cushion for dealing with problems.

Padded time on the schedule = a raise for me.

 

[The Goose]

Big longwinded piece in today's Dallas Morning News. An excerpt:



http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...n1.268cf8a.html

They have also hired a "management" group (RLG) whos stated philosophy is that pay has no bearing on employee performance ( which most would find rather contradictory with respect to the management PUP awards). They use a modified "Delphi Technique" to acheive their results (Google this and see what you find), an unethical means of steering a group of people to a predetermined end.

Another way to look at it -perhaps RLG has been assigned the wrong group to "straighten" out.

 

[WingNaPrayer]

American hires way too many consultants. I'll bet they have a consultant group that tells them which ply toilet paper will irritate employee's asses the best.

With all these consultant groups AMR has on the books now, for what purpose does the corporation need executives? I think you could clean house on the entire executive tier and no one would realize any difference.

Employees should never forget that AMR turned all employee relations, H.R., benefits, etc., over to Mercer. AMR management no longer deals with human resource issues. The contracts up for renegotiation are being negotiated by a Mercer team representing the interests of AMR, not AA.

 

[WeAAsles]

It's just another way that they've found to distance themselves from there humanity. The Ivory Towers in Centerport are just like a cave in the mountains and the execs are just the hermits that occupy them.

 

[frontline]

It's just another way that they've found to distance themselves from there humanity. The Ivory Towers in Centerport are just like a cave in the mountains and the execs are just the hermits that occupy them.

Demonizing the people you negotiate with is just a convenient excuse to keep up the strife (for its own sake?) instead of getting the job done.

As for the problems growing from labor strife, I've seen it first hand. Slowdowns, work-to-rule, all that totally unprofessional bs that I will not tolerate or accept from myself. I take pride in doing the best job I can, and anything less is a waste of time. I would like the company to value that time more highly than it currently does, but I also understand what we're facing as a company and try to be reasonable as an employee.

 

[The Goose]

Demonizing the people you negotiate with is just a convenient excuse to keep up the strife (for its own sake?) instead of getting the job done.

As for the problems growing from labor strife, I've seen it first hand. Slowdowns, work-to-rule, all that totally unprofessional bs that I will not tolerate or accept from myself. I take pride in doing the best job I can, and anything less is a waste of time. I would like the company to value that time more highly than it currently does, but I also understand what we're facing as a company and try to be reasonable as an employee.

There's not a lot of difference sometimes between the "demonizing" you refer to and simply looking at the yuppie trash, both in the company and in the TWU, and seeing them for what they really are.

I'm all for being reasonable, but like many others the insults from the upper offices are getting old.

 

[Skymess]

American hires way too many consultants. I'll bet they have a consultant group that tells them which ply toilet paper will irritate employee's asses the best.

.

No, actually, the duds decided to buy toilet paper that doesn't fit into the standard toilet paper dispensers we have on the airplane. So, instead, it just falls out and rolls through the pee drenched floor of the lav, or right into the bowl on takeoff. A few of us kept writing up broken TP dispensers on the aircraft until we got the email that, once again, some clown at HQ went the cheap route and found a vendor making shorter rolls that don't fit in most of our planes.

Someone should add up how much money was wasted buying TP that we can't use and plastic cups that don't separate. Then, they should tie the yes man who purchased these items up in a room and light the stuff on fire.

 

[Skymess]

As for the problems growing from labor strife, I've seen it first hand. Slowdowns, work-to-rule, all that totally unprofessional bs that I will not tolerate or accept from myself. I take pride in doing the best job I can, and anything less is a waste of time. I would like the company to value that time more highly than it currently does, but I also understand what we're facing as a company and try to be reasonable as an employee.

YOU just keep being reasonable and I'm sure you'll get exactly what's coming to you..............more of the same.

 

[jimntx]

No, actually, the duds decided to buy toilet paper that doesn't fit into the standard toilet paper dispensers we have on the airplane. So, instead, it just falls out and rolls through the pee drenched floor of the lav, or right into the bowl on takeoff. A few of us kept writing up broken TP dispensers on the aircraft until we got the email that, once again, some clown at HQ went the cheap route and found a vendor making shorter rolls that don't fit in most of our planes.

