Media Day Picket a success!

[Travelpro72]

Taking a strike vote and acting on it are two entirely different actions.

The way CHAOS works.....YEP you can count on a strike vote passing with high numbers and the f/a's acting on it. Ya see, CHAOS works beautifully in that your flight is chosen, tickets are bought for your return home and that flight is cancelled. The company has NO IDEA where or when. It's perfectly legal and as for bills....well you plan accordingly do what you have to do. Easier said than done? Sure but....when you're up against a wall you don't just turn and say, "do me". I'll go down kicking and scratching at the eyes. Vote to strike and we're striking. Take it to the bank from all of the employees that don't post here.

 

[MyrnaMinkoff]

Seems like I have a number of responses to reply to. I'll endeavor to respond to only a few.

First, Bob, I would agree with you about the non-contract employees not posting since doing so could land them in hot water without a union to save their skin for violating company policy. Fortunately I don't have any superiors to answer to in that regard. I'm sure no one in charge really wants me to rile up the masses with my opinions, but I'm not constrained to silence my thoughts, except as a matter of conscience.

Now to Doug's DUI. I will say it was wrong and he should not have gotten behind the wheel since has impaired. Since he was caught he had to endure the punishment and the guilt for his actions as I'm sure he still does. The Company policy was updated so that if this were to ever happen again he would almost certainly lose his job. Of course this actually proves my point about how the BOD views Doug's performance. If they were looking for any reason to let him go, they would have jumped on this and he would have been gone. Since he has a proven track record of successful airline management I doubt any real thought was given to having him step down. Now of the two I think you would be far more likely to find Herb above the legal limit while in his office than you ever would Doug, but that's just my impression based on the articles I have read on Herb's love for adult beverages.

Now here is the ironic part of all this. The time for the FAs to strike a deal was either in 2007 or in 2010 when profits were real and sustained. That is not the time, if I were Doug, that I would want to be standing in front of a federal mediator. With oil prices back on the rise and the economy heading for a likely triple-dip recession, the FAs will scream they want more to the NMB and Doug will come in with rock solid financial numbers to show how any increase in wages will make the company insolvent. The mediator will have no choice but to agree with Management and reject the AFA's proposal. So by telling Management that the FAs are unwilling to negotiate when profits are strong Doug can escape with a lower wage contract that will likely result when cash conservation is critical. Negotiations are more about the timing than they are about anything else. If you miss this window, when do you suppose the next one will come along and will you be ready for it?

 

[MyrnaMinkoff]

So gracious of you, Callawaygolf to make time to "endeavor to respond to only a few" of the criticisms the ill-informed plebes have leveled at 'Doug,' as you so lovingly coo at least five times in the referenced missive. "If I were Doug..." (clearly a proposition that would represent a personal nirvana for you), and the deliberately misleading, "Now to Doug's DUI." Shouldn't that be, "Now to Doug's three DUIs"? Apparently, it took a trio of drunken driving arrests for Doug to work up any semblance of the contrition you claim. So brave, that Doug. Courageous. Of all the evidence you present in support of 'Doug''s superlative awesomeness, though, I guess my favorite has to be, "Doug will come in with rock solid financial numbers to show how any increase in wages will make the company insolvent." Turgid, pulsating rock-solid financial numbers?

 

[700UW]

The sky didnt fall after all the the government didnt shut down.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

Unions are bad?

The people that brought you the 40 hour work week.

The people that brought the child labor laws

The people that brought safety in the workplace

The people gave their lives in order for us to join a union

The people that brought you pensions

The people that brought you a living wage

Shall I continue?

By the way, why is it ok for Doug and the Executives to have a contract and not the rank and file?

Thanks. 700UW, couldn't have said it better.

 

[galley princess]

It does seem that there are knickers twisting in Tempe.

Just a few thoughts.

F/As will stand up for what they believe they are due. This nonsense of the last five years has only hardened resolve. Throw in that you have a decent percentage that are basically sliding into retirement; their houses are paid off, they're basically here for the day to day money, and more importantly the health benefits. Then there are those that have sidelines, insurance against the ridiculous history of US. This group is not the low skilled desperate bunch that Tempe seems to think they are. But go ahead thinking that anyway, it'll make the labor actions all the more effective.

Nor are we blind as to the fact that we are not in this alone. Shut down a company due to one labor group? I don't think so. If unemployment is high, it's also high for management positions, If this comes down to CHAOS strikes and revenue loss, you're all gonna hurt folks. Mr. P and Mr. K will certainly find positions, I have no doubt, but they'll be the fellows that sunk an airline versus, if they can ever wrap their heads around gaining labor peace, they may just get their merger and the big payday that comes with it. Keep presiding over a basket case. How's that worked out for you?

So let's talk cost-benefit. A favorite subject at US. The beauty of CHAOS is that it has great cost benefit ratio. We know there are single moms, low skills and the unprepared among us. There always are, aren't there? But CHAOS doesn't need EVERYBODY. This isn't a mass strike like NWA. So those that can't won't. And won't have to. CHAOS is a volunteer based labor action. There's case law and specific methods to it. And there's no viable corporate answer for it.

I suggest a cost -benefit analysis of your own, gentlemen. It's going to cost you a whole lot more to "stand up to labor", than if you just quietly deal and pay industry standard.

