Management Out To Get Senior Agts

[usairways_vote_NO]

Wheres the answer to that huge "unique opportunity"

You have no choice over them calling in sick do you? You think going to another airline will solve that? LOLOLOL By all means go stop the threats just do it. Does that mean you change boards too? How inflated is your ego to think you have control over employees because of a wallet?
Your wallet means nothing when they want to be home with family. What part don't you understand?

 

[mweiss]

...in the airline industry, especially the f/a side, we aren't talking about investment firms or the technology field.

No, we're not. But the concept remains the same. It's an investment of a part of your life, with the expectation of a payoff. There was nothing in the contract that guaranteed you would be with the family at Christmas after ten years. It happened for a lot of people, and it was certainly understandable that you would expect the same, but in the end it was an expected payoff for your investment.

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"

Hey, now...I never said, nor did I mean to imply, that you've been treated well by your employer.

I never condone calling in sick when you are not sick, but how can you tell? The system doesn't work.

No, it doesn't. I'm curious to see what you think would prevent abuse of the sick leave system.

As long as management abuses us day after day, they won't get the loyalty it takes to cover the schedule over the holidays.

[post="253421"][/post]​

But ultimately this is completely misplaced. Your fellow FAs call in sick, thinking that they're "sticking it to the man," when in reality they're sticking it to the very people with whom they work the galleys. That's reprehensible.

None of this, of course, excuses the deliberately misleading accusations fed to the press by those in Crystal City.

 

[PSA1979]

If I thought they were all just "sticking it to the man" you're right I would be really mad. But since I work with these people, I think it was more like "I want to be home with my family this holiday, I have worked so many and get nothing in return. I just can't go one more time,"

I don't think it was a group effort, just one person at a time making their decision (albeit wrong) but without really thinking about the consequences. So, I can't fault them all, I've been in the same situation, granted I came to work, but who am I to judge.

If I were running the F/A department, I would have offered vacation fly back to all who wanted it, offered monetary incintives above and beyond regular pay, and had every one who called in sick between Dec 20 and Jan 3 to provide a doctors note. It may not have stopped the sick calls, but it would have given me more staff to work with.

But, since I am just a nobody ............

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

[post="253474"][/post]​

Then there is also the driving in the weather issue in their mind too. It makes decision easier I am sure.

 

[diogenes]

When I got into the business, a 25 year agent had weekends off, the seniority to bid holidays, and 7 weeks of vaykay.

Now that guy gets Wed/Thu, the 30 year agent gets the holidays, and there are 4 weeks of vaykay.

So, a 25 year guys now gets no holidays and 4 weekends off per year. Plus, no holiday pay.


Lovely.

 

[TheLarkAscending]

I have a huge choice dim bulb.

If I were a store owner and you wanted to throw your money my way after that little display, I'd show your hindquarters the door, pronto! I'd also ask, no demand, that you never darken the doorway again. He, sincerely, did not deserve that, and you are constantly seeking new ways to insult UVN!

There isn't enough money in this world for anyone of these employees to take that kind of trash from you or any other customer. On behalf of all those silent customers that have had to endure your pomposity and arrogance, take your money elsewhere, please!

PS I wouldn't speak that way to a dog, a cat, let alone another human being. :down:

 

[TheLarkAscending]

With your attitude and approach you wouldn't have to worry about me "darkening your doorstep"

You don't really know anything about my attitude nor my approach, other than what you've read here. Most of the time, I am defending something or someone here -- so, if you've gathered anything it should be this: I'm NOT all about me.

If some of these employees are negative or showing derision**, given what they've been through they have every right. They don't actually have much of an opportunity to find any solutions, they are too busy contemplating how they're going to make ends meet on a salary decidedly smaller than their budgets demand. The costs of food, lodging and fuel are not lessening. The cost of raising and educating children isn't getting cheaper. You want postitive with all that has happened? I'm sure that you will find it at the workplace, where they're paid to be polite, kind and smile for the customer. Here* they have every right to complain, be a little prickly and unkind if they so choose.

As a customer, I vote to allow them to be cranky *HERE* they've earned it.

*Emphasis added to make certain that everyone understands that "here" means on the forum.

**PineyBob states:"Others such as the poster you refer to seek merely to be negative and divisive."

 

[TheLarkAscending]

NO ONE earns the right to be hostile to a customer, EVER!

Yet you approve of calling an alleged employee a 'dim wit'? That's okay?

You talk about insulting. Your post implies that they are not capable of discerning that it's not the customers fault. That is condescending and arrogant.

I implied no such thing. If that was your inference, I suggest you re-examine your interpretation and then read exactly what I'd stated, and as it was stated, with the correct and proper intent.

If it was all about me Lark then why did I

?

You really don't want my answer here. You wanted the opportunity to put it out there one more time, on the off chance that someone, somewhere, hasn't read about it before and you'd get this opportunity to tell them, once again, just how wonderful you really are.

Each of us has a choice when we wake up.

Thanks! I'm sure that we can all take great comfort in knowing that all of our lives will instantly turn-around for the better when we simply aspire to be just like you.

I have a positive suggestion: Perhaps we can agree that we will always disagree? I will also suggest that anything further we have to say, we can do so privately, rather than waste good forum bandwidth bantering back and forth in this negative manner.

Peace -

Lark

 

[mweiss]

I don't think it was a group effort, just one person at a time making their decision (albeit wrong) but without really thinking about the consequences.

I agree.

I've been in the same situation, granted I came to work, but who am I to judge.

You're in a perfect position to judge. You are one of the people who are negatively impacted by these people's selfish behavior. Every day that you continue to go to work and continue to receive your (meager) compensation, you are agreeing to do the job you were hired to do. It's not just an agreement with your employer; it's also an agreement with your fellow employees, who are also impacted by your work.

