Midatlantic Rjs Qre Crap, We're Going Down!

[wings396]

This is True, Midatlantic is in reality EXPRESS. As we all very well know, Express equals LOW WAGES. I agree that a good portion of the System will be MDA or Express within the next 2 years. So just because MDA is good for RICO, it is not a welcome sign to the rest of the Employees. While you are moving up from an ALG DH-8, the rest of us are downgrading to Poverty level Wages. Hopefully this will put it all in perspective for you. We don't have MDA stats, but from a station level everyone knows how bad they are. Completion factor may be fair, but they are at times HOURS late with all of the passengers rerouted. Enough time has passed to get the 170's bugs out already. :down:

 

[Bear96]

Please define "Poverty Level" wages. I've asked several times of several people.

Do you really mean "market wages"?

PineyBob,

Would you agree that sometimes they are the same?

 

[wings396]

No Bob, do I really have to Define that for you. How little can you live on while supporting a family? If you are a darn smart as you think, I should not have to define that for you. Medical benefits cost more than ever, while some of our wages have gone back 20 years!!! Does that paint a clearer picture for you?
As far as your "Market Wages" there are jobs that start close to what a 20+ year employee earns here anymore. NWA starts at $14 an hour for a P/T position. This outfit has already made some of our wages LESS than that, and if they have their way the entire CSA and FSA group will be there soon.

 

[mweiss]

No Bob, do I really have to Define that for you. How little can you live on while supporting a family?

What's a family, and where? These aren't rhetorical questions. The definition of poverty is very much dependent on this.

Do you have three teenage boys in the house? Lots of medical, dental, food, and clothing expenses there. Just a husband and wife? Much less.

Living in Houston? You're looking at about 25% of the cost of living in the Bay Area. And even if you're in Houston, there's a wide difference between living in The Woodlands versus the Third Ward.

So, really, what is the poverty level?

This is why I don't even bother with the "poverty" argument when discussing wages.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

I forget what the US govt defines as "poverty level". But I think that when the term is used on these pages it may mean a wage that may be higher than the official definition but is still short of comfortable middle class (itself a vague term) standards.

Side note: Many people - not just in the airline industry - feel their "middle class" livelyhood threatened. One example is grocery workers for the major supermarket chains. They have traditionally enjoy good wages and benefits - above what many would term "market rate" in retail. Those wages and benefits are being cut as the supermarket chains feel the threat of Walmart superstores. Across the economy, there is a threat of a race to the bottom mentality.

Using customer svc agent pay as an example, someone who has seen pay slip from USD 22.00 to 20.00 to 13.00 (for mainline express...and maybe for the rest of the system) probably feels somewhat impovrished, even if he/she makes more than the official poverty level.

 

[Rico]

Wow,

It is kinda sad to see all the bitter and unhappy people on here. I feel sorry for you...

Like I said, There is nothing wrong with the 170 Division of Mainline (which by the way is what you are supposed to call MDA ). It just serves as a lightining rod for dissatisfied, disillusioned, and jealous people who have a mistaken sense of pre-deregulation entitlement...

Not much I can do about that. Could write 'till my fingers fell off and those who are callous and bitter would still remain so. I understand change is scary to some, and your fears manifest themselves in derogatory remarks towards the aircraft, 170 Division, or even me, oh well...

Fact is, the EMB-170 is a great Plane, easily THE BEST 70 seater flying and heads above anything our competition has. Fact is that the 170 Division is now and will always be far more experienced and "mainline-like" than our competition. Fact is that it IS already making money for US, and fact is that having the newest plane around is and always will be cool B)

Unhappy naysayers cannot change a thing about ANY of the above items. So if this post is the written equivelent of the middle finger to your poor attitudes, so be it.

I have a choice, to wallow in the self-pity and remorse, to whine endlessly with little worthwhile or constructive to add like many on here, or...

I can try to enjoy the job I CHOOSE to work at (ummm just like everyone has CHOSEN to continue to work at US), enjoy the new 20 Million dollar toy I have been given, and remind myself why I got into this job in the first place.

So complain about the plane, call me names, whine whine cry cry cry all you want. When it comes down to it I will be happy, enjoying myself for a change, and have a positive outlook.

You will be stuck being, well..., stuck being you...



To all the normal people, have a great weekend.

 

[wings396]

What a Bafoon!!!! I can't belive that you were one of the ALG guys, as MOST of them are decent. Being that you were JUST an F/O, I guess this MDA is the greatest thng to ever happen to you. I know none of the Capt. are flocking over there with you, as they would take a Huge wage cut. Remember that if the Mainline operation falls apart, and MDA keeps causing us to loose passengers, there will be no need for MDA or you for that matter. I see that you already passed the MDA Cheerleader course with flying colors!!!!