Finally, to those histrionic anti-unionistas: the best phrase I have ever heard to describe the necessity of unions: "Corporations that have unions deserve them."

 

[freedom]

EDIT:

never mind , forget my opinion , i''m just one person who has no idea what he's talking about , all of you do what you need to do and good luck to you .

 

[700UW]

That is the most intelligent thing you have said in all your time on the boards.

Your posts speak for themselves.

You havent fought the battles nor the war, I was unionized at US for 20 years, fought the battles and the war.

 

[CallawayGolf]

It does seem that there are knickers twisting in Tempe.

What makes you think so? What has Tempe done or said that makes you think they are giving this latest tactic any more attention than they have given to anything else the FAs have done?

F/As will stand up for what they believe they are due. This nonsense of the last five years has only hardened resolve.

Why has it taken you five years to get what you want if you have all of this power over Management? If CHAOS is so effective and easy for the FAs to do, why didn't you do it in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, or 2010? Will it occur in 2011 or 2012 or when? If you have this effective weapon, why not just use it?

 

[700UW]

You really dont know the RLA do you?

If Tempe wasnt bothered by it then why did they call the police?

And CHAOS can only be used after the 30 day cooling off period ends.

Go take the time and educate yourself, because you dont know what your talking about.

 

[CallawayGolf]

You really dont know the RLA do you?

If Tempe wasnt bothered by it then why did they call the police?

And CHAOS can only be used after the 30 day cooling off period ends.

Go take the time and educate yourself, because you dont know what your talking about.

I know that's your favorite phrase to make you feel superior to everyone else, but you're missing the whole point. I know how the RLA process works and that a 30-day cooling off period is required. So now we both understand that all this CHAOS talk is very premature bluster because first the mediation process needs to have time to work and there is absolutely no guarantee that self-help will be granted. The timeframe for that is nowhere near at this point and a lot of things can happen between now and then. CHAOS is no threat to anyone until the end of the cooling off period and even then there is no guarantee it will be effective or allowed to continue by whatever administration is in the White House at the time.

BTW, did you have any involvement in STORES?

 

[700UW]

I have held numerous positions in the IAM for M&R and was on the Negotiating Committee during the last bankruptcy and also worked for the district.

If you knew how it worked you wouldnt post things about the AFA that were illegal under the RLA, now would you?

And you failed to answer the question poised to you.

And working by the book is just as effective, if you work exactly to the company's policies and procedures, it sure slows things down a bit.

 

[CallawayGolf]

I have held numerous positions in the IAM for M&R and was on the Negotiating Committee during the last bankruptcy and also worked for the district.

If you knew how it worked you wouldnt post things about the AFA that were illegal under the RLA, now would you?

And you failed to answer the question poised to you.

And working by the book is just as effective, if you work exactly to the company's policies and procedures, it sure slows things down a bit.

Thought so. A little too busy attending union functions and LRA training to actually order the supplies needed for operating the company I guess. Funny how the non-union, non-STORES stations never had the same stock outs and supply chain failures that the STORESs stations did. The fact that the non-union system was way less expensive and was more efficient is quite telling to why the east operations were in bankruptcy twice in three years.

I'm not postig anything illegal, but if anarchists cross the line of the law I certainly support a legthty stay behind bars.

What question? About calling the police? When Code Pink, PETA, or any other nut jobs show up to a place of business with the intent to disrupt operations, I would expect the police to be called. In today's environment where everyone is a potential mass murderer, you should expect the police to be there to protect the innocent.

Yep, working by the book is effective and returns us back to the point of my original post; unions are a blight on America and it's members are in the minority in this country because they harm innocent people for their own naricisstic pleasures.

 

[700UW]

Ah typical, you try to attack instead of debating.

When I was at work I worked, and we filled orders in distribution, not make them.

On the line we ordered parts.

Try again.

At US we didnt have a "non-union" system for parts.

Each mtc station had their allotment of parts, which was set by management, not union, and non-mtc stations had the bare minimums as there was no mtc nor stores to keep track of shelf life and availability and no US mechanics to fix the planes. Non-Mtc stocked batteries, tires and O2 and yes it was Stores job to fill their orders.

That is why we had the AOG system. The reason some parts went missing is during transit US does not have positive tracking of parts.

Once again you post things that you have no idea about.

Dont let the facts get in your way, once again.

Come back when you can actually debate the topic at hand with knowledge and not try to attack a poster.

How is informational picketing on PUBLIC Property disturbing US Executives and media from eating lunch?

Guess I never knew eating lunch is such a critical function to keep an airline running.

 

[VAflyGal]

I know that's your favorite phrase to make you feel superior to everyone else, but you're missing the whole point. I know how the RLA process works and that a 30-day cooling off period is required. So now we both understand that all this CHAOS talk is very premature bluster because first the mediation process needs to have time to work and there is absolutely no guarantee that self-help will be granted. The timeframe for that is nowhere near at this point and a lot of things can happen between now and then. CHAOS is no threat to anyone until the end of the cooling off period and even then there is no guarantee it will be effective or allowed to continue by whatever administration is in the White House at the time.

BTW, did you have any involvement in STORES?

Oh you - don't you know we CAN'T engage in any labor move$ent until the east contract becomes amendable in December? We've been waiting for the moment, love. Strike vote comes this fall, just before holiday booking. Can't wait for it!
Have fun in the castle.....