Management Out To Get Senior Agts

[novaqt]

There is not enough information about the 2 PHl agents being set forth here to know whether or not they have been habitually waiving fees and honoring expired airfares. I suspect the software you speak of red flags any agent who repeatedly makes too many concessions within a certain time period.

If a reservation has cancelled due to an agent error, it should be OK to reconstruct and honor the airfare the customer contracted for. But if the customer forgets to call back and ticket in time and their reservation has cancelled, then the customer needs to pay the fare in effect that day. Sometimes you will get a lower fare by creating a brand new reservation instead of working in the cancelled one. If the fare is still higher, then that is what they pay.

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

Management and Labor have a unique opportunity to break through these barriers and forge a new partnership for profitability and customer satisfaction at US Airways. The question is can ALL parties put down their swords and shields long enough to see that the enemy in not within US but on the outside, namely Southwest, Jet Blue, Spirit etc.

[post="253351"][/post]​

Pineybob please explain to everyone:

1. What unique opportunity you are talking about?
2. How is it unique compared to other opportunities?
3. When and how was it created?

Before you answer lets visit the definition of unique

unique: alone(p): radically distinctive and without equal

 

[700UW]

There is no trust from labor to management, until management steps up tp the plate and apologizes for lying to the media and starts treating the employees with dignity and respect, nothing will change and US will go the way of Pan Am and Eastern.

 

[700UW]

Apparently you have not read the report, there was no sickout by labor.

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

[post="253395"][/post]​

Still waiting on your answer about this unique opportunity you brought up.

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

Apparently you have not read the report, there was no sickout by labor.

[post="253396"][/post]​

Quick what does Pineybobs post you are responding to look like?

It looks like management still blaming the unions. Not only does management owe employees and unions an apology so does pineybob.

A bad post full of lies and a disgrace to the one that wrote it.

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

I read the report in its entirety. There was no organized "Job Action" or "Sick Out", there were however excessive sick calls on the ramp.

[post="253401"][/post]​

Do cut and paste it. Don't forget the part that is was a normal amount of increased sick calls for the holiday period.

You even admit is wasn't an organized event why would you have a reason to try to call out the AFA or IAM for an apology for a event that didn't take place and sick calls they have no control over?

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

[post="253401"][/post]​

Why are you having such a hard time explaining your so called "unique opportunity" are you playing the 320 way pretend I am on ignore now when there is something you can't or won't answer.

 

[PSA1979]

I don't see why AFA must "own up" to it's mistakes. AFA didn't do anything wrong. So a few flight attendants called in sick. Same number, if not less than last year. I, myself, had vacation. I came out to work the week after Christmas. The company wouldn't "let" me come and work the week of Christmas, because they didn't offer vacation fly back. Now if they had anticipated and done that, not only myself, but I'm sure lots of other f/a's would have flown.

Being a f/a around the holidays is not like working a regular job. Most people can go home at night, and see their families. We can't, we may be gone for the entire holiday, the day before, and the day after.

Now before you say "you knew that when you got hired". No we did not. We never expected this company to be stagnant for so long. We thought we'd all get blocks and not be on reserve after a couple years. That was the way it was before. A whole bunch of us started on the West Coast and never expected to be so far from home.

We used to only have 2 day trips, not 3 or 4. Signing an application that says are you willing to relocate meant are you willing to move to SFO from SAN? Or for the Piedmonsters maybe ILM to CLT? How about the orig US people? Are you willing to move from PIT to BOS?

It's a whole different ball game now and we DID NOT know about this. Even the ones that were hired 5 or 6 years ago, they were under the impression that we would keep hiring and they too would hold a block soon.

So, Bob, I think if you are going to hold your breath for an AFA apology, you just might turn blue and pass out, cuz it ain't gonna happen!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mweiss]

Now before you say "you knew that when you got hired". No we did not.

Perhaps "knew" is not the correct word. It was part of the agreement. That those in the past managed to avoid it after a few years through growth and attrition is somewhat beside the point. Please allow me to elaborate with an analogy.

When one invests in a particular mutual fund, for example, one has all sorts of risks. The fund could become worthless. Yet one places bets on an expectation of future performance based on the information available at the time of investment. Things don't always work out the way you expect.

In another analogy a bit closer to your own, take a look at people in the technology industry in 1999. Many of them chose to work at startups with the expectation that these companies would skyrocket in value and turn them into overnight millionaires. It happened to many people, including those who had come before at the same company. And, yet, it didn't happen for many of them. Everyone I know in the industry in the Bay Area was out of work in 2002. Things don't always work out the way you expect.

Bob didn't necessarily phrase it as well as he could have, but there is a germ of validity to his claim. US, among many carriers, has a real problem with employees having the "holiday flu." Even if those who are scheduling take the phenomenon into account, it hurts the honest employees, who would far prefer to be with their families but instead find themselves far from home because one of their brethren decided to play hooky.

 

[PSA1979]

Michael,
I can understand your analogies, but in the airline industry, especially the f/a side, we aren't talking about investment firms or the technology field. We are talking about 20 something's that wanted to see the world. No education required. In the interviews, it's like a cheerleading contest. No one talks about moving away from your family all the way across the country, living 10 in a motel room. Eating top rahman, cuz you can't afford McDonalds.

You put up with it because you get to see the world and there is light at the end of the tunnel. One day you will be "senior." Well, for me anyway, I don't think I will ever be "senior" and I have over 26 years here.