 

[Rico]

Oh, BTW Wings, I went from 60K a year as a Dash Captain to 35K a Year as a 170 FO.

So "moving up" it was not money-wise, yet...

But I had enough of the long death march that was the closure of ALG, had enough of poor attitudes from what had been good and happy people to work with, and had enough of feeling like no matter how hard I tried that it did not matter.

Now I have a chance to help create something, to contribute, to enjoy going to work again. B)

Now I have the tool I need to do my job not just as good, but BETTER than the competition. Now I have an aircraft that I can be proud of not just because I enjoy flying it (cause the Dash was one sweet flying and safe machine), but because our customers really like the aircraft as well.

I am just so sick of all the negativity around here, and the 170 Division seems to be a small Island of positive in a "sea of depression". More and more I begin to understand that is what much of the hostility from some on here stems from. Sorry you feel that way, hope it does not last, life is too short to stay in a job you hate.

So I am stuck with the 32 incher rather than a new widescreen plasma TV for awhile, whatever. That sort of crap suffers in comparison to actually being happy. And like I said before, no matter what, I will feel good while you seem to have a dark cloud over your head. So name calling aside, I come out ahead.

So now I am going to enjoy my weekend, I suggest everyone else do the same, even a bitter &%# like u wings...

 

[dashdriver]

Positive island in a sea of depression, eh?

Kind of like the string quartet playing on the deck of the titanic in the movie.

I'm amazed you're so protective of the airplane and operation you've been attached to for 12 days. Hope it's going well over there and the software updates make believers of all of the agents who hate the thing.

 

[Prince of PAWOBs]

Hey Rico,

While you're over there, ask whoever's in charge why EMB-170 ground service is not being handled at PIT by PSA when they supposedly have the contract to handle any aircraft with the word "Express" on the side of it.

And, as an aside, I'm very happy that ALG got absorbed by PDT. Maybe they'll be fewer personality conflicts with ramp agents at PIT as they discover that they can't just do as they please anymore. If anyone else is reading this and doesn't have any idea what I'm taking about, let me just say that I find PDT flight crews to be personable, professional and respectful to fellow Express employees at every station I've visited.

 

[Bear96]

Oh, BTW Wings, I went from 60K a year as a Dash Captain to 35K a Year as a 170 FO.

$35K?!?!

You must have a rich partner or a recently-deceased close relative or something to help pay the bills, since you seem to be glossing over that significant fact as you burble on about how great MDA life is.

Hey, but as long as you can feel "cool" flying your new toy, I guess that is all that matters.

 

[WSurf]

Funny as hell that the same people that are bashing MDA are the ones that years ago were trashing Southwest! Come on now, I remember people on here giving it to those that worked at Southwest. Pay, retirement, work rules. I would never work there.. blah, blah blah. But that seems to have come to a halt.
Bottom line the industry has changed. We need MDA to make it, I believe US Airways future depends on this operation.
I never wanted to fly a 70 seat a/c for those wages, but it seems that my choices now will be MDA, AT, AW,JB(190 rates :down: ) Southwest. Mostly all low fare carriers.
Sucks, but lets get US Airways on the money making side, and slowly work on getting pay back. Remember, United, Delta, will soon follow down our road.

Anyway, enjoy this wonderful career that you have chosen

 

[algflyr]

Being that you were JUST an F/O, I guess this MDA is the greatest thng to ever happen to you. I know none of the Capt. are flocking over there with you, as they would take a Huge wage cut.

Hummm Wings, Seems you really don't know what your talking about, and you're making something up you want to believe in an effort to support your position.

Fact is, every one of the people in the first WO class of 12 were Captains at ALG or PDT. (2 were very senior FO's senior to most Captains) Every one of the 12 pilots in the second class were also Captains at ALG or PDT. The other two classes in July are all junior captains or very senior FO's that were downgraded as ALG downsized with no hope to re-upgrade. The first class in Aug are all senior Captains (12+ yrs) from ALG.

I agree that MDA is a positive at U. Nobody likes how it came to exist, but I think we all want U to succeed or we wouldn't be on here complaining about it's failure. MDA will be a PART (read not the only part) of the solution. It would be nice to have the support of fellow employees. Again nobody likes where we are, but we must get over that since we cannot change it now and make it work so we can have a chance to make it a great place to work again at some point in the future.

 

[fr8tmastr]

I rode on one last night for the first time, and from a pax point of view this is a nice airplane! wide seats, plenty of pitch, overheads are big enough, windows are large and actually positioned so you can look out of them(instead of beside your waist), adjustable head rests, and bathrooms that are very large. If management actually uses these aircraft for what they are designed, it will be a success with the passengers, and hopefully U's survival.

 

[N628AU]

A lot of people are complaining about the MDA wages, but does anyone have a comparison on the pay rates at MDA and the old F28 rates (the closest mainline aircraft to make a comparison to)?