Someone should add up how much money was wasted buying TP that we can't use and plastic cups that don't separate. Then, they should tie the yes man who purchased these items up in a room and light the stuff on fire.

Now Miss Skymess, you misread the HI6s. Or, misinterpreted them to suit yourself. What the HI6s said is that the vendors of tp and plastic cups changed the size without consulting AMR.
They are in consultation with the vendors even as we speak (so to speak ). Perhaps a CEL team could be appointed to meet and discuss the problem and come up with a list of solutions that don't cost any money.

No one at Centerport would ever do something so dumb as to purchase tp that doesn't fit the roll! Surely, you know this. (Like the Virgin Mary, those at Centerport are without sin or error.)

 

[nbmcg01]

Demonizing the people you negotiate with is just a convenient excuse to keep up the strife (for its own sake?) instead of getting the job done.

As for the problems growing from labor strife, I've seen it first hand. Slowdowns, work-to-rule, all that totally unprofessional bs that I will not tolerate or accept from myself. I take pride in doing the best job I can, and anything less is a waste of time. I would like the company to value that time more highly than it currently does, but I also understand what we're facing as a company and try to be reasonable as an employee.

I'm curious. Why would you think "work to rule" is unprofessional? Line workers do not make the rules, nor write the procedures. Everyone should "work to rule" as that is how AA has stated (in writing) that they want the job peformed. If a certain task needs to be done another way then by all means procedures should be written to address the change.

 

[The Goose]

I'm curious. Why would you think "work to rule" is unprofessional? Line workers do not make the rules, nor write the procedures. Everyone should "work to rule" as that is how AA has stated (in writing) that they want the job peformed. If a certain task needs to be done another way then by all means procedures should be written to address the change.

"Work-To-Rule" is always unprofessional, that is, when the office types are involved. The dolts would rather have us endanger our careers by taking short cuts in performing our jobs even though many of the rules are FAA mandates. The office bound have no such pressure on them to perform and for the most part could not if they needed to.

I agree - let the company change the rules if that's what they desire, but in most cases the changes would run afoul of the FARs.

 

[nbmcg01]

"Work-To-Rule" is always unprofessional, that is, when the office types are involved. The dolts would rather have us endanger our careers by taking short cuts in performing our jobs even though many of the rules are FAA mandates. The office bound have no such pressure on them to perform and for the most part could not if they needed to.

I agree - let the company change the rules if that's what they desire, but in most cases the changes would run afoul of the FARs.

My point exactly. EVERYONE should work to rule because those are the guidlines established by mangt. If Flight Service dictates serve 3 rows and go back and replenish then that is what should happen. Always interesting on a 40 min flight..lol This is just an example so don't everyone get their panties in a bunch. Manuels should be out and every task done to the requires specks. That is NOT unprofessional, it is following the rules.

 

[TIME FOR CHANGE]

Management claims dismal on-time performance not related to concessions, union leaders hint otherwise
Out of touch
Clueless
Maybe its the performance based payouts that have clouded the minds of the morons

Anyway business as usual 1 step forward 2 steps back

 

[FrequentFlierCA]

"Work-To-Rule" is always unprofessional, that is, when the office types are involved. The dolts would rather have us endanger our careers by taking short cuts in performing our jobs even though many of the rules are FAA mandates. The office bound have no such pressure on them to perform and for the most part could not if they needed to.

I agree - let the company change the rules if that's what they desire, but in most cases the changes would run afoul of the FARs.

Isn't frontline a mechanic? I was under the impression that he or she isn't an office-type.

As for work-to-rule, I would venture that it's only unprofessional if labor uses it as a tactic during negotiations. That would effectively be playing politics with safety (the FAA's domain). I guess it really comes down to intent. I've seen lots of posts about "work-to-rule" where the insinuation was that everyone should work slowly as a way to pressure the company into concessions.