I applaud you for holding up your end of the bargain. I wish more of your peers did the same, not for my benefit but for yours. You deserve better.

If I were running the F/A department, I would have offered vacation fly back to all who wanted it, offered monetary incintives above and beyond regular pay, and had every one who called in sick between Dec 20 and Jan 3 to provide a doctors note. It may not have stopped the sick calls, but it would have given me more staff to work with.

All good ideas, to varying degrees. My only nits to pick there are that the monetary expenses could turn out to be like the televisions at the Super Bowl (remember how many people here complained?), and that the doctor's note solution is similar to the ones that are required today for many sick leaves (again, recall the bitter complaints).

It's probably what I would have wanted to do, as well, but I am no longer surprised by the chronic complaining at anything ever done by management, regardless of how good it is.

 

[PSA1979]

I agree with you Michael about the ones calling in sick making it harder for me, however, unless I speak to each one and find out just what their mitigating circumstances were, I still will not judge. I have found through the years I can only worry about me and do the best I can do. I have too many other things to worry about!

I know what you mean about the TV's, but if it was offered to anybody that came to work, not just the specific few, I think it would have gone over much better. Like the Ford Explorers at CO everyone has been talking about.

A couple of years ago the company did require dr's notes for sick calls during the holidays. If I'm not mistaken, it helped alot. Last year you only had to supply a sick note if you were at a certain amount of sick calls. So it didn't apply to every one.

It seems to be human nature to chronically complain, just look at this board!

 

[sfb]

You're in a perfect position to judge. You are one of the people who are negatively impacted by these people's selfish behavior. Every day that you continue to go to work and continue to receive your (meager) compensation, you are agreeing to do the job you were hired to do. It's not just an agreement with your employer; it's also an agreement with your fellow employees, who are also impacted by your work.

This all sounds good, but it simply doesn't reflect real life. When employers cut salaries drastically (or simply offer low wages to begin with) and offer a poor, adversarial work environment, it's pretty likely that you're going to see negative effects on employee performance. It's just human nature -- people get to the point where they say, "I don't need this grief, and if they don't like it, they can just fire me." People are not robots.

My only nits to pick there are that the monetary expenses could turn out to be like the televisions at the Super Bowl (remember how many people here complained?)

I think there were essentially two problems with the televisions on Super Bowl weekend. First of all, they were only offered in a station where absenteeism had historically been a problem. While it logically makes sense to tailor the solution to the situation, the unintended side message was that the folks in PHL were being rewarded for poor attendance in the past. Stations with good attendance really received little more than a pat on the head, if that. Moreover, from what I understand, the TV's offered by the company seemed to be the cheapest things they could find -- something you probably wouldn't pay more than $20 for at Wal-Mart.

Compare that to Continental, where everyone (below manager level, I think) is eligible with perfect attendance AND they're giving out Eddie Bauer Ford Explorers, not stripped-down Kias or Hyundais.

 

[sfb]

SFB, just because I refuse to fly Southwest, doesn't mean I hate them. For the leisure traveler and non frequent business traveler I would assume they are fine. But to me and many of my fellow frequent travelers, they are no better than getting on a bus. There are many reasons why I won't fly Southwest and other LCC's-a main one being the lack of interline capability when something goes wrong. I will not fly airlines which I consider to be third rate, as is my right to do so, and I do not owe you an explanation of why. And Independence Air is a joke--reliability rating non existent.

AirTran interlines these days. And they offer assigned seating and an affordable business class on new planes.

From your trip reports, Independence Air's reliability can't be any worse than most of the regional airlines using the F Concourse at PHL.

What makes an airline third-rate? Poor on-time record? Lack of meal service? Dirty airplanes? Lack of assigned seats? Rude/surly employees? Ugly livery? Uncomfortable planes? No first class?

Most importantly, I choose to stay loyal to US because of the excellence of their employees. Although price is important, the knowledge that the service is there when needed is important as well--and very rarely do US people let me down.

What about Mesa, Trans States, Chautauqua, PSA, Piedmont, MAA, etc. people (which you are more and more likely to get)? Is the gamble of connecting at PHL really worth it?

I guess what baffles me is that I view travel as mostly a means to an end. Getting upgraded is nice and I'm willing to pay a bit more to travel on one of my preferred carriers, but in the end, what matters most to me is getting from point A to point B in a safe, timely manner. Traveling on business, I won't choose time-consuming connections through congested, delay-prone airports when non-stops are available, given similar prices, because my time is valuable.

You certainly don't have to explain yourself. I will just continue to be amazed by what you put yourself through.

 

[mweiss]

When employers cut salaries drastically (or simply offer low wages to begin with) and offer a poor, adversarial work environment, it's pretty likely that you're going to see negative effects on employee performance.

Of course. But, as was noted by many, the attendance rate wasn't any worse this year than in many, many years past. So, apparently, the recent rounds of beating haven't affected performance on this metric.

I think there were essentially two problems with the televisions on Super Bowl weekend.

I hadn't heard reliable confirmation on the second point. I agree on the first, though I would hardly be surprised to hear complaints along the lines of "money being wasted on these things when I took a paycut," had they spent the money on expensive TVs at all locations. Do you disagree?

 

[usairways_vote_NO]

Of course. But, as was noted by many, the attendance rate wasn't any worse this year than in many, many years past. So, apparently, the recent rounds of beating haven't affected performance on this metric.

[post="253802"][/post]​

Of course it didn't. But the weather had a profound affect?

 

[mweiss]

Of course it didn't. But the weather had a profound affect?

[post="253804"][/post]​

Hard to say...if the numbers were the same as before, then the weather only had an effect if the number who would have otherwise shown up at work would have been proportionally higher than in years past.