We have been beat down and beat down and no where do you ever hear "Great Job" "Thanks for coming to work with a smile and doing the best you can do"

It wears on you. Every where you turn, you get something else taken away. "Leave if you don't like it" I hear all the time, well, I love the people, I love flying, I love being on an airplane and boarding it up to get the passengers to their final destination. I love talking to some one new every single flight, I love airplanes taking off and landing.

I never condone calling in sick when you are not sick, but how can you tell? The system doesn't work. It has never worked around the holidays and it will never work. As long as management abuses us day after day, they won't get the loyalty it takes to cover the schedule over the holidays. Treat your people well and they in turn will step up to the plate. This group of LIARS AND THIEVES will never figure that out!

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

When you have reported absentee rates of 22% it becomes nearly impossible for ANY organization to function.

Do sick calls spike during holiday season? YES THEY DO! I have expressed my opinion both on the FFOCUS web site, to Senior excutives via phone & e-mail regarding my feelings that Senior Management on the Operations side dropped the ball and failed to adequately plan. The DOT report supports my contentions.

The DOT report also supports the contention that the sick calls were above average. I can not support folks who don't show up to work PERIOD! It's not in me, I was raised differently. The time I was off with the heart thing was a total of ten days. I haven't been off from work sick for ten days in the last 13 years combined. So I do not want to hear it! It's guys like those on the ramp who called off that cost one G/A i know 53 hours sick pay because he was off on a legitimate illness that just happened to fall over the Christmas time period. Now he has to go through CWA to get what is rightfully his because of the folks on the ramp and to a lesser extent the F/A's chose the course they chose.

Attitudes need to change on all sides of the equation is my point. If an apology helps foster better understanding then I'm all for it. If it's just part of a Union Management pissing match then leave me out.

[post="253410"][/post]​

If you want to quite things statistics you better get your numbers and facts right. From the DOT:

""US Airways has publicly attributed the December 2004 holiday travel disruptions
to a high number of sick calls, most notably from its flight attendants. Our
analysis, however, found that while the flight attendant sick call rate was higher
during the 2004 holiday travel period than the monthly average, it was no higher
than, and in some crew bases less than, the sick call rate during the holiday travel
period in 2003.
In fact, on December 24th and 25th, the days when most of the systemwide
cancellations occurred, sick call rates in 2004 (25 and 24 percent, respectively)
were the same or lower than the same dates in 2003. The real problem was the
inadequate level of available flight attendants to cover for sick calls or other
absences. Figure 4 shows the flight attendant sick call rate for December 2004
was not significantly different than for the December 2003 holiday period.

You like to yell so it is my turn THE DOT REPORT DOES NOT SUPPORT YOUR CONTENTION THAT THAT SICK CALLS WERE ABOVE NORMAL.

You were brought up one way others were brought up another so you are right? Your way or the highway? I bet you know what I want to say but I wouldn't be on this board anymore if I did. Who cares how many times you have called in? Excuse people for not being in such great health as you. You are in great health and never get sick right? You heart is in great condition right or was that a lie?What are you like the bionic man? A Howard Hughes recluse? Unmarried no kids no friends? What is it why is it you don't get sick and can't support that others in this world can and do? Why is there such things as drugs, hospitals, doctors, nurses and sick time if you say people are not allowed to get sick? You say you never get sick or use sick time and say you can't support anyone that does then you give an example of a G/A and their so called "legitimate" loss of 53 hours of sick time. Well what the hell is it? I never read such a hypocritical statement just a few sentences apart in my life. Well maybe 320's

DOT full report

By the way there are more then one here that would love to leave you out it just you can't stand being left out and won't stand for it.

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

Sorry but the FFOCUS board is meeting today after work to decide, what if any our response will be. I am not the Pope of FFOCUS, we are run by US customers for customers.

We have always believed that the employees that serve each of us are among the best the industry. We are dismayed that the rancor and bitterness continues along with lack of trust on BOTH sides.

Anytime you have an event like the Christmas Meltdown you also have an opportunity to learn and change in positive ways. That's what makes this a "unique" moment in time for all involved.

Whether US Airways and its unions are smart enough to figure this out remains to be seen. I'm not optimistic.

[post="253417"][/post]​

I have no clue what this post is about from you I asked a simple question about your "unique opportunity" and you are blabbing about who knows what.

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

[post="253435"][/post]​

Well bubble boy (never get sick) until you walked a mile in them dar shoes.

How about answering this how many holidays have you had off the last 10 years to spend with your family or friends assuming you have any.

I am not condoning using sick time for other then it purpose but I also don't blame people for putting family above work and customers after all what is more important in this world? Missing a day or two shouldn't kill a company and if a company is that bad off it needs to be laid to rest. If I was the one stuck at a airport on Chritmas eve because of this would I be pissed? Sure but I also would understand it too.

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

Well one of the reasons I went to printing school instead of culinary school is I didn't want to work weekends and holidays. In other words I made a choice.

Even Stevie Wonder can see that the airline industry is a 24/7/365 operation just like it was 35 - 40 years ago when many of these folks were hired. They made the choice then and they should be man and woman enough to live with it now.

Just like Airways management should own up to it's part in this whole debacle. NO ONE is without fault.

[post="253446"][/post]​

Yet I bet when when these old boys hired in they thought after 20 years they should be able to get a few weekend and holidays off now and then. Guess they should just quit now and go to that printing school. Or give them the sour grapes story. Sorry theres more to life guy.

You made a choice they made a choice then they were sick. Why do you keep whining about it? Can't you get over it? It is out of your control no matter what you think or want them to do you have no choice in